- Polycrates
Polycrates ( _el. Πολυκράτης), son of
Aeaces , was thetyrant of Samos from c. 538 BC to 522 BC.He took power during a festival of
Hera with his brothers Pantagnotus and Syloson, but soon had Pantagnotus killed and exiled Syloson to take full control for himself. He then allied withAmasis II ,pharaoh ofEgypt , as well as the tyrant of NaxosLygdamis . With a navy of 100penteconter s and an army of 1,000 archers, he plundered the islands of theAegean Sea and the cities on theIonia n coast ofAsia Minor , defeating and enslaving the navies of Lesbos andMiletus . He also conquered the small island ofRhenea , which he chained to nearbyDelos as a dedication toApollo .He had a reputation as both a fierce warrior and an enlightened tyrant. On Samos he built an aqueduct, a large temple of
Hera (the Heraion, to which Amasis dedicated many gifts), and a palace later rebuilt by theRoman emperor Caligula . In 522 BC he celebrated an unusual double festival in honour of the godApollo ofDelos and ofDelphi ; it has been suggested that the "Homeric Hymn to Apollo", sometimes attributed toCynaethus of Chios, was composed for this occasion. [Walter Burkert , 'Kynaithos, Polycrates and the Homeric Hymn to Apollo' in "Arktouros: Hellenic studies presented to B. M. W. Knox" ed. G. W. Bowersock, W. Burkert, M. C. J. Putnam (Berlin: De Gruyter, 1979) pp. 53-62.] Polycrates was certainly a patron of the poetAnacreon , and of the Crotonian doctorDemocedes .According to
Herodotus , Amasis thought Polycrates was too successful, and advised him to throw away whatever he valued most in order to escape a reversal of fortune. Polycrates followed the advice and threw a jewel-encrusted ring into the sea; however, a few days later, a fisherman caught a large fish that he wished to share with the tyrant. While Polycrates' cooks were preparing the fish for eating, they discovered the ring inside of it. Polycrates told Amasis of his good fortune, and Amasis immediately broke off their alliance, believing that such a lucky man would eventually come to a disastrous end.It is more likely that the alliance was ended because Polycrates allied with the Persian king
Cambyses II against Egypt. By this time, Polycrates had created a navy of 40trireme s, probably becoming the first Greek state with a fleet of such ships. He manned these triremes with men he considered to be politically dangerous, and instructed Cambyses to execute them; the exiles suspected Polycrates' plan, however, and turned back from Egypt to attack the tryant. They defeated Polycrates at sea but could not take the island. They then sailed to mainlandGreece and allied withSparta and Corinth, who invaded the island. After 40 days they withdrew their unsuccessful siege.Herodotus also tells the story of Polycrates' death. Near the end of the reign of Cambyses, the governor of
Sardis , Oroetes, planned to kill Polycrates, either because he had been unable to add Samos to Persia's territory, or because Polycrates had supposedly snubbed a Persian ambassador. In any case, Polycrates was invited to Sardis, and despite the prophetic warnings of his daughter, he was assassinated. The manner is not recorded by Herodotus, as it was apparently an undignified end for a glorious tyrant, but he may have been impaled [Herodotus. "The Histories" (an introduction and notes by John M. Marincola). Penguin Classics, 2003. Page 224.] and his dead body was crucified.ee also
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Polycrates complex Notes
External links
* [http://www.livius.org Livius] , [http://www.livius.org/pn-po/polycrates/polycrates.html Polycrates of Samos] by Jona Lendering
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