Page:Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology (1870) - Volume 3.djvu/87

OXYARTES. death: but this act of parricide brought upon them the vengeance of Lysimachus, who made himself master of Heracleia, and put both Clearchus and Oxathres to death. According to Diodorus, they had reigned seventeen years ; but Droysen assigns their death to the year B. c. 285. (Memnon, c. 4 — 6 ; Diod. xx, 77 ; Droysen, Hellenism, vol. i. pp. 609, 634.) 5. A son of Mithridates the Great, who was taken prisoner in the insurrection of the citizens of Phanagoria, B. c. 64. He was afterwards given up to Pompey, by whom he was led captive in his triumph at Rome. (Appian, Mithr. 108, 117.) OXYARTES ('0|ua>T7j9) or OXARTES ('Of apnt]s). Concerning the different forms of this name see Oxathres. 1. A king of Bactria, said to have been con- temporary with Ninus king of Assyria, by whom his kingdom was invaded and conquered. The history of this expedition, though doubtless a mere fable, is given in great detail by Diodorus (ii. 6). He appears to be the same person who is called by Syncellus and Eusebius, Zoroaster. (Syncell. p. 133 ; Euseb. Arm. p. 44 ; Wesseling, ad ihod. I. c; Baehr, ad Ctes. p. 405.) 2. A Bactrian, father of Roxana, the wife of Alexander the Great. He is first mentioned as cue of the chiefs who accompanied Bessus on his retreat across the Oxus into Sogdiana (Arr. Anab. iii. 28. § 15). After the death of Bessus, Oxyartes deposited his wife and daughters for safety in a rock fortress in Sogdiana, which was deemed im- pregnable, but which nevertheless soon fell into the hands of Alexander, who not only treated his captives with respect and attention, but was so charmed with the beauty of Roxana as to design to make her his wife. Oxyartes, on learning these tidings, hastened to make his submission to the conqueror, by whom he was received with the utmost distinction ; and celebrated by a magnificent feast the nuptials of his daughter with the king, B. c. 327 (Arr. Anab. iv. 18, 19, 20. § 7 ; Curt, viii. 4. § 21—29 ; Strab. xi. p. 517 ; Plut. Alex. 47 ; concerning the discrepancies in these statements see Miitzell, ad Curt. I. c. and Droy sen's Alexander^ p. 346). Shortly after we find him successfully interposing to prevail upon Chorienes to surrender his rock fortress ; and at a subsequent period he was appointed by Alexander satrap of the province of Paropamisus, or India south of the Caucasus (Arr. Anab. iv. 21, vi. 15 ; Curt. ix. 8. § 9 ; Plut. Alex. 58). In this position he continued until the death of Alexander, and was confirmed in his government, both in the first division of the pro- vinces immediately after that event, and in the sub- sequent one at Triparadeisus, B. c. 321 (Diod. xviii. 3, 39 ; Justin, xiii. 4 ; Arrian. ap. Phot. p. 71,b.; Dexippus, ibid. p. 64, b.). At a later period we find liim sending a small force to the support of Eumenes ; but after the death of that general, b. c. 316, he seems to have come to terras with Antigonns, who was content to assume the appearance of confirming him in an authority of which he would have found it difficult to dispossess him (Diod. xix. 14, 48). It seems probable that he must have died be- fore the expedition of Seleucus against India, as we find that monarch ceding Paropamisus to Sandracottus, Avithout any mention of Oxyartes. (Strab. XV. p. 724 ; Droysen, Hellenism, vol. i. p. 520.) [E. H. B.] OXYTHEMIS. 75 OXYATHRES. [Oxathres.] OXYCANUS {'0^vKav6s), or Porticanus, as he is called by Q. Curtius, an Indian prince, whose territories lay to the west of those of Musicanus. On the approach of Alexander he had not come to meet him, or sent ambassadors to make his sub- mission to the conqueror. Alexander accordingly marched against him, and speedily took by storm two of his cities, Oxycanus himself being made pri- soner. The other towns in his dominions speedily submitted. It has been supposed that in the latter part of the names Oxycanus and Musicanus is to be traced the word Khawn or Khan., so that Oxycanus might mean the Rajah of Ouche, Musicanus the Rajah of Moosh. To this it is objected that Khan is a Turkish title, and that there is nothing to show that it was in use in that region at the time of Alexander's invasion. (Arrian, vi. 1 6. § 1 ; Q. Curt, ix. 8. §11; Thirlwall, Hist. Gr. vol. vii. p. 48, note). [C. P. M.] OXYDATES ('0|y5aT7js), a Persian of high rank, who, for some cause or other, had been im- prisoned by Dareius at Susa, and was found lying there under sentence of death, when the city fell into the hands of Alexander. For this reason he seemed the more likely to be faithful to Alexander, who appointed him satrap of Media. In this office Oxydates was subsequently superseded by Arsaces. (Arrian, iii. 20. § 4 ; Curt. vi. 2. § 11, viii. 3. $ 17.) [C. P. M.] O'XYLUS ("OluAos). 1. A son of Ares and Protogeneia. (ApoUod. i. 7. § 7.) 2. A son of Haemon (according to Apollod. ii. 8. § 3, of Andraemon), and husband of Pieria, by whom he became the father of Aetolus and Laias. He was descended from a family of Elis, but lived in Aetolia ; and when the Dorians invaded Pelopon- nesus, they, in accordance with an oracle, chose him as one of their leaders. He afterwards became king of Elis, which he conquered. (Pans. v. 3, in fin. 4. § 1, &c.; Aristot. Polit. vi. 2. § 5 ; Strab. viii. p. 333.) 3. A son of Orius, who became the father of tho Hamadryades, by his sister Hamadryas. (Athen. iii. p. 78.) [L. S.j OXYNTAS ('OluVras), son of Jugurtha, was led captive, together with his father, before the triumphal car of Marius (b. c. 1 04) ; but his life was spared, and he was placed in custody at Venusia. Here he remained till B. c. 90, wlien he was brought forth by the Samnite general, C. Papius Mutilus, and adorned with the insignia of royalty, in order to produce a moral effect upon the Numidian auxiliaries in the service of the Roman general L. Caesar. The device was successful, and the Numidians deserted in great numbers ; but of the subsequent fortunes of Oxyntas we know nothing. (Eutrop. iv. 27 ; Ores. v. 15 ; Appian, 5.C.i.42.) [E. H.B.] OXYTHEMIS ('0|v96/its), a friend of Deme- trius Poliorcetes, who was sent by him to the court of Agathocles, king of Sicily, with whom he had just concluded an alliance, ostensibly in order to receive the ratification of the treaty, but with a secret mission to examine the real state of affairs in Sicily. The death of Agathocles followed shortly after, B. ^. 289, and it was Oxythemis who placed him on the funeral pile, as we are told, before life was yet extinct. (Diod. xxi. Esbc. Hoesch. pp. 491, 492.) [E. H. B.]