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

SOCRATES. SOCRATES. 847
tween the mountains Masius and Antitaurus, Mithridates, but that monarch was not yet preof which he was appointed king by Nero, in A. D. pared to brave the Roman power, and conse54. He espoused the cause of Vespasian, when quently found it convenient to sacrifice his unforthe latter was proclaimed emperor by the legions in tunate ally, and not only refused to support
Syria, in A. i). 69, and he subsequently served Socrates, but even put him to death. (Appian.
under Titus in the war against the Jews. Josephus Mitrhr. 10, 13; Memnon, c. 30; Justin. xxxviii.
calls him king of Emesa. (Tac. Ann. xiii. 7, 5.) He is called by Memnon Nicomedes, which
flist. ii. 81, v. 1; Joseph. B. J. vii. 28.) name he probably assumed at the same time with
3. King of Armenia, was placed on the throne the crown of Bithynia. [E. H. B.]
by the Romans in the reign of M. Aurelius. SO'CRATES (>wtKpdrws), the celebrated Athe[ARSACIDAE, P. 363, a.] nian philosopher, was the son of a statuary of
SOCLES (:2wcKijv), an Athenian sculptor, of the name of Sophroniscus. He belonged to the
the demus of Alopece, who is mentioned in the deme Alopece, in the immediate neighbourhood of
celebrated inscription relating to the erection Athens, and according to the statement of Demetrius
of the temple of Athena Polias, as one of the Phalereus and Apollodorus, was born in the 4th
makers of the bas-reliefs of the frieze of that year of the 77th Olympiad (B. c. 468). The astemple. (Schill, Arch/ologiscl/e Mittheilungen aus sumption that he was born ten years later (Diog.
Grieclienland, p. 1.25; R. Rochette, Lettre a M. Laert. ii. 45) is confuted by his expression in the
Schorn, pp. 403, 404, 2d ed.) [P. S.] Apology of Plato, that, though he was more than
SOCRATES (:wKpadT7rs), historical. seventy years old, that was his first appearance
1. An Athenian, son of Antigenes, was one of before a judicial tribunal, since the date of the
the three commanders sent out with a fleet in B. C. conviction that ensued is well established (O1.
431, to ravage the coasts of the Peloponnese. They 95. 1). Whether in his youth he devoted himself
effected nothing beyond mere predatory landings to the art of his father, and himself executed the
on the coast, being foiled in an attack on Methone group of clothed Graces which was shown on the
by the opportune arrival of Brasidas. (Thuc. ii. Acropolis as a work of Socrates (Paus. ix. 35,
23, 25.) comp. i. 22; Diog. Laert. ii. 19; Porph. ap. Cyrill.
2. An Achaean, a leader of mercenary troops, cont. Julian. p. 208, Spanh.), we must leave unwho was one of those that took part in the ex- decided; the statements that in his youth he had
pedition of the younger Cyrus, B. c. 401. He was in turn given himself up to an employment unalready serving in Asia when that prince began to worthy of a freeman, or even to a licentious life
assemble his forces, and hastened to join him at (Aristoxenus, ap. Diog. Laert. ii. 20, comp. 19
Sardis with a body of five hundred heavy-armed Porphyr. ap. Theodoret. Gr. Affect. Cur. xii. 174,
mercenaries. Of these it is clear that he retained ed. Sylb.; comp. Luzac, Lectt. Att. p. 240, &c.),
the command throughout the expedition, though we cannot regard as authenticated. Nevertheless
his name is not again particularly mentioned until it appears that it was not without a struggle that
after the battle of Cunaxa, when we find him as he became master of his naturally impetuous apone of the generals taking part in the council of petites (Cic. de Fato, 5; Alex. Aphrod. de Fato, p.
war held to deliberate on the overtures made by 30, ed. Lond.; comp. Aristox. ap. Plut. de Herod.
the Persian king through the medium of Phalinus. Malign. p. 856, c.). That he was a disciple of the
He was afterwards one of the four leaders who physiologists Anaxagoras and Archelaus, rests on
accompanied Clearchus to the tent of Tissaphernes, the evidence of doubtful authorities (Diog. La'rt.
when all the five were treacherously seized by that ii. 18, &c., 23, i. 14; Porph. ap). T/ieodoret. i. c. p.
satrap, and subsequently put to death by order of 174; Clem. Alex. Stronm. i. 301; Cic. Tusc. Disp.
Artaxerxes himself. (Xen. Anlab. i..,~ 11, 2. v. 4; Sext. Emp. adv. Mat/i. x. 360, &c.; comp.
~ 3, ii. 5. ~ 31, 6. ~~ 1, 30; Diod. xiv. 19, 25.) C. F. Hermann, de Socratis Mayistris et Disciplina
3. Father of the Athenian orator Deinarchus. juvenili, Marb. 1837). Plato and Xenophon
He is called by some writers Sostratus. (Phot. Bibl. know nothing of it; on the contrary, in the former
p. 496, b. ed. Bekker; Suidas s. v. Ae[vapXos.) (Phlaed. p. 97) Socrates refers his knowledge of the
4. A Boeotian, who was one of the officers doctrine of Anaxagoras to the book of that philoemployed by Sosibius and Agathocles, the minis- sopher, and in the latter (Xen. Syrup. i. 5) he desigters of Ptolemy Philopator king of Egypt, to raise nates himself as self-taught. But that, while living
and discipline a mercenary force with which to in Athens, at that time so rich in the means of
oppose Antiochus the Great. He commanded a mental culture, he remained without anyinstruction,
body of 2000 peltasts, with which he rendered as the disparagingAristoxenus maintains (Plut. i. c.;
good service during the campaign in Syria, and at comp. Cyrill. c. Julian. p. 186; Porph. ap. Thleothe battle of Raphia, B. c. 217. (Polyb. v. 63, 65, doret. i. p. 8), is confuted by the testimony of
82.) Xenophon (Merenz. iv. 7. ~ 3) and Plato (M11eno, p.
5. Surnamed the Good (6 XP-qrGoTs), was a bro- 82, &c.) respecting his mathematical knowled e,
ther of Nicomedes III. king of Bithynia. On the and the thankfulness with which he mentions the
death of his father, Nicoinedes II., lie was per- care of his native city for public education (Plato,
suaded, contrary it is said to his own wishes, by COrito, p. 50). Although he complains of not havMithridates the Great, to assert his claim to the ing met with the wished for instruction at the hands
throne in opposition to his elder brother, and with of those whom he had regarded as wise (Plat. Apol.
the assistance of an army furnished him by the king p. 21; comp. Xen. Oecon. 2. 16), intercourse with
of Pontus, easily expelled Nicomedes, and made the most distinguished men and women of his
himself master of Bithynia. Nicomedes, however, age could not remain entirely without fruit for
now had recourse to the senate of Rome; which pro- one who was continually striving to arrive at an
nounced in his favour, declared war against So- understanding with himself by means of an undercrates, and reinstated the elder brother on the standing with others (Plat. C0arm. p. 166). In
throne. Socrates fled for refuge to the court of this sense he boasts of being a disciple of Prodicus