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

PITTACUS. PITTACUS. 379
and at another time charged with the main body Olympic victor celebrated for his strength and
while Antigonus himself advanced with the cavalry courage: this feat Pittacus performed by entanin pursuit of the enemy. Even more valuable per- gling his adversary in a net, and then despatching
haps were his services in raising fresh levies of him with a trident and a dagger, exactly after the
troops, and collecting supplies of provisions and fashion in which the gladiators called retiarii long
other necessaries, when the scene of war had been afterwards fought at Rome. For this achievement
transferred to his own government of Media. It he received from the Mytilenaeans high honours
is probable that these circumstances called forth and substantial rewards; but of the latter he would
anew an overweening confidence in his own merits accept only as much land as he could cast his spear
and abilities, and thus led Pithon after the fall of over; and this land he dedicated to sacred uses,
Eumenes to engage once more in intrigues for his and it was known in later ages as " the Pittaceian
own aggrandizement, which, if notdirectly treason- land." (Diog. Lafirt. i. 75; Herod. v. 94, 95;
able, were sufficient to arouse the suspicions of Euseb. ChLron. s. a. 1410; Strabo, xiii. p. 600;
Antigonus. The latter affected to disbelieve the Suid. s. v.; Polyaen. i. 25; Plut. Mor. p. 858,
rumours which had reached him on the subject, a, b; Festus, s. v. Retiario; ALCAEUS.) This wal
but he sent for Pithon to join him in his winter- was terminated by the mediation of Periander, who
quarters at Ecbatana, under pretence of wishing to assigned the disputed territory to the Athenians
consult him concerning the future conduct of the (Herod. Diog. 11. cc.); but the internal troubles of
war. Pithon obeyed the summons without sus- Mytilene still continued. The supreme power was
picion, but as soon as he arrived he was arrested, fiercely disputed between a succession of tyrants,
brought to trial before a council of the friends of such as Myrsilus, Megalagyrus, and the CleanacAntigonus, and immediately put to death, B. C. 316. tids, and the aristocratic party, headed by Alcaeus
(Diod. xix. 19, 20, 26, 29, 30, 38, 40, 43, 46; and his brother Antimenidas; and the latter were
Polyaen. iv. 6. ~ 14.) driven into exile. (Strabo, xiii. p. 617.) It would
3. Son of Sosicles. [P.EITHON.] seem that the city enjoyed some years of compara4. Son of Antigenes, an officer mentioned during tive tranquillity, until the exiles tried to effect
the campaigns of Alexander in India. (Arr. Ind. their return by force of arms. To resist this
16.) [E. H. B.] attempt the popular party chose Pittacus as their
PI'TIO, a surname of the Sempronia gens, men- ruler, with absolute power, under the title of alsvlV/,T77s, a position which differed from that of a
rTpavvos, inasmuch as it depended on popular
election, and was restricted in its prerogatives, and
sometimes in the time for which it was held, though
sometimes it was for life; in short, it was an elective
c ri~ i <tyranny, Ws adrAc' s e''rerv alpeErs) rVpaVsi. (Aristot. Polit. iii. 9. s. 14.) Pittacus held this office
for ten years, B. C. 589 to 579, and then voluntarily resigned it, having by his administration
restored order to the state, and prepared it for the
COIN OF L. SEMIPRONIUS FITIO. safe enjoyment of a republican form of government.
tioned only on coins, a specimen of which is an- The oligarchical party, however, represented him
nexed. The obverse represents a winged head of as an ordinary tyrant, and Alcaeus poured out inPallas, with the legend PITIO, the reverse the vectives against him in the poems which he comDioscuri, with the legend L. SEMP. and ROMA. posed in his exile, calling him Tv& KaKo7rd-plSa
PI'TTACUS (ILrraKocs), one of those early Iffr'raKov, deriding the zeal and unanimity with
cultivators of letters, who were designated as "the which the people chose him for their tyrant, and
Seven Wise Men of Greece," was a native of even ridiculing his personal peculiarities (Fr. 37,
Mlytilene in Lesbos. His father was named Hyr- 38, ed. Bergk; Aristot. 1. c.; Diog. La'rt. i. 81):
rhadius, or Caicus, and, according to Duris, was a there is, however, some reason to suppose that
Thracian, but his mother was a Lesbian. (Diog. Alcaeus was afterwards reconciled to Pittacus.
Laert. i. 74; Suid. s. v.) According to Diogenes [ALCAEUS.] He lived in great honour at MytiIJ.artius (i. 80) he flourished at 01. 42, B. c. 612. lene for ten years after the resignation of his
He was born, according to Suidas, about 01. 32, government; and died in B. C. 569, at a very adB. C. 652. He was highly celebrated as a warrior, vanced age, upwards of 70 years according to
a statesman, a philosopher, and a poet. He is Laertius (i. 79), upwards of 80 according to Suidas,
first mentioned, in public life, as an opponent of and 100 according to Lucian. (Macrob. 18.)
the tyrants, who in succession usurped the chief There are other traditions respecting Pittacus,
power in Mytilene. In conjunction with the bro- some of which are of very doubtful authority.
thers of Alcaeus, who were at the head of the aris- Diogenes Laertius mentions various communications
tocratic party, he overthrew and killed the tyrant between hiln and Croesus, and preserves a short
Melanchrus. This revolution took place, according letter, which was said to have been written by
to Suidas, in 01. 42, B.C. 612. About the same Pittacus, declining an invitation to Sardis to see
time, or, according to the more precise date of the treasures of the Lydian king (i. 75, 77, 81);
Eusebius, in B. C. 606, we find him commanding and Herodotus mentions a piece of sage advice
the Mytilenaeans, in their war with the Athenians which was given to Croesus, as some said, by Bias,
for the possession of Sigeum. on the coast of the or, according to others, by Pittacus (i. 27): but all
Troad. In this conflict the Mytilenaeans were de- these accounts are rendered doubtful by the fact,
feated, and Alcaeus incurred the disgrace of leav- that Croesus was only 25 years old at the death of
ing his shield on the field of battle; but Pittacus Pittacus. Other anecdotes of his clemency, wisdom,
signalized himself by killing in single combat and contempt of riches, are related by Diogenes
Phrynon, the commander of the Athenians, an LaSirtius, Plutarch, Aelian, and other writers,