Listed 4 sub titles with search on: Biographies for wider area of: "THESSALIA Ancient area GREECE" .
THESSALIA (Ancient area) GREECE
Cineas (Kineas), a Thessalian, the friend and minister of Pyrrhus, king of Epeirus.
He was the most eloquent man of his day, and reminded his hearers (in some degree)
of Demosthenes, whom he heard speak in his youth. Pyrrhus prized his persuasive
powers so highly, that "the words of Cineas (he was wont to say) had won him more
cities than his own arms". He was also famous for his conversational powers, and
some instances of his repartees are still preserved (Plin. H. N. xiv. 12). That
he was versed in the philosophy of Epicurus is plain from the anecdote related
by Cicero (Cat. Maj. 13) and Plutarch (Pyrrh. 20). But this is no ground for assuming
that he professed this philosophy. At all events he did not practise it; for,
instead of whiling away life in useless ease, he served Pyrrhus long and actively;
and he took so much interest in the art of war, as to epitomise the Tactica of
Aeneas (Aelian, Tact. 1); and this, no doubt, is the work to which Cicero refers
when he speaks of Cineas' books de re militari (ad Fam. ix. 25). Dr. Arnold says
Plutarch mentions his Commentaries, but it does not appear to what he refers.
The historical writer referred to by Strabo (vii.) may be the same person.
The most famous passage in his life is his embassy to Rome, with proposals
for peace from Pyrrhus, after the battle of Heraclea (B. C. 280). Cineas spared
no arts to gain favour. Thanks to his wonderful memory, on the day after his arrival
he was able (we are told) to address all the senators and knights by name (Plin.
H. N. vii. 24); and in after times stories were current that he sought to gain
them over by offering presents to them and their wives, which, however, were disdainfully
rejected (Plut. Pyrrh. 18; Diod. Exc. Vatic. xxii.; Liv. xxxiv. 4). The terms
he had to offer were hard, viz. that all the Greeks in Italy should be left free,
and that the Italian nations from Samnium downwards should receive back all they
had forfeited to Rome (Appian, Samn. Fragm. x.). Yet such was the need, and such
the persuasiveness of Cineas, that the senate would probably have yielded, if
the scale had not been turned by the dying eloquence of old Appius Caecus. The
ambassador returned and told the king (say the Romans), that there was no people
like that people -their city was a temple, their senate an assembly of kings.
Two years after (B. C. 278), when Pyrrhus was about to cross over into Sicily,
Cineas was again sent to negotiate peace, but on easier terms; and though the
senate refused to conclude a treaty while the king was in Italy, his minister's
negotiations were in effect successful (Appian, Samn. Frayem. xi.). Cineas was
then sent over to Sicily, according to his master's usual policy, to win all he
could by persuasion, before he tried the sword (Plut. Pyrrh. 22). And this is
the last we hear of him. He probably died before Pyrrhus returned to Italy in
B. C. 276, and with him the star of his master's fortune set. He was (as Niebuhr
says) the king's good genius, and his place was filled by unworthy favourites.
This text is from: A dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology, 1873 (ed. William Smith). Cited Nov 2005 from The Perseus Project URL below, which contains interesting hyperlinks
Echekrates, (Echekrates). A Thessalian, was one of those whom the ministers of Ptolemy Philopator, when they were preparing for war with Antiochus the Great in B. C. 219, employed in the levying of troops and their arrangement into separate companies. He was entrusted with the command of the Greek forces in Ptolemyi's pay, and of all the mercenary cavalry, and did good service in the war, especially at the battle of Raphia in B. C. 217. (Polyb. v. 63, 65, 82, 85.)
Hippolochus. A Thessalian, who commanded a body of horse in the service of Ptolemy Philopator, with which he deserted to Antiochus the Great, during the war in Syria, B. C. 218. He was immediately afterwards detached by Antiochus, together with Ceraeas, who had deserted about the same time, to defend the province of Samaria. He is again mentioned as commanding the Greek mercenaries in the service of Antiochus at the battle of Raphia, B. C. 217. (Polyb. v. 70, 71, 79.)
Hippolochus. A Thessalian, who was sent by the Larissaeans, at the commencement of the war with Antiochus (B. C. 192), to occupy Pherae with a strong garrison, but, being unable to reach that place, he fell back upon Scotussa, where he and his troops were soon after compelled to surrender to Antiochus, but were dismissed in safety. (Liv. xxxvi. 9.)
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