A Dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology. By various writers. Ed. by William Smith. Illustrated by numerous engravings on wood.

MARCIAN US. MARCIAN IS. 941
on the express condition that they were presents, his wide-dominions, and procured for them domestic
but no tribute. Attila having declined to admit and external peace during the terrible expeditions
the ambassador into his presence, though not to of the Huns and the Vandals. His laudable efforts
accept the presents, Apollonius firmly refused to to put down the venality and corruption of the
give up the latter previous to having obtained an public functionaries and advocates were crowned
audience; and being at last admitted, behaved so with success; and the Codex'Theodosianus connobly and fearlessly, that the king swore he would tains many of his constitutions, from which we -may,
take bloody revenge. He thought it, however, draw a favourable conclusion as to his honesty and'
more prudent to turn his wrath against Valen- wisdom. His orthodoxy caused him to be praised
tinian, who had likewise affronted him, by refusing in an exaggerated degree by the orthodox writers.
to give up his sister Honoria, whom Attila claimed (Evagr. ii. 12; Theophan. p. 89, &c.; Theodor.
as his betrothed wife. Without disclosing his Lect. i. 28' Nicephor. Call. xv. 1-4; Priscus,
intention as to the countries'he had chosen for an pp. 41, 43, 48, 72, &c.; Zonar. vol.'i. p. 45, &c.;
invasion, Attila sent messengers at once to Rome Cedren. p. 343, &c.; Procop. Vand. 1, 4; Malela,
and Constantinople, who addressed each of the em- pp. 26, 27; Codin. pp. 35, 60, 61; Glycas, p. 262;'
perors with the haughty and insulting words: Joel, p. 171.) [W. P.]
"Attila, my lord and thy lord, commands thee to
provide a palace for his immediate reception."
Upon this he set out for the invasion of Gaul,
A. D. 451. _
In the same year Marcian assembled the council! -
of Chalcedon, where the doctrines of the Eutychians -t
were condemned. In the following year, 452, the
celebrated Ardabarius, then dux Orientis, defeated
the Arabs near Damascus, and made them sue for
peace; and Maximin met with similar success COIN OF THE EMPEROR MARCIANUS
against the Blemmyes, who had invaded the MARCIA'NUS, of Heracleia in Pontus, a
Thebais in Upper Egypt. A strong army was Greek geographer, lived after Ptolemy, whom he
also sent towards the frontiers of the Western frequently quotes, and before Stephanus of Byzanempire to assist Valentinian against Attila, who tium, who refers to him, but his exact date is
was then invading Italy, and to secure the Eastern uncertain. If he is the same Marcianus as the.
empire against any unexpected diversion of the one mentioned by Synesius (Ep. 103) and Socrates
barbarians. In short Marcian neglected nothing (H. E. iv. 9), he must have lived at the beginning
to prepare peace and happiness for his subjects, of the fifth century of the Christian era. He wrote a
who had so cruelly suffered under his predecessors. work in prose, entitled, IlspiArhovs Ts,r kw, aAdoar7r
The death of Attila, in 453, relieved him not only e4.dov re Kal E'7rEpiov Keal ra'E v c, a7-C TeTgYtn'V V4from great and just anxiety, but the subsequent, Gow,'"A Periplus of the External Sea, both eastern
and almost immediate dissolution of the empire of and western, and of the largest islands in it." The
the Huns, afforded him an opportunity of re- External Sea he used in opposition to the Medipopulating those provinces which had been laid terranean, which he says had been sufficiently
waste by the Huns in their previous campaigns described by Artemiodorus. This work was in
against Theodosius. Thus the Eastern Goths re- two books; of which the former, on the eastern
ceived extensive lands in Pannonia; Sarmatians and southern seas, has come down to us entire, but
(Slavonians) and Herules, in Illyricum; and Scyri, of the latter, which treated of the western and
Alans and Huns, under Attila's' youngest son northern seas, we possess only the three last chapHernac, in Scythia and Lower Moesia. The ters on Africa, and a mutilated one on the distance
death of the excellent empress Pulcheria, in 454, from Rome to the principal cities in the world. In
caused a general affliction; but the popularity of this work he chiefly follows Ptolemy, and in the
Marcian only gained by it. In the following year, calculation of the stadia he adopts the reckoning of
455, Valentinian was murdered; Maximin usurped Protagoras. He also made an epitome of the eleven
the crown; Italy and Gaul were covered with books of the Periplous of Artemiodorus, of Ephesus
ruins and blood; and the Vandal Genseric pillaged [ARTEMIODORuS, No. 6], but of this epitome we
Rome. In themidst of these terrible commotions, have only the introduction, and the periplus of
Marcian secured the peace of his own dominions Pontus, Bithynia, and Paphlagonia. It was not,
with his wonted wisdom and firmness; and some however, simply an abridgment of Artemiodorus;
disturbances having broken out in Lazica, in 456, for Marcianus tells us that he made use of the
which were kindled by the Armenians and Per- works of other distinguished geographers, who had
sians, he sent able officers against the latter, who written descriptions of coasts, among whom he
soon compelled the enemy to desist from farther mentions Timosthenes of Rhodes, Eratosthenes,
hostilities. But in the beginning of 457 Marcian Pytheas of Massilia, Isidorus of Charax, Sosander
fell ill, and after five months' suffering, died on the the pilot, Simmias, Apellas of Cyrene, Euthymenes
26th of June following. His death would have of Massilia, Phileas of Athens, Androsthenes of
been the signal of great calamities but for the Thasus, Cleon of Sicily, Eudoxus of Rhodes,
power of Aspar, who caused Leo the Great to be Hanno of Carthage, Scylax of Caryanda and
chosen emperor. Marcian had, of course, no issue Botthaeus; but he says that he followed more
from Pulcheria. He had, however, a daughter, the particularly Artemiodorus, Strabo, and Menippus
offspring of a former marriage, who was called of Pergamus. Marcianus also published an edition'Euphemia, and was married to Anthemius, who of Menippus with additions and corrections. [MEbecame afterwards emperor of the West. Marcian NIPPUS.]
was decidedly an excellent man, who deserves our The extant works of Marcianus were first pnbadmiration for the manner in which he governed lished by D. Hoeschelius in his "Geographi-a,"