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

1320 ZENON. ZENON.
tury later, about A. D. 363, the year in which upon Zeno; and now that he had the real power,
Julian perished. They likewise inferred from in- he soon acquired the title as well. Assisted lby
ternal evidence, that he was of African extraction, the dowager empress Verina, he was declared elland died in A. D. 380 or 381. It is unnecessary peror with the approbation of the senate; and his
to enumerate the various editions which appeared own son put the crown upon his head. His son,
in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, since however, had still the precedence, and in the laws
they are either mere copies of the original impres- promulgated in this year in the names of the to,
sion of 1508, or inferior to it from being deformed Augusti, the name of Leo always precedes that c
by arbitrary changes and interpolations. The only Zeno. By the death of Leo, which occurred to
text which can be used with advantage is that of wards the end of the year (474), Zeno becanm
the Ballerini (fol. Veron. 1739), which is accom- sole emperor. Some writers accuse him of havinl
panied by copious notes and dissertations, and has made away with his son to secure the undivide:
been adopted by Galland in his Bibliotheca Pa- sovereignty for himself; and they even allege tha
trum, vol. v. (fol. Venet. 1769), p. 109. There is Ariadne was privy to the crime: but as the Greek
an Italian translation of St. Zeno by the Marquis historians, who never miss an opportunity of blackGiovanni Jacopo Dionisi, canon of Verona (fol. ening the character of Zeno, do not say a word
Veron. 1784). (Galland, Proleg. to vol. v. c. xii.; respecting the murder of his son, we may safely
Schoenemann, Bibliotheca Patrumn Latinor, vol. i. reject the tale as a calumny.
~ 12.) [W. R.] The reign of Zeno was marked by great disZENON or ZENO (Zivwv), emperor of the East, asters, by intestine commotions, and foreign wars.
A.D. 474-491,was descenided from a noble Isaurian He is represented by the Greek historians as a.family. His name was originally Trascalisseus, voluptuary, a miser, and a tyrant. His conwhich he exchanged for that of Zeno when he temptible character and his oppressive government
married Ariadne, the daughter of the emperor occasioned frequent revolts among his subjects.
Leo I. in 468. He probably assumed this -name The barbarians ravaged the fairest provinces of his
because another Isaurian of the name of Zeno had empire; and the Goths, after encamping under the
obtained distinction under Theodosius II., and very walls of Constantinople, founded a new kiingbeen elevated to the consulship in 448. Of the dom in Italy under the sway of Theodoric the
early life of Zeno we have no particulars; but we Great. Zeno had not been many months upon the
are told that Leo gave him his daughter in mar- throne before he was driven out of Constantinople
riage in order to secure the support of the Isau- by a formidable rebellion excited by Verina and
rians against his ambitious minister Aspar, from her brother Basiliscus, A. D. 475. Zeno took rewhich we may conclude that Zeno had great in- fuge in Isauria along with his wife Ariadne, and
fluence among his countrymen. On his marriage Basiliscus was proclaimed emperor. Basiliscus sent
with Ariadne, he was raised by the emperor to the Illus and his brother Trocundus, who were also
rank of patrician, was appointed commander of the Isaurians, with a powerful army against the fugiimperial guards and of the armies in the East, and tive emperor, whom they defeated in July, A. D.
was elevated to the consulship along with Mar- 476. But Basiliscus was still more unpopular at
cianus in 469. The elevation of Zeno brought Constantinople than Zeno. His adherents were
great trouble upon the church in consequence of discontented and divided; and Zeno accordingly
his patronage of Peter, surnamed the Fuller, who found no difficulty in persuading Illus to desert his
had been expelled from the monastery of the Acoe- new master, and espouse his cause.' Zeno and Illus
metae both for immorality and heresy. Through now marched upon Constantinople, and they appear
the influence of Zeno Peter obtained possession of to have received support from Theodoric, who had
the patriarchate of Antioch in this year, but the succeeded his father Theodemir as king of the Osmeans by which he gained his object, and his sub- trogoths. Near Nicaea they were met by the troops
sequent deposition by-Leo are related elsewhere of Basiliscus under the command of his nephew
[PETRUS]. Though Zeno was thus the means of Harimatius olt Harmatus, but the latter was also
giving some trouble to the emperor, he nevertheless gained over, and Zeno entered Constantinople
was regarded by Leo as the main stay of his without opposition in the month of July, A. D. 477,
throne, and accordingly excited the jealousy of twenty mouths after his expulsion. Basiliscus was
Aspar. While engaged in a campaign against the deposed and sent to Phrygia, where he perished in
barbarians, who were ravaging Thrace, he narrowly the winter of the same year [BASILISCUS]. The
escaped being assassinated by the friends of Aspar. treachery of Harmatius had been purchased by
On his return to court he persuaded Leo to get rid great promises, which Zeno was now obliged to
of his dangerous minister, and by his advice and fulfill. He was made commander-in-chief of the
contrivance Aspar was murdered in 471. Leo had army, and his son was raised to the rank of Caesar;
no male children, and he wished to appoint his but these high dignities only caused his ruin. Illus,
son-in-law his successor; but as soon as the em- who was jealous of any rival in power, easily perperor's intentions became known, there were great suaded the weak and timid emperor that Hartumults at -Constantinople, for the Greeks could matins was aiming at the sovereignty, and accordnot bear the idea of submitting to an Isaurian, ingly before the end of the year Harmatius was
and they hated Zeno personally both for the murdered, and his son, the Caesar, was made
ugliness of his person and of his mind (Zonar. reader in the church of Blachernae, in the neighxiv. 2). Leo accordingly gave up his intention, bourhood of Constantinople.
and appointed as his successor his grandson Leo, Zeno now devolved the cares of government
the son of Zeno and Ariadne. This was in the upon Illus, while he gave himself up to the enjoyyear 473, and on the 3d of February_ in the fol- ment of his pleasures. In A. D. 478 Illus was
lowing year (474) the emperor died, and was sole consul. In this year Theodoric, son of Triarius,
succeeded by his grandson. As the young em- a Gothic chief, who had been one of the supporters
peror was only a child, the government devolved of the emperor Basiliscus, and who had retired into