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

POSEIDON I US. POSSIDIUS. 509
it. 10. Ms-ecEpoXoyntirc ToiXelaEr'LS. 11. rIepl into the same error, and equally supposes themr to
7rou 7jLOL Ye-YE0oUS. 12. Iepi't.2EavoU. 1 3. Ilepl have been one and the same individual, whom he.iuXys. 14. flpos Zsvwva o'vr:z&Wviov, or at least places in the first century after Christ.
a mathematical wo:vk in which his views were con- 1. The author of some medical works, of which
troverted. 15.'H0cis Ao7yos. 16. ripeTPEr'tKad, in nothing but a few fragments remain, who quotes
defence of the position, that the study of philosophy Archigenes (ap. Aet. ii, 2. 12, p. 255), and is himought not to be neglected on account of the dis- self quoted by Rufus Ephesius (ap. Alug. Mai,
crepancies in the systems of different philosophers. Classic. A actor. e raic. Codic. Erdit. vol. iv. p. 11),
17. repl Katc7'lO'ovros (see Cic. ad Att. xvi. 11). and who must, therefore, have lived about the end
1. IlepI wMaOCV. 19. A treatise on the connection of the first century after Christ. He is one of the
between virtues and the division of the faculties earliest writers who is known to have mentioned
of the mind (Galen, 1. c. viii. p. 319). 20. fplpI the glandular or truze plague, though this disease
cpLrcT7plov. 21. Eioraywy/o 7repl AESews. A gram- was, till quite lately, supposed to have been unmatical work. 22. An extensive historical work, known till a much later period (see M. Littre, loco
in at least forty-nile or fifty books (Athen. cit.). HI-e is several times quoted by Aetius (i. 3.
iv. p 168, d.), and apparently of very miscel- 121, ii. 2. 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 12, 13, 18, 20, 21,
laneous contents, to judge by the tolerably nume- 24, pp. 139, 243, 244, 246, 247, 248, 254, 255,
rous quotations of it in Athenaeus, and corn- 257, 258, 260), and Paulus Aegineta (vii. 3, 21,
prising events from the timle of Alexander the 22, pp- 614, 692, 693). The name frequently
Great to his own times. occurs in Galen, but it is probable that in every
Suidas, by a gross blunder, attributes to Po- passage the philosopher is referred to and not the
seidonius of Alexandria an historical work in physician. If (as seems upon the whole not unfifty-two books, in continuation of the history of likely) this Poseidonius is the pupil of Zopyrus at
Polybius. Vossius (de tlist. Graec. p. 199, ed. Alexandria, who is mentioned by Apollonius CitiWestermann) considers this work to be identical ensis as his fellow-pupil (ap. Dietz, Schol. in Hipwith the historical work of Poseidonius of Apa- poer. et Gal. vol. i. p. 2), there is a chronological
meia. Bake dissents from this view, inasmuch difficulty which the writer is not at present able to
as events were mentioned by Poseidonius earlier explain.
than those included in the history of Polybius, and 2. The son of Philostorgius and brother of Philassigns the work to Poseidonils of Olbiopolis. His agrius, -who lived in the latter half of the fourth
objection is not decisive, anld Westermann coin- century after Christ, during the reign of Valentinian
cides with Vossius. But the account which Suidas and Valeiis. (Philostorg. I.E. viii. 10.) [W.A.G.]
gives of the work is enormously wrong, as he says POSEIDO'NIUS, of Ephesus, a celebrated
it ended with the Cyrenaic war (B. C. 324), and yet silver-chaser, who was contemporary with Pasiwas a continuation of the history of Polybius, teles, in the time of Pompey. (Plin. 11. 1V. xxxiii.
which goes down to the destruction of Corinth by 12. s. 55.) Pliny mentions him also among the
Mummius (B. C. 146). 23. A history of the life artists who made atllettas et aormatos et veoatores
of Pompeius Magnus (Strab. xi. p. 753). This sacrificantesque, and adds to the mention of his
may possibly have been a part of his larger his- nlame the words qui et argentuim caelavit nJbiliter
torical work. 24. TE'Xv7 T-aKltcIr (de cie insttru- (1t. AL xxxiv. 8. s. 19. ~ 34). Nagler (Kiinstlerendae). 25. Various epistles, Lexicon) makes the singular mistake of ascribing
All the relics which still remain of the writings to hiln the sphere of the celebrated philosopher
of Poseidonius have been carefully collected aiid Poseidonius, which is mentioned by Cicero (de
illustrated by Janus Bake, in a work entitled Posi- N\rot. D)coa. ii. 34). [P. S.]
rtonii RhAodii Iieliquiae Ductrinae, Lugd. Bat. 1810. POSIS, a Roman modeller, who lived in the
(Fabric. Bibl. Graec. vol. iii. p. 572; Vossius, deHist. first century B. c., and who was mentioned as an
Grae. p. 198, ed. Westermann; Ritter, Gescltichte acquaintance by M. Varro, according to whom lihe
der Philosophie, bk. xi. c. 6, vol. iii. p. 700, &c.; made apples anld grapes, which it was impossible
Bake,. c. ). to distinlguish from the real objects. (Varro, a).
There was an earlier Poseidonius, a native of Plin. II. Ar xxxv. 12. s. 45. The text of the pasAlexandria, aind a disciple of Zeno, mentioned by sage is very corruptt; but there can be little doubt
Diogenes Laertius (vii. 38) and Suidas, who (besides tlat the readiig as restored by Gronovius gives the
the historical work above referred to) meitions some meaninlg ftaily, inamely: M. iarro tradit sibi cogwritings, of which, however, he is more disposed nitlrn lioazae _Posims 7onmine, a quo facta pomn7a et
to consider Poseidoiiius of Olbiopolis the author. auvas, tut non pOssis discernere a veris.) These imiThe latter he describes as a sophist and historian, tations of fruit must have been first modelled, and
and the author of the following worlks:-flopl -o then painted. Their truthfulness would suggest'Si2KavoiV: ils EPrL r TsvpLcT KaaXovupEvs Xodpas: the suspicion that they were in vax; but, front'ATTLMdcS lo-roplay, in four books: ALgviciK, in eleven the absence of any statement to that effect, it must
books; aind some others. The first mentioned be supposed that they were only in some kind of
work is assilgned by Bake to Poseidonius of Apa- clatv or stucco or gypsum. [P. S.]
meia. POSSI'DIUS, a disciple of Augustiile, with
There were also some others of the sanle name'whom he lived upon intimate terms for nearly
who are inot worth mentioninng. [C. P. M.] forty years. In A. D. 397 he was appointed bishop
POSEIDO'NIUS (Iioo-elcSyios), the name of of Calamna, a towvl in Numidia at no great distance
two Greek physicians, who have been confounded from htippo RIegius; but this elevation brought no
together by Sprengel (tlist. cde lt Me/tl. vol. ii. p. tranquillity nor ease, for his career from this timle
92, French trlansl.), and placed in "the time of forward presents one continued struggle owith a
Valens;" and also by M. Littre (Oeuvres d'Hip- succession of fierce antagonists. For a long period
pocr. vol. iii. p. 5), who, wlhile correcting one half he was engaged in active strife owith the Donatists,
of SDrengel's chronological mist-ake, falls himself maintained triumphant disputations in public wiL!l