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

ORESTES. ORFITUS. 4J3
of secretary to Attila, and was also his ambassador done on many previous occasions. Orestes reat Constantinople. After the death of Attila, mained in his province upwards of three years, and
Orestes returned to Italy, where on account of his obtained a triumph on his return to Rome in n. c.
great wealth, he soon rose to eminence, and obtained 122. C. Gracchus was quaestor to Orestes in
the title and rank of patricius. He then married Sardinia, and distinguished himself greatly by the
a daughter of Romulus Comes. In 475, while at way in which he there discharged the duties of his
Rome, he received orders from the emperor Julius office. M., Aemilius Scaurus also served under
Nepos to assemble an army and send it to Gaul, as Orestes in Sardinia (Liv. Epit. 60; Plut. C.
fears were entertained that the West Gothic king Gracch. 1, 2; Cic. Brut. 28; Aur. Vict. de Vir.
Euric intended another invasion of that country. Ill. 72; Fasti Capit.) This Aurelius Orestes
Being once at the head of an army, Orestes availed obtains a place, along with his brother C. Aurelius
himself of his power and riches to make himself Orestes, in the list of orators in the Brutus of
master of Italy, and forthwith set out for Ravenna, Cicero (c. 25), who, however, only says of them,
where Nepos was residing. On his approach " quos aliquo video in numero oratorumn fuisse."
Nepos fled in confusion (28th of August, 475) to 3. C. AURELIUs ORESTES, younger son of No.
Salona in Dalmatia, where he met with the deposed 1. See No. 2, sub finem.
emperor Glycerius, his former rival, who was then 4. L. AURELIUS L. F. L. N. ORESTES, son of
bishop of that place; and on the 29th of August No. 2, was consul with C. Marius, in the third
Orestes had his son Romulus Augustulus proclaimed consulship of the latter, B. C. 103, and died in the
emperor, remaining, however, at the head of affairs. same year. (Fasti: comp. Plut. Ai1ar. 14.)
His first minister was Parmenus. He sent Latinus 5. CN. AURELIUS ORESTES, praetor urbanus
and Madusus to Constantinople, that he might be B. C. 77, one of whose decisions was annulled upon
recognised by the emperor Zeno; aud he made appeal by the consul Mamercus Aemilius Lepidus.
peace with Genseric, the king of the Vandals. (Val. Max. vii. 7. ~ 6.)
The reign of Orestes was of short duration. In ORESTHEUS (OopFeaOEs), a son of Lycaon,
the following year (476) Odoacer rose in arms and the reputed founder of Oresthasium, which is
against him, and Orestes having shut himself up in said afterwards to have been called Oresteium,
Pavia, was taken prisoner after the town had been from Orestes. (Paus. viii. 3. ~; Eurip. Orest.
stormed by the barbarians, and conducted to Pla- 1642.)
centia where his head was cut off by order of 2. A son of Deucalion, and king of the Ozolian
Odoacer. This took place on the 28th of August, Locrians in Aetolia. His dog is said to have given
476, exactly a year after he had compelled Nepos birth to a piece of wood, which Orestheus conto fly from Ravenna. On the 4th of September cealed in the earth. In the spring a vine grew
Paulus, the brother of Orestes, was taken at forth from it, from the sprouts of which he derived
Itavenna, and likewise put to death. (The au- the name of his people. (Paus. x. 38. ~ 1; Hecat.
thorities quoted in the lives of ROMULUS AUGuS- ap. At/len. ii. p. 35.) [L. S.]
TULUS, GLYCERIUS, JULIUS NEPOS, and ODO- ORESTILLA, AURE'LIA. [AU7RELIA.]
ACER.) [W. P.] ORESTILLA, LI'VIA, called Cornelia OresORESTES ('Operals), a Christian physician tina by Dion Cassius, was the second wife of
of Tyana in Cappadocia, called also Arestes, who Caligula, whom he married in A. D. 37. He carried
suffered martyrdom during the persecution under her away on the day of her marriage to Piso, having
Diocletian, A. D. 303, 304. An interesting account been invited to the nuptial banquet, but divorced
of his tortures and death is given by Simeon Meta- her before two months had elapsed, and banished
phrastes, ap. Surium, De Probat. Sanctor. Histor., her and Piso. (Suet. Cau. 25; Dion Cass. lix. 8.)
vol. vi. p. 231, where he is named Arestes. See ORFITUS, or ORPHITUS, a cognomen of
also Menolog. Graec. vol. i. p. 178, ed. Urbin. 1727. several gentile names under the empire, does not
He has been canonized by the Greek and Roman occur in the time of the republic. Orfitus is the
churches, and his memory is celebrated on Nov. 9. correct orthography, as we see from inscriptions.
(See Bzovius, NAomenclator Sanclor. Profess. Me- Many of the Orfiti mentioned below are only
dicor.) [W. A. G.] known from the Consular Fasti, and from inORESTES, CN. AUFI'DIUS, originally be- scriptions.
longed to the Aurelia gens, whence his surname 1. SER. CORNELIUS ORFITUS, consul in A. D.
of Orestes, and was adopted by Cn. Aufidius, the 51, with the emperor Claudius (Tac. Ann. xii. 41;
historian, when the latter was an old man [See Plin. H. N. ii. 31; and the inscription in FaVol. I. p. 418, b.]. Orestes was repulsed when a brettus, p. 472). In A. D. 66 Orfitus proposed, in
candidate for the tribunate of the plebs, but he honour of the imperial family, that the month of
obtained the consulship in B. C. 71, with P. Cornelius June should for the future be called Germanicus
Lentulus. From an anecdote recorded by Cicero (Tac. Ann. xvi. 12). It would appear, from an
(de Off. ii. 17) Orestes seems to have carried his incidental notice in Tacitus (Hist. iv. 42), that
election partly by the magnificent treats he gave Orfitus perished not long after this, by an accuthe people. (Cic. pro Dom. 13, pro Plane. 21; sation of the informer Aquillius Regulus.
Eutrop. vi. 8.) 2. SALVIDIENUS ORFITUS, one of the victims of
ORESTES, AURE'L1US. 1. L. AURELIUS Nero's cruelty and caprice. (Suet. Ner. 37.)
L. F. L. N. ORESTES, consul B. C. 157, with Sex. 3. PACcIus ORFITus, a centurion primi pili in
Julius Caesar. (Fasti Capit.; Plin. LI. N. xxxiii. Corbulo's army in the East, in the reign of Nero.
3. s. 17.) (Tac. Ann. xiii. 36, xv. 12.)
2. L. AURELIUS L. F. L. N. ORESTES, son of 4. SALVIDIENUS ORFITUS, banished by Dothe preceding, was consul B. c. C126, with M. mitian, on the pretext of conspiracy. (Suet. Doem.
Aemilius Lepidus. He was sent into Sardinia to 10.)
subdue the inhabitants of the island, who had again 5. CORNELIUS SCIPIO ORFITUS, one of the conrisen against the Roman authority, as they had sules suffecti A. D. 101.