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

900 STASIOECUS. STATEIRA.
his daughter's marriage portion; manifestly an at- Seleucus, the admiral of the Egyptian fleet, and to
tempt to reconcile the two different accounts, which place himself under the supremacy of Ptolemy:
ascribed it to Homer and Stasinus (Proc. 1. c.; but in B. C. 313 he abandoned the alliance of that
Aelian. V. H. ix. 15). We are also told that the monarch, and, in common with several of the other
poem was named from its author's native place; princes of the island, entered into negotiations
but critical analogies suggest the doubt whether with Antigonus. Before, however, the latter could
the country of the alleged author was not in- lend them any support, Ptolemy himself arrived
vented to account for the title. Other passages, in Cyprus with a fleet and army, took Stasioecus
which might be quoted from the grammarians and prisoner, and razed his city to the ground. (Diod.
scholiasts, leave the question much in the same xix. 62, 79.) [E. H. B.]
state. Even the number of books of which the STASIPPUS (-rdo'7r7ros), a citizen of Tegea,
poem consisted is doubtful; for the only authority and the leader of the party there which was fafor the common statement, that it contained eleven vourable to Sparta. When Archidamus III. was
books, is a quotation of Athenaeus from the eleventh sent, in B. C. 371, to succour his defeated countrybook (xv. p. 682, e.). men at Leuctra, Stasippus and his friends were in
From these statements it may be judged the height of their power, and Tegea therefore
whether there is sufficient foundation for the zealously assisted the Spartan king with reinforceopinion of Miiller and other writers, that the ments. In B. c. 370, Stasippus successfully repoem may be safely assigned to Stasinus, whose sisted in the assembly the attempt of Callibius and
date they fix as about contemporary with Arctinus Proxenus to change the existing relations of Tegea
of Miletus. Considering the immense range of to Sparta, and include it in the proposed federative
mythological stories which we know the poem to union of all Arcadian towns. His opponents
have embraced, there is much probability in the hereupon had recourse to arms, and Stasippus
opinion of Bernhardy, that it was a work of many defeated them in battle, but did not make as much
times and many hands. Its title may be explained of his victory as he might have done, through
by the conspicuous part which Aphrodite has in reluctance to shed the blood of his fellow-citizens.
the general action; a circumstance which certainly The democratic leaders were less scrupulous, and,
favours the idea that the author of the general plan having been reinforced from Mantineia, got Stasipof the poem was a Cyprian. pus and many of his friends into their power, and
The Cypria was the first, in the order of the mrwdered them after the mockery of a trial. (Xetl.
events contained in it, of the poems of the Epic tIell. vi. 4. ~ 18, 5. ~~ 6, &c.; Val. Max. iv. 1,
Cycle relating to the Trojan War. It embraced Ext. 5.) [CALLIBIUS, No. 2.] [E. E.]
the period antecedent to the beginning of the Iliad, STATA MATER, a Roman divinity, whose
to which it was evidently designed to form an in- image at one time stood in the forum, where fires
troduction. From the outline given by Proclus, were lighted every night. Subsequently, when
and from the extant fragments, a good idea may be the forum was paved, the fires were kindled ill
formed of its structure and contents. The Earth, other parts of the town, in order not to spoil the
wearied with the burthen of the degenerate race stones (Fest. p. 317, ed. MUller). In inscriptions
of man, entreats Zeus to diminish their numbers. she is sometimes called Statia Mater, and she is
Ile grants her request, and prepares two chief probably identical with Vesta. (Hartung, Die Reagents to accomplish it, Helen and Achilles, the lig. d. Rum. vol. ii. p. 110.) [L. S.]
beauty of the former furnishing the cause of the STATEIRA (:TrTEltpa). 1. Wife of Artacontest, and the sword of the latter the instrument xerxes II., king of Persia, was the daughter of a
of extermination. The events succeeding the birth noble Persian named Idernes. She was nlarried
of Helen (or rather, for the form of the myth is to Artaxerxes (then called Arsaces) during the
varied), her being sent by Zeus to Leda to bring up, lifetime of his father Ochus, and it was only by
and the marriage of Peleus, down to the sailing of the urgent entreaties of her husband that the
the expedition against Troy, were related at great queen-mother Parysatis was prevailed upon to
length, and the incidents of the war itself much more spare her life, when she put to death all her
briefly, the latter part being apparently occupied brothers and sisters on account of the revolt of
chiefly with those previous adventures of the heroes their eldest brother Terituchmes (Ctesias, Pers.
which are referred to in the Iliad. It concluded ~~ 53-,6; Plut. Artax. 2). The enmity thus oriwith the following somewhat clumsy contrivance ginated between Parysatis and Stateira was aggrato connect it with the opening of the Iliad: the vated by many successive circumstances. Pary.
war itself is not found to be murderous enough to satis, while she exercised great influence over
accomplish the object prayed for by the Earth; Artaxerxes, still preferred her son Cyrus, while
and in order to effect it more surely, the fresh coIl- Stateira was warmly attached to her husband, who
tention between Achilles and Agamemnon is stirred appears to have requited her affection with equal
up by Zeus. (R. J. F. Henrichsen, de Carminibus ardour. Hence, when the rebellion of Cyrus beCypriis, Havn. 1828, 8vo.; Welcker, in the Zeit- came known, B. c. 401, Stateira was one of the
schrift fiir Alterth. 1834, Nos. 3, &c.; Miiller, loudest in the clamour raised against the queenGesch. d. Griech. Lit. vol. i. pp. 118-120, pp. 68, mother, who by her ill-timed favour to her younger
69, Eng. trans.; Bode, Gesch. d. Hellen. Dicht- soi had involved the empire in these dangers.
kunst, vol. i. pp. 363-378; Bernhardy, Grundriss Again, after the defeat and death of Cyrus, the
d. Griech. Lit. vol. ii. pp. 150-152; Clinton, F. H. cruelty with which Parysatis on the one hand
vol. i. pp. 353, &c.) [P. S.] pursued all who had any personal share in his
STASIOECUS (lrTaaeoeotos), prince or dynast death, and on the other the favour shown by her
of Marion in Cyprus, was one of the petty princes to Clearchus, and her efforts to induce the king to
among whom that island was divided at the period spare his life, were bitterly reproached her by Staof its conquest by Ptolemy, king of Egypt. Upon teira, who did not scruple to attribute them to their
that occasion Stasioecus was one of the first to join true motive, and persuaded Artaxerxes to put