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

454 POLYCLEITTUS. POLYCLEITUS,
unintelligible readings of the older MSS. The in the sixth century B. C. Having cured the tyrant
Codex Reg. II. gives lavantemu sese de dalsa stantems, of a dangerous disease, he received from him some
and the Bamberg MS., lavaoltem se sed aedalsas valuable presents, and also succeeded in persuading
stantem. Sillig conjectures lavantem se, sed et aliam him to pardon a conspiratoragainst his life (Phalar.
stanteez, and L. Jahn, lavanteol se, ad aedem aliase Epist. 106, 109). [W. A. G.]
stantem. (Sillig, Cat. Artf: p. 359, and edition of POLYCLE}ITUS (lIoXuKhCLAeos, in Latin
Pliny, 1. c.; Jahn, Kunstblatt, 1833, No. 37; and writers, Polycletus and Polyclitus), artists. Some
collation of the Bamberg MS. appended to Sillig's difficulty has arisen from the mention of two staedition of Pliny, vol. v. p. 443.) tuaries of this name, whom Pausanias expressly
There are several beautiful statues of Venus, distinguishes from one another, who seem both to
stooping on one knee, in the attitude of washing have lived about the same period, and who are
herself, which are supposed to be copies of the both said to have been of Argos. (Panus. vi. 6. ~ 1.)
work of Polycharmus. The finest is in the Va- Moreover, Pliny speaks of the great Polycleitus as a
tican, and the next best in the Museum at Paris. Sicyonian, though several other writers, as well as
(MIFus. Pio-Clera. vol. i. pl. 10; Clarac, pl. 345, Pausanias, call him an Argive. (li. N. xxxiv. 8.
No. 698; Miiller, Archiiol. d. Ksunst, $ 377, n. 5; s. 19. ~ 2.) The question which thus arises, as to the
Denkmiler d. Alten IKunst, vol. ii. pl. xxvi. fig. number of artists of this name, is very fully dis279.) [P. S.] cussed by Thiersch, but with more ingenuity than
POLYCLEITUS (IoAuCAhELtos), historical. 1. sound judgment. (Epoclen, pp. 150, 203, &c.)
An officer appointed by Ptolemy to command the He distinguishes three statuaries of the name
fleet sent under Menelaus to Cyprus in B. c. 315. (besides a fourth, of Thasos); namely, first, PolyFrom thence Polycleitus was detached with a fleet cleitus of Sicyon, the pupil of Ageladas, an artist
of fifty ships to support the partisans of Ptolemy of the beginning of the period of the perfection of
and Cassander in the Peloponnese, but, finding on art, and whose works partook much of the old
his arrival there that there was no longer occasion conventional style; secondly, Polycleitus the elder,
for his services, he returned with his fleet to of Argos, maker of the celebrated statue in the
Cilicia. Here he received intelligence that a fleet Hernaeum at Argos; and, thirdly, Polycleitus, the
under Theodotus, and a land force under Perilaus, younger, of Argos, the pupil of Naucydes. But
were advancing to the support of Antigonus, and the common opinion of other writers is both
hastened to intercept them. Both one and the simpler and sounder, namely that, on account of
other were surprised and totally defeated; the two the close connection between the schools of Argos
commanders and the whole fleet fell into the hands and Sicyon, the elder Polycleitus might easily
of P'olycleitus, who returned with them to Egypt, have been assigned to both, and, if a more precise
where he was received with the utmost distinction explanation be required, that he was a native of
by Ptolemy. (Diod. xix. 62, 64.) Sicyon, and was made a citizen of Argos, to which
2. One of the officers left by Epicydes in the Sicyon was then subject, probably as an honour
command of the garrison of Syracuse when he well earned by his statue in the Heraeum. We
himself quitted the city. [EPICYDES.] They know the same thing to have happened with other
were all put to death in a sedition of the citizens artists; and we think that Thiersch himself could
shortly afterwards. (Liv. xxv. 28.) [E. H. B.] hardly have failed to accept this explanation, but
POLYCLEITUS (IsoAKrAerTos), literary. 1. for his perverse theory respecting the early date of
Of Larissa, a Greek historian, and one of the nume- Pheidias [PHEIDIAS], which imposed upon him
rous writers of the history of Alexanlder the Great. the necessity of placing that artist's chief contemAthenaeus quotes from the eighth book of his poraries also higher than their true dates. The
histories (xii. p. 539, a.); and there are several questions which arise, respecting the assignment of
other quotations from him in Strabo (xi. p. 509, particular works to either of the two Polycleiti of
d., xv. pp. 728, a. d., 735, a., xvi. 742, a.), and Argos, wrill be considered in their proper places.
other writers (Plut. Alex. 46; Aelian. N. A. xvi. 1. Polycleitus, the elder, of Argos, probably by
41). There are some other passages in which the citizenship, and of Sicyon, probably by birth, was
name of Polycleitus is erroneously put for that one of the most celebrated statuaries of the ancient
of Polycritus of Mende (Diod. xiii. 83; Ath. v. world; and was also a sculptor, an architect, and
p. 206, e.; Plin. H. 1V. xxxi. 2. s. 4.) He may, an artist iul toreutic. He was the pupil of the
perhaps, have been the same person as Poly- great Argive statuary Ageladas, under whom he
cleitus of Larissa, the father of Olympias, mo- had Pheidias and Myron for his fellow-disciples.
ther of Antigonus Doson. Most of the extracts He was somewhat younger than Pheidias, and
from his histories refer to the geography of about the samle age as Myron. He is placed by
the countries which Alexander invaded. They Pliny at the 87th Olympiad, B. c. 431, with
are collected, with a notice of the author, by C. Ageladas, Callon, Phradmnon, Gorgias, Lacon,
Miuller, in his Scriptores Rerum AlexandrilMagni, Myron, Pythagoras, Scopas, ald Parelius (H._h5
(pp. 129-133), in Didot's Scriptoruma GraecorumL xxxiv. 8. ~ 19). An important indication of his
Bibliotheca, Paris, 1846. (See also Vossius, de date is derived from his great statue in the Hellist. Grauec. p. 489, ed. Westermann; Fabric. Bibl. raeum near Argos; for the old temple of Hera was
Grauec. vol. iii. p. 49.) burnt in 01. 89. 2, B. c. 423 (Thuc. iv. 133; Clin2. An epigrammatic poet, who is mentioned by ton, F. H. s. a.); and, including the time required
Meleager (Pr'ooerm. 40), as one of those included in to rebuild the temple of the goddess, the statue by
his Garland. None of his epigrams are extant. Polycleitus in the new temple could scarcely have'Jacobs, Anth. Graec. vol. xiii. p. 941). [P. S.] been finished in less than ten years; which brings
POLYCLEITUS (noAviZcXEmres), a physician his life down to about B. c. 413. Comparing this
of Messina in Sicily, to whom some of the epistles conclusion with the date given by Pliny, and with
of Phalaris are addressed, and who, therefore (if he the fact that he was a pupil of Ageladas, Polycleibe a real personage), may hbe supposed to have lived tus may be safely said to have flourished from