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

POLYSPERCHON. -POLYSPERCHON. 469
POLYPIHE'MUS (lIoAsV'p?7os). 1. The ce- Anab. iv. 16, 22, 25, v. 11, 18, vi. 5, vii. 12;
lebrated Cyclops in the island of Thrinacia, was a Curt. v. 4. ~ 20, viii. 5. ~ 2, 11. ~ 1; Justin. xii. 10,
son of Poseidon, and the nymph Thoosa. For an 12.)
account of hiln see the article CyCLOPES. In consequence of his absence from Babylon on
2. A son of Elatus or Poseidon and Hippea, this service at the time of Alexander's death, he
was one of the Lapithae at Larissa in Thessaly. appears to have been passed over in the arrangeHe was married to Laonome, a sister of Heracles, mrents which followed that event, nor do we find
with whom he was connected by friendship. He any mention of his name for some time afterwards,
was also one of the Argonauts, but being left be- but it seems certain that he must have returned
hind by them in Mysia, he founded Cios, and fell with Craterus to Europe, and probably took part
against the Chalybes. (Hom. Ii. i. 264; Schol. with him and Antipater in the Lamian war. In
ad Apollon. Rlsod. i. 40, 1241, iv. 1470; Val. B. c. 321, when the dissensions between Antipater
Flacc. i. 457; Apollod. i. 9. ~~ 16, 19.) [L. S.] and Perdiccas had broken out into actual hostilities,
POLYPHRON (IoAvXrppwv), the brother of and the former was preparing to follow Craterus
Jason of Pherae, Tagus of Thessaly, succeeded into Asia, he entrusted to Polysperchon the chief
to the supreme power along with his brother command in Macedonia and Greece during his
Polydorus on the death of Jason, in B. C. 370. absence. The veteran general proved himself
Shortly afterwards he murdered Polydorus [Po- worthy of the charge; he repulsed the Aetolians
LYDORUS], and thus became sole Tagus. He who had invaded Thessaly, and cut to pieces a
exercised his power with great cruelty, and con- Macedonian force under Polvyles, defeated Menon
verted his office into a tyranny. He murdered of Pharsalus, and recovered the whole of Thessalr.
Polydamas of Pharsalus [POLYDAMcAs], but was (Diod. xviii. 38; Justin. xiii. 6.) Though we do
murdered in his turn, B. c. 369, by his nephew not learn that he obtained any reward for these
Alexander, who proved, however, a still greater services during the lifetime of Antipater, it is evityrant. [ALEXANDER of PHERAE.] (Xen. liell. dent that he enjoyed the highest place in the convi. 4. ~~ 33, 34; Plut. Pelop. c. 29.) fidence of the regent, of which the latter gave a
POLYPOETES (rloAv7roLrTs). 1. A son of striking proof on his deathbed, B. C. 319, by apApollo and Phthia. (Apollod. i. 7. ~ 6; comp. pointing Polysperchon to succeed him as regent
AETOLUS.) and guardian of the king, while he assigned to his
2. A son of Peirithous and Hippodameia, was own son Cassander the subordinate station of Chione of the Lapithae, who joined the Greeks in the liarch. (Id. ib. 48.)
Trojan war, commanding the men of Argissa, Polysperchon was at this time one of the oldest of
Gyrtone, Orthe, Elone and Oloosson. (Hom. II. the surviving generals of Alexander, and enjoyed
ii. 738, &c., comp. vi. 29, xii. 129.) At the in consequence the highest favour and popularity
funeral games of Patroclus, he gained the victory among the Macedonians; but he was aware that
in throwing the iron ball. (II. xxiii. 836, &c.) both Cassander and Antigonus were jealous of his
After the fall of Troy, Polypoetes and Leonteus elevation, and were beginning to form secret
are said to have founded the town of Aspendus in designs for the overthrow of his power. In order
Pamphylia. (Ellstath. ad Iloms. p. 334.) [L. S.] to strengthen himself against them he now made
POLYSPERCHON (IoXvv7rE'pXwv). 1. Son overtures to Olympias, who had been driven from
of Simmias, a Macedonian of the province of Macedonia by Antipater, as well as to Eumenes,
Stymphaea, and a distinguished officer in the ser- whom he sought to raise up as a rival to Antigovice of Alexander the Great. Of his earlier ser- nus in Asia. At the same time he endeavosred to
vices we know nothing, but it is certain that he conciliate the Greek cities by proclaiming them all
was already a veteran and experienced warrior in free and independent, and abolishing the oligarchies
is. c. 332, when he was appointed to succeed Pto- which had been set up by Antipater. Nor were
lemy the son of Seleucus in the command of one of these measures unsuccessful: Olympias, though
the divisions of the phalanx. We afterwards find she still remained in Epeirus, lent all the support
him occupyiilg the same post in the battle of Ar- of her name and influence to Polysperchon, while
bela, and lending the weight of his authority and Eumenes, who had escaped from his mountain
experience to support the proposition of Parmenion fastness at Nora, and put himself at the head of
before the action to attack the Persian camp by the Argyraspids, prepared to contend with Antinight. (Arr. Anab. ii. 12, iii. 11; Diod. xvii. 57; gonus for the possession of Asia. While his most
Curt. iv. 13. ~~ 7, 28, who inaccurately calls him formidable rival was thus occupied in the East, it
" Dux peregrini militis.") In the subsequent cam- remained for Polysperchon himself to contend with
paigns in the upper provinces of Asia and India, Cassander in Greece. The restoration of the
he bore an important part, and his name is fre- democracy at Athens had attached that city to the
quently mentioned. Thus we find him associated cause of the regent, but Nicanor held possession of
with Coenus and Philotas at the passage of the the fortresses of Munychia and the Peiraeeus for
Pylae Persicae, and afterwards detached under Cassander, and refused to give them up notwithCraterus against the revolted chiefs in Paraeta- standing the repeated orders of Olympias. Herecene, accompanying Alexasder on his expedition upon Polysperchon sent forward an army under
against the Assaceni, and reducing with his own his son Alexander into Attica, while he himself
division only the strong fortress of Nora. His followed with the royal family. They had
name occurs again at the passage of the Hydaspes, already advanced into Phocis when they were met
as well as in the descent of that river, on both by deputies from Athens, as well as by Phocion
which occasions he served under Craterus; and and others of the oligarchical party who had fled
in B. c. 323 he was once more associated with that from the city. Both parties obtained a public
general as second in command of the army of hearing in the presence of the king, which ended
invalids and veterans, which the latter was ap- in Phocion and his companions being given up to
pointed to conduct home to Macedonia. (Arr. I the opposite party by the express order of Polyti II 3