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

PHRY NICHUS. PHRYNICHUS. 359
PHRYNE (4,per/v), one of the most celebrated tion to Tissaphernes and Alcibiades, and the latter
Athenian hetairae, was the daughter of Epicles, and complained to his friends in the Athenian armaa native of Thespiae in Boeotia. She was of very ment of the treason of Phrynichus, and demanded
humble origin, and originally gained her livelihood that he should be put to death. Thirlwall (vol. iv.
by gathering capers; but her beauty procured for her p. 34) is at a loss to decide whether the conduct of
afterwards so much wealth that she is said to have Phrynichus upon this occasion was the result of a
offered to rebuild the walls of Thebes, after they blind want of caution, or a bold and subtle artifice.
had been destroyed by Alexander, if she might be He wrote again to Astyochus, offering to betray
allowed to put up this inscription on the walls - the Athenian armament into his hands, and before
"Alexander destroyed them, but Phryne, the he- the letter of Alcibiades, to whom Astyochus again
taira, rebuilt them." She had among her admirers showed the letter of Phrynichus, who sent a
many of the most celebrated men of the age of fresh charge against Phrynichus, could reach the
Philip and Alexander, and the beauty of her form Athenians, Phrynichus warned the Athenians that
gave rise to some of the greatest works of art. The the enemy were preparing to surprise their encamporator Hyperides was one of her lovers, and he de- ment. By these means he made it appear that
fended her when she was accused by Euthias on the charges of Alcibiades were groundless, and
one occasion of some capital charge; but when the preferred against him out of personal enmity.
eloquence of her advocate failed to move the judges, Soon afterwards Peisander, wishing to get Phryhe bade her uncover her breast, and thus ensured nichus out of the way, procured his recal. In the
her acquittal. The most celebrated picture of subsequent progress of the oligarchical intrigues,
Apelles, his "Venus Anadyomene" [APELLES, when the oligarchical faction found that the hopes
p. 222, b.], is said to have been a representation of held out to them by Alcibiades were groundless,
Phryne, who, at a public festival at Eleusis, entered and that they could get on better without him
the sea with dishevelled hair. The celebrated than with him, Phrynichus again joined them, and,
Cnidian Venus of Praxiteles, who was one of her in conjunction with Antiphon, Peisalder, and
lovers, was taken from her [PExIr.x1ELEs], and he Theramenes, took a prominent part in the revoluexpressed his love for her in an epigram which he tion which issued in the establishment of the oliinscribed on the base of a statue of Cupid, which garchy of the Four Hundred. When, on the
he gave to her, and which she dedicated at Thes- junction effected between Alcibiades and the
piae. Such admiration did she excite, that her Athenians at Samos, Theramenes and others
neighbours dedicated at Delphi a statue of her, counselled the oligarchs to make the best terms
made of gold, and resting on a base of Pentelican they could with their antagonists, Phrynichus was
marble. According to Apollodorus (ap. Athen. xiii. one of the foremost in opposing every thing of the
p. 591, e.) there were two hetairae of the name of kind, and with Antiphon and ten others was
Phryne, one of whom was surnamed Clausilegos sent to Sparta to negotiate a peace. On his return
and the other Saperdinum; and according to Hero- he was assassinated in the agora by a young
dicus (Ibid.) there were also two, one the Thespian, Athenian, who was assisted by an Argive. The
and the other surnamed Sestus. The Thespian former escaped, but the latter was seized and put
Phryne, however, is the only one of whom we have to the torture. It appeared that the assassination
any account. (Athen. xiii. pp. 590, 591, 558, c. was the result of a conspiracy among those op567, e, 583, b. c. 585, e. f.; Aelian, V. H. ix. 32; posed to the oligarchs, and the latter found it the
Alciphron, Ep. i. 31; Plin. II. N. xxxiv. 8. s. 19. most prudent plan not to pursue the investigation
~ 10; Propert. ii. 5; Jacobs, Att. MIus. vol. iii. (Thuc. viii. 48, 50, &c., 54, 68, 90, 92). Lypp. 18, &c. 36, &c.) curgus (adv. Leocr. p. 217, ed. Reiske) gives a
PHRY'NICHUS (4,bpprXos), an Athenian different account of his assassination. [C. P. M.]
general, the son of Stratonides (Schol. ad Aristoph. PHRY'NICHUS (4pu'vrXOS), literary. l; The
Lys. 313). In B. c. 412 he was sent out with two son of Polyphradmon (or, according to others, of Miothers in command of a fleet of 40 ships to the nyras), an Athenian, was one of the poets to whom
coast of Asia Minor. The troops encamped in the the invention of tragedy is ascribed: he is said to
territory of Miletus. A battle ensued in which have been the disciple of Thespis (Suid. s. v.). He
the Athenians were victorious. A Peloponnesian is also spoken of as before Aeschylus (Schol. in Arisfleet having arrived soon after, the colleagues of toph. Ran. 941). He is mentioned by the chronoPhrynichus were for risking an engagement, from graphers as flourishing at O1. 74, B.C. 483 (Cyrill.
which Phrynichus (wisely, as Thucydides thinks) Julian. i. p. 13, b.; Euseb. Ch]ron. s. a. 1534;
dissuaded them (Thuc. viii. 25, 27, &c.). In Clinton, F. i. s. a.). He gained his first tragic
411, when proposals were made to the Athenians victory in 01. 67, B. C. 511 (Suid. s. v.), twentyat Samos on the part of Alcibiades, who offered to four years after Thespis (B. c. 535), twelve years
secure for them Persian aid if an oligarchy were after Choerilus (B. C. 523), and twelve years before
established instead of a democracy, Phrynichus Aeschylus (B. c. 499); and his last in 01. 76,
again offered some sagacious advice, pointing out B. c. 476, on which occasion Themistocles was
the dangers into which such a course would plunge his choranys, and recorded the event by an inthem, and expressing his belief that Alcibiades scription (Plut. Tlenmist. 5). Phrynichus must,
was not at heart more friendly to an oligarchy therefore, have flourished at least 35 years. He
than to a democracy, and his doubts as to his probably went, like other poets of the age, to the
power of executing his promises. Peisander and court of Hiero, and there died; for the statement
the other members of the oligarchical faction, how- of the anonymous writer on Comedy, in his account
ever, slighted his advice, and sent a deputation to of Phrynichus, the comic poet (p. 29), that PhryAthens. Phrynichus, fearing for his safety in case nichus, the son of Praclimon, died in Sicily, eviAlcibiades should be restored, sent a letter to dently refers properly to the tragic poet, on account
Astyochus, informing him of the machinations of of his father's name.
Alcibiades. Astrochus betrayed the communica- In all the accounts of the rise and development
AA 4