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

1238 VENTIDIUS. VENTIDIUT-S,
in different ways; the latter usually represented tonius in the war of Mutina (B. c. 43). DuLrilg,
them as beings with wings at their heads and the siege of AIutina he raised two legions in the
shoulders (Ov. JAet. i. 264, &c.; Philostr. Icon. colonies of Caesar, and a third in Picenum, his
i. 24). On the chest of Cypselus, Boreas in the native country, and he stayed there, says Appian,
act of carrying off Oreithyia, was represented with waiting to see how things would turn ont. He
serpents in the place of legs (Pans. v. 19. ~ 1). afterwards conducted his legions through the ApenThe most remarkable monument representing the nines without any opposition from Caesar Octaviwinds is the octagonal tower of Andronicus Cyr- anus, who had already defeated Antonius before
rhestes at Athens. Each of the eight sides ofbthe Mutina, and he joined Antonius at Vada Sabatia
monument represents one of the eight principal on the Ligurian coast. (Cic. ad Farn. x. 33 and 34,
winds in a flying attitude. A moveable Triton xi. 10.) After the reconciliation between Antonius
in the centre of the cupola pointed with his staff and Octavianus near Bononia, Ventidius was made
to the wind blowing at the time. All these eight conslll suffectus with C. Carrinas (B. C. 43), Octafigures have wings at their shoulders, all are vianus having resigned his consulship, and Q. Peclothed, and the peculiarities of the winds are dius having died. (Vell. Pat. ii. 65, Dion Cass.
indicated by their bodies and various attributes. xlvii. 15.) In B. c. 42 Ventidius was one of the
(Hirt, lytilol. Bilderb. p. 140, &c.) Black lambs legates of Antonius in Gallia Transalpina, with Q.
were offered as sacrifices to the destructive winds, Fufius Calenus, and stopped some soldiers of Caesar
and white ones to favourable or good winds. Octavianus from crossing the Alps, whom Caesar
(Aristoph. Ran. 845; Virg. Aen. iii. 117.) Bo- had sent into Spain. (Dion Cass. xlviii. 10.)
reas had a temple on the river Ilissus in Attica This took place during the quarrel of Caesar with
(Herod. vii. 189; comp. Paus. viii. 27. ~ 9), and Fulvia and the consul L. Antonius, the brother of
between Titane and Sicyon there was an altar of Marcus. Ventidius and the other legate'of Antothe winds, upon which a priest offered a sacrifice nius made no great effort to relieve L. Antonius
to the winds once in every year. (Paus. ii. 12. when he was besieged by Caesar in Perusia (Ap~ 1.) Zephyrus had an altar on the sacred road plan, Bell. Civ. v. 31, 35); but there appear to
to Eleusis. (i. 37. ~ 1.) [L. S.] have been some reasons why they could not safely
P. VENTI'1)TUS BASSUS. " This mall move from their position. After the capture of
was a native of Picenum, and having fought Perusia (B. c. 40) Ventidius kept his forces toagainst the Romans, when the allies were at war gether, and was joined by those of Plancus, who
with them, he was made prisoner by Pompeius had rln away. In this year M. Antonius and
Strabo, and appeared in his triumphal procession Caesar came to terms.
in chains: after this, being manumitted, he was While M. Antonius was engaged in Italy (B. c.
admitted into the Senate in course of time, and 39), he sent Bassus as his legatus into Asia to
was then made praetor in the time of Caesar, and oppose Labienus, whom he pursued to the mounattained to such honour as to conquer the Parthians tains of Taurus, where Labienus waited for the
and to enjoy a triumph for his victory." (Dion Parthians, and Bassus for re-inforcements. VenCass. xliii. 51.) Pompeius Strabo triumphed tidius, being afraid of the Parthian cavalry which
B. C. 89, and Ventidius B. C. 38, fifty years later, had arrived, posted himself on high ground, where
whence we must infer that he was quite a youth he was attacked by the Parthians, whom he rewhen he was captured by the Romans. A. Gel- pelled and defeated. The Parthians made their
lius (xv. 4; with which compare Val. Max. vi. 9. escape towards Cilicia, followed by Bassus, who
~ 9; Juv. vii. 199), who has a short chapter on halted when he came in Sight of the camp of
Bassus, says that he was of mean parentage, and Labienus. The men of Labienus, being discouraged
that when Pompeius Strabo took Asculum, Bassus by the defeat of the Parthians, he attempted to
and his mother were made prisoners; and that escape by night; but many of his men were cut off,
Bassus lay in his mother's lap when she appeared and the rest came over to Bassus. Labienus was
in the triumphal procession. When he grew up caught in Cilicia by Demetrius, a freedman of
to man's estate, he got a poor living by under- Caesar, and put to death. (Dion, xlviii. 39, 40;
taking to furnish mules and vehicles for those Florus, iv. 9.) Bassus sent forward Popedius Silo
magistrates who went from Rome to administer a to occupy the passes of Amanus, but Barzaphanes,
province. This early occupation of Bassus was or, as Dion calls him, Pharnapates, who comnot forgotten when he became consul, and the manded under Pacorus, was in possession of the
Romans, who have always had a taste for satire, passes, and Silo was in great danger of being dereminded Bassus of that which was not his dis- stroyed with his troops, when Bassus came to his
grace but his honour, in the following verse, which assistance and defeated Barzaphanes, who fell in
is recorded by Gellius: the battle. Bassus now took possession of all
-Nam mouls cqui fricabat consu'l factus est. Syria easily, except Aradus, and Palestine also.
Bassus exacted large sums from King Antigonls,
Plancus, in a letter to Cicero (ad Famr. x. 18), Antiochus of Commagene, and Malchus, a Nabacalls Bassus, Ventidius Mulio, in allusion to his thaean chieftain, on the ground of their having
early occupation. aided Pacorus. The senate conferred no honours
In this humble employment Bassus became on Bassus for his victories, because he was only
known to C. Julius Caesar, whom he accompanied acting as the legatos of Antonius.
into Gaul; but he is not mentioned in Caesar's In the following year (Dion Cass. xlix. 19, 21)
Commentaries. In the civil war he executed Pacorus collected his troops and advanced towards
Caesar's orders with ability, and became a favourite Syria. The troops of Ventidius were dispersed in
of his great commander. He obtained the rank of winter quarters, and he wished to gain time. He
tribunus plebis, a seat in the Roman senate, and contrived to deceive Pacorus by making him )behe was made a praetor for B. C. 43. lieve that he feared that the Parthians would not
After Caesar's death Bassus sided with M. An- cross the Euphrates at the Zeugma, the usual place;