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

POLYXENA. POLYXENUS. 471
the sect, and was himself succeeded by Dionysius. POLYXE'NIDAS (rIoxvwevi8av), a Rhodian,
(Diog. Ladrt. x. 25.) Valerius Maximus relates who was exiled from his native country, and enthat Polystratus and Hippocleides were born on tered the service of Antiochus III., king of Syria.
the same day, followed the sect of the same master We first find him mentioned in B. C. 209, when he
Epicurus, shared their patrimony in common, and commanded a body of Cretan mercenaries during
supported the school together, and at last died at the expedition of Antiochus into Hyrcania (Polyb.
the same moment in extreme old age. (i. 8. ext. x. 29). But in B. C. 192, when the Syrian king
~ 17.) had determined upon war with Rome, and crossed
2. An epigrammatic poet, who had a place in over into Greece to commence it, Polyxenidas obthe Garland of Meleager. There are two of his tained the chief command of his fleet. After co-opeepigrams in the Greek Anthology, one of which is rating with Menippus in the reduction of Chalcis,
on the destruction of Corinth, which took place in he was sent back to Asia to assemble additional
B.C. 146. He must therefore have lived some forces during the winter. We do not hear anytime within the seventy or eighty years preceding thing of his operations in the ensuing campaign,
the time of Meleager, and probably soon after the B. C. 191, but when Antiochus, after his defeat
taking of Corinth. A certain Polystratus, of Leto- at Thermopylae, withdrew to Asia, Polyxenidas
polis in Egypt, is mentioned by Stephanus Byzan- was again appointed to command the king's main
tinus (s. v. ArloVs 7rTdXL), but there is nothing to fleet on the Ionian coast. Having learnt that the
indicate whether he was the same person as the praetor C. Livius was arrived at Delos with the
epigrammatist. (Brunck, Anal. vol. ii. p. 1; Roman fleet, he strongly urged upon the king
Jacobs, Anth. Graec. vol. ii. p. 1, vol. xiii. p. the expediency of giving him battle without
941.) [P. S.] delay, before he could unite his fleet with those of
POLY'STRATUS, of Ambracia, a statuary, Eumenes and the Rhodians. Though his advice
mentioned only by Tatian, who ascribes to him a was followed, it was too late to prevent the juncstatue of Phalaris which stood at Agrigentum, tion of Eumenes with Livius, but Polyxenidas gave
and was very much admired. (Tatian, adv. Gr aec. battle to their combined fleets off Corycus. The
54. p. 118, ed. Worth.) [P. S.] superiority of numbers, however, decided the vicPOLYTECHNUS, a mythical artificer (vfK- tory in favour of the allies; thirteen ships of the
ranw), mentioned by Antoninus Liberalis (ii. pp. Syrian fleet were taken and ten sunk, while Po70-72; R. Rochette, Lettre a M. Schorn, pp. 390, lyxenidas himself, with the remainder, took refuge
391). [P. S.] in the port of Ephesus (Liv. xxxv..0, xxxvi. 8,
POLYTI'MUS, artists. 1. A sculptor, who 41, 43-45; Appian, Syr. 14, 21, 22, 23). Here
was evidently a Greek freedman, and who is known he spent the winter in active preparations for a
by the inscription POLYTIMUS LIB. on the base renewal of the contest; and early in the next
of a statue of a young hunter in the Museum spring (B. C. 190), having learnt that Pausistratus,
of the Capitol. (Welcker, Kunstblatt, 1827, No. with the Rhodian fleet, had already put to sea, he
83. p. 331; R. Rochette, Lettre a M. Schorn, p. conceived the idea of surprising him before he could
391.) unite his forces with those of Livius. For this
2. A gem-engraver. (Villoison, M1m. de l'Insti- purpose he pretended to enter into negotiations
t2at de France, vol. ii. p. 112.) [P. S.] with him for the betrayal into his hands of the
POLY'XENA (fIoAve$vn), a daughter of Syrian fleet, and having by this means deluded him
Priam and Hecabe (Apollod. iii. 12. ~ 5). She into a fancied security, suddenly attacked him, and
was beloved by Achilles, and when the Greeks, destroyed almost his whole fleet. After this sucon their voyage home, were still lingering on the cess he sailed to Samos to give battle to the fleet of
coast of Thrace, the shade of Achilles appeared to the Roman admiral and Eumenes, but a storm prethem demanding that Polyxena should be sacrificed vented the engagement, and Polyxenidas withdrew
to him. Neoptolemus accordingly sacrificed her to Ephesus. Soon after, Livius, having been reon the tomb of his father. (Eurip. Hec. 40;* Ov. inforced by a fresh squadron of twenty Rhodian
Met. xiii. 448, &c.) According to some Achilles ships under Eudamus, proceeded in his turn to
appeared to the leaders of the Greeks in a dream offer battle to Polyxenidas, but this the latter now
(Tzetz. ad Lye. 323), or a voice was heard from declined. L. Aemilius Regillus, who soon after
the tomb of Achilles demanding a share in the succeeded Livius in the command of the Roman
booty, whereupon Calchas proposed to sacrifice fleet, also attempted without effect to draw PolyPolyxena. (Serv. ad Aen. iii. 322.) For there xenidas forth from the port of Ephesus: but at a
was a tradition that Achilles had promised Priam later period in the season Eumenes, with his fleet,
to bring about a peace with the Greeks, if the having been detached to the Hellespont while a
king would give him his daughter Polyxena in considerable part of the Rhodian forces were demarriage. When Achilles, for the purpose of tained in Lycia, the Syrian admiral seized the opnegotiating the marriage, had gone to the temple portunity and sallied out to attack the Roman
of the Thymbraean Apollo, he was treacherously fleet. The action took place at Myonnesus near
killed by Paris. (Hygin. Fab. 110.) Quite a Teos, but terminated in the total defeat of Polyxedifferent account is given by Philostratus (Her. nidas, who lost forty-two of his ships, and made a
19. 11; comp. Vit. Apollon. iv. 16), according to hasty retreat with the remainder to Ephesus.
whom Achilles and Polyxena fell in love with Here he remained until he received the tidings of
each other at the time when Hector's body was the fatal battle of Magnesia, on which he sailed to
delivered up to Priam. After the murder of Patara in Lycia, and from thence proceeded by
Achilles Polyxena fled to the Greeks, and killed land to join Antiochus in Syria. (Liv. xxxvii. 8,
herself on the tomb of her beloved with a sword. 10, 11, 13, 16, 26, 28-30, 45; Appian, Syr. 24,
The sacrifice of Polyxena was represented in the 25, 27.) After this his name is not again menacropolis of Athens. (Paus. i. 22. ~ 6, comp. x. tioned. [E. H. B.]
25. ~ 2.) [L. S.] POLY'XENUS (IloAs~eos), a son of AgasHH 4