Page:Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology (1870) - Volume 3.djvu/69

OROETES. sessed it in manuscript. But Ritschl has shown that the passage of Ursinus does not convey any Buch assertion. The mua^ r&v kavrovy spoken of by Suidas, would indicate that Orus was the author of other treatises besides those mentioned, of which we know nothing. The name Orus is sometimes found written HoRUS. (Fabric. Bihl. Gruec. vol. vi. pp. 193, 374, 601, 603 ; Ritschl, de Oro ei Orione cominentatio, Breslau, 1834 ; and an elaborate article on Orion by Ritschl in Ersch and Gruber's Encyelopadie.) [C. P. M.] ORITHYIA. [Oreithyia.] O'RMENUS COpn^vos). 1. A son of Cerca- phus, grandson of Aeolus and father of Amyntor, was believed to have founded the town of Orme- nium, in Thessaly. From him Amyntor is some- times called Ormenides, and Astydameia, his grand- daughter, Ormenis. (Hom. 11. ii. 734, ix. 448, X, 266, Od. xv. 413 ; Ov. Her. ix. 50.) 2. The name of two Trojans. (//. viii. 274, xii. 187.) [L. S.] ORNEUS {'Opvevs), a son of Erechtheus, father of Peteus, and grandflither of Menestheus ; from him the town of Orneae was believed to have derived its name. (Hom. 11. ii. 571 ; Paus. ii. 25. § 5, X. 35. § 5.) [L. S.] ORNODOPANTES {'Oppodoirdurvs), a Persian satrap, whom Bibulus persuaded in b. c. 50 to revolt from Orodes, the Parthian king, and pro- claim Pacorus as king. (Dion Cass. xl. 30.) [Comp. Vol. I. p. 356, a.] This Parthian name appears to be the same, with a slightly varied orthography, as that of Ornospades, which occurs in Tacitus. The latter was a Parthian chief of great power and influence in the reign of Tiberius. (Tac. Ann. vi. 37). ORNOSPADES. [Ornodopantes.] ORNYTION ('Opi/wTiW), a Corinthian, Avas the son of Sisyphus, and the father of Phocus and Thoas. (Paus. ii. 4. § 3, ix. 17. § 4.) [L. S.] O'RNYTUS ('Opi'UTos), the name of three different mythical personages. (Apollon. Rhod. i. 208, ii. 65'; Paus. viii. 28. § 3.) [L. S.] ORO'DES {'OpciSTjs), a name common to many Eastern monarchs, of whom the Parthian kings were the most celebrated. Herodes is probably merely another form of this name. 1. Op-cdes I., king of Parthia. [Arsaces XIV. p. 356.] 2. Orodes II., king of Parthia. [Arsaces XVII., p. 357.] 3. Orodes, son of Artabaniis III., king of Parthia. [Arsaces XIX., p. 358, a.] 4. Orodes, a king of the Albanians, conquered by Pompey [Pompeius], is called Oroeses by the Greek writers. (Dion Cass, xxxvi. 37, xxxvii. 4 ; Appian, Mithr. 103, 117; Oros. vi. 4; Eutrop. vi. 11.) OROEBA'NTIUS i^OpoiSduTios), of Troezene, an ancient epic poet, whose poems were said by the Troezenians to be more ancient than those of Homer. (Aelian, V. H. xi. 2.) OROESES. [Orodes, No. 4.] OROETES ('OpoiTijs), a Persian, was made satrap of Sardis by Cyrus, and retained the govern- ment of it till his death. Like many other Persian governors, he seems to have aimed at the establish- ment of an independent sovereignt}', and it was probably as one step towards this that he decoyed PoLYCRATES into his power by specious promises, and put him to death in b. c. 522. For this act ORONTES. 57 Herodotus mentions two other moti/es, not incom- patible either with one another or with the one above suggested ; but certainly the power of the Samian tyrant would have been a barrier to any schemes of aggrandizement entertained by Oroetes ; and, in fact, Samos, from its position and conse- quence, would, perhaps, be the natural enemy of any Lydian potentate. Thus, when Amasis, as a vassal of Babylon, was compelled to take part with Croesus against Cyrus, he found it necessary to abandon his alliance with Polycrates, which, for purposes of commerce, he would, doubtless, have preferred ; and the Lacedaemonians were naturally urged to their connection with Croesus by their hostility to Polycrates as a tyrant. (Comp. Herod, i. 69,70,77, ii. 178, iii.39,&c.; Thuc. i. 18 ; Arist. Polit. V. 10, ed. Bekk.) The disturbed state of affairs which followed the death of Cambyses, b. c. 521, further encouraged Oroetes to prosecute his designs, and he put to death Mitrobates, viceroy of Dascyleium, in Bithynia, regarding him probably as a rival, or, at least, as a spy, and caused a mes- senger, who brought an unwelcome firman from Dareius Hystaspis, to be assassinated on his way back to court. Dareius, liowever, succeeded in procuring his death through the agency of Ba- gaeus. (Herod, iii. 120 — 128 ; Luc. Contempl. 14.) [E. E.] O'ROLUS. [0L0RU.S.] ORONTES or ORONTAS ('OpoVxTjs, 'OpoV- ras). 1. A Persian, related by blood to the royal famil}', and distinguished for his military skill. Dareius II. (Nothus) appointed him to be one of the officers of his son, Cyrus the j'ounger ; but, after the accession of Artaxerxes Mnemon, Oron- tes, who commanded in the citadel of Sardis, held it against Cyrus, professing to be therein obeying the king's commands. Cyrus reduced him to sub- mission and pardoned him ; but Orontes revolted from him a second time, fled to the Mysians, and joined them in invading his territory. Again Cyrus subdued him, and again received him into favour. When, however, the prince in his expedition against his brother (b. c. 401), had passed the Euphrates, Orontes asked to be entrusted with 1000 horse, promising to check effectually with these the royal cavalry, which was laying waste the country before the invaders. Cyrus consented ; but, ascertaining from an intercepted letter of his to Artaxerxes, that he meant to desert with the force committed to him, he caused him to be ar- rested, and summoned a council, consisting of seven of the principal Persians and Clearchus the Lace- daemonian, to try the case. Orontes had not a word of defence or palliation to offer, and was con- demned unanimously by the judges. He was then led off to the tent of Artapatas, one of the chief officers of Cyrus, and was never seen again either dead or alive. How he perished no one knew. Xenophon remarks that, on his way from the council, he received all the customary marks of respect from his inferiors, though they knew his doom. (Xen. Anuh. i. 6. §§ 1 — 11.) 2. A Persian, son-in-law of Artaxerxes Mnemon. In the retreat of the Cyrean Greeks, when Tissa- phernes joined their march, twenty days after his solemn and hollow treaty with them, Orontes ac- companied him with a separate force under his command, and appears to have been a party to the treachery, by which the principal Greek generals were decoyed into the power of the Persians. He