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

24 OLYMPIODORUS. OLYMPIODORUS.
ticulars of the dispute are detailed in the speech, [HIEROCLES], the groundwork or idea of which he
to which the reader is referred. professes to have derived from him. Photius states
3. An Athenian general and statesman of con- that Olympiodorus was a r'olTr's, that is, an alchysiderable ability. When Cassander made his mist. It has been supposed that this statement
attempt upon Athens in B. C. 298, Olympiodorus has arisen from a confusion between this and some
sailed to Aetolia, and induced the Aetolians to other man of the same name. But Photius dissend assistance to Athens; and Cassander was tinctly makes the statement on the authority of
compelled to withdraw his forces. Shortly after- Olympiodorus himself (cos auirds clarm). It appears,
wards, when Elatea, which had been conquered by from what Photius has:preserved of his writings,
Cassander, revolted from him, it was mainly that he was a heathen.
through Olympiodorus that it was enabled to hold The abridgment by Photius has been several
out against his troops. Subsequently, in B.C. 288, times published: by Phil. Labbeus, in his Ecloyae
when Demetrius was stripped of his kingdom by Histor. de Rebus Byzant.; by Sylburg, in his ColLysimachus and Pyrrhus, a small number of the lectio Scriptorum Hist. Rom. Minorum rn; byAndreas
Athenians, with Olympiodorus at their head, Schottus, in his Eclogae Historicorum de Rebus
resolved to rid the city of the Macedonian garrison qByzantinis; and, in conjunction with Dexippus,
which Demetrius had posted in Athens in the Eunapius, and other historical fragments, by Niefortress of the Museum after his conquest of the buhr, Bonn, 1829. (Fabric. Bibl. Graec. vol. x.
city, and which still remained faithful to him. pp. 632, 703.)
The Athenians readily joined Olympiodorus and 4. A peripatetic philosopher, who taught at
his confederates, and the Museum was carried by Alexandria, where Proclus was one of his pupils
storm. Peiraeus and Munychia were also re- and speedily attracted theattention of Olympiodorus,
covered, and Olympiodorus, at the head of a small who was so much attached to him that he wished to
body of troops which he raised at Eleusis, put to betroth his daughter to him. Owing to the rapidity
flight a body of troops in the service of Demetrius, of his utterance and the difficulty of the subjects
who were ravaging the plain. Demetrius invested on which he treated, he was understood by very
Athens, but was compelled by the approach of few. When his lectures were concluded, Proclus
Pyrrhus to raise the siege, and shortly afterwards used to repeat the topics treated of in them for the
crossed over into Asia Minor. It was probably benefit of those pupils who were slower in catching
this Olympiodorus who was archon eponymus in the meaning of their master. Olympiodorus had
B. C. 294. There was a statue of him on the the reputation of being an eloquent man and a proAcropolis. (Paus. i. 25. ~ 2, i. 29. ~ 13, x. 18. ~ 7, found thinker. Nothing of his has come down to
x. 34. ~ 3.) [C. P. M.] us in a written form. (Marinus, Vita Procli, c. 9;
OLYMPIODORUStS ('OXv/uArLd68pos), literary. Suidas, s. v.; Fabric. Bibl. Graec. vol. x. p. 628.)
1. A writer mentioned by Pliny amongst those 5, A philosopher of the Platonic school, a confrom whom he drew materials for the 12th book of temporary of Isidorus of Pelusium, who in one of
his Natural History. his letters (ii. 256) reproaches him for neglecting
2. A disciple of Theophrastus, with whom was the precepts of Plato, and spending an indolent
deposited one of the copies of his will. (Diog. life. (Fabric. Bibl. Grace. vol. iii. p. 180.)
Laert. v. 57.) 6. The last philosopher of any celebrity in the
3. An historical writer, a native of Thebes in Neo-Platonic school of Alexandria. He lived in
Egypt, who lived in the fifth century after Christ. the first half of the sixth century after Christ, in
He wrote a work in 22 books, entitled'IoaopsIcoI the reign of the emperor Justinian. He was a
Ao;yos, which comprised the history of the Western younger contemporary, and possibly a pupil, of
empire under the reign of Honorius, from A. D. 407 Damascius; the partiality which he uniformly
to October, A. D. 425 (Clinton, Fast. Rom. anno shows for him, and the preference which he gives
425). Olympiodorus took up the history from him even above Proclus, seem to indicate this.
about the point at which Eunapius had ended. Our knowledge of Olympiodorus is derived fronm
[EUNAPIUS.] those works of his which have come down to us.
The original work of Olympiodorus is lost, but From a passage in his scholia to the Alcibiades
an abridgment of it has been preserved by Photius Prior of Plato, Creuzer has acutely inferred that
(Cod. 80), who describes the style of the work as he taught before the Athenian school was finally
being clear, but without force or vigour, loose, and suppressed by Justinian, that is, before A. D. 529
descending to vulgarity, so as not to merit being though the confiscations to which the philosophers
called a history. Of this Photius thinks that the were being subjected are alluded to. And in various
author himself was aware, and that for this reason other passages the philosophy of Proclus' and
he spoke of his work as being not a history, but a Damascius is spoken of as still in existence. From
collection of materials for a history (v'A r avy- what we have of the productions of Olympiodorus
ypacqnis). It was dedicated to the emperor Theo- he appears to have been an acute and clear thinker,
dosins II. Olympiodorus seems to have had better and, if not strikingly original, far from being a
qualifications as a statesman than as a writer; and mere copyist, though he follows Damascius pretty
in various missions and embassies amongst bar- closely. He was a man of extensive reading, and
barian states he rendered important services to the a great deal of valuable matter from the lost writings
empire, for which the highest honours were con- of other philosophers, as Iamblichus, Syrianus,
ferred upon him by the Roman senate (Photius, Damascius, and others, with historical and mythoCod. 214. p. 171, ed.l Bekker.) He was sent by logical notices, have come down to us through him
Honorius on an embassy to the Huns, probably to at second hand. In his sketches of the general
Hungary. After the death of Honorius Olympio. plan and object of the dialogues of Plato, and of
dorus removed to Byzantium, to the court of the their dramatic construction and the characters inemperor Theodosius. Hierocles dedicated to this troduced, he exhibited great ability. A great deal
Olympiodorus his work on providence and fate that is valuable is also to be found in his analyses