)
Piso, the name of a celebrated family at Rome, a
branch of the Calpurnian gens, which bouse claimed
descent from Calpus, the son of Numa Pompilius The
family of the Pisones had both a patrician and plebeian
side.
Piso, the name of a celebrated family at Rome, a
branch of the Calpurnian gens, which bouse claimed
descent from Calpus, the son of Numa Pompilius The
family of the Pisones had both a patrician and plebeian
side.
Charles - 1867 - Classical Dictionary
They were
known oy the name of dvopohoyrjfiaTa. We learn,
for instance, from, the inscription of the Choiseul mar-
ble (BockX Corp. Inscript. , vol. 1, p. 219), written
near the close of the Peloponnesian war, that bills of
tnis description were drawn at that time by the gov-
ernment at Athens on the receiver-general at Samos,
and made payable, in one instance, to the paymaster
at Athens; in another, to the general of division at
Santos. ? These bills were doubtless employed as mon-
ey, on the credit of the in-cotning taxes, and entered
probably, together with others of the same kind, into
the circulation of the period. (Cardwcll's Lectures
on the Coinage of the Greeks and Romans, p. 20,
seqq. )
Pirenk, a fountain near Corinth, on the route from
the city to the harbour of Lcchseum. According to
the statement of Pausanias (2, 3), the fountain was of
white marble, and the water issued from various arti-
ficial caverns into one open basin. This fountain is
celebrated by the ancient poets as being sacred to the
Muses, and here Bellerophon is said to have seized
the winged horse Pegasus, preparatory to his enter-
jrise against the Chiinaera. (Pind. , Olymp , 13, 85.
'--Eurip. ,Med. , 67. --Id. , Troad. ,205. --Soph. , Elec-
v. , 475, &c ) The fountain was fabled to have de-
ived its name from the nymph Pirene. who was said
>> have dissolved in tears at the death of her son Cen-
? ? ilreas, sccidentally slain by Diana. (Pausan. , I. c. )
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? PIS
nut to tr. is injury on the part of their more powerful
neighbours, and, having procured the assistance of
Phidon, tyrant of Argos, recovered Olympia, where, in
the eighth Olympiad, they again celebrated the festi-
val; but the Eleans, in their turn, obtaining succour
fr ;in Sparta, defeated Phidon, and once more expelled
Ita PisatiB from Olympia. (Ephor. , ap. Strab. , 358.
--Pausan. , 6, 22. ) These, during the 34th Olym-
niad, being at that time under the authority of Panta-
leoa, who had possessed himself of the sovereign pow-
er, made another effort to regain their ancient prerog-
ative, and, having succeeded in vanquishing their op-
ponents, retained possession of the disputed ground
for several years. The final struggle took place in the
forty-eighth Olympiad, when the people of Pisa, as
Pausanias affirms, supported by the Triphyliaus, and
other neighbouring towns which had revolted from
Elis, made war upon that stale. The Eleans, how-
ever, aided by Sparta, proved victorious, and put an
end for ever to this contest by the destruction of Pisa
ind the other confederate towns. (Pausan*, 6, 22. --
Strabo, 355. ) According to the scholiast on Pindar,
the city of Pisa was distant only six stadia from Olym-
pia, in which case we might fix Us site neai that of
Miracca, a little to the east of the celebrated spot now
called Antilalla; but Pausanias evidently leads us to
suppose it stood on the opposite bank of the river.
(Cramer's Anc. Greece, vol. 3, p. 93, scqq. )
1'is. k (or Pisa, as it is sometimes written), a city of
Etruria, on the river Arnus or Arno, about a league
from its mouth. We learn from Strabo (222), that
formerly it stood at the junction of the Ausar (Serchio)
and Arnus, but now they both Mow into the sea by
aeparate channels. The origin of Piss is lost amid
the fables to which the Trojan war gave rise, and which
are common to ao many Italian cities. If we are to
believe a tradition recorded by Strabo (/. c), it owed
its foundation to some of the followers of Nestor, in
iheir wanderings after the fall of Troy. The poets
ia7a not failed to adopt this idea. (Virg. , Mn. , 10,
179. --Until. , Itin. , 1, 565. ) Lycophron says it was
taken byTyrrhenus from the Ligurians (v. 1241). Ser-
vius reports, that Cato had not been able to discov-
er who occupied Pises before the Tyriheni under Tar-
cho, with the exception of tho Tcutones, from which
account it might be inferred that the most ancient
possessors of PissB were of northern origin. (Sen.
ad. Mn. , 10,179. ) Dionysius of Halicarnassus names
it among the towns occupied by the Pelasgi in the
territory of the Siculi. The earliest mention we have
of this city in Roman history is in Polybius (2, 16, and
27), from whom we collect, as well as from Livy (21,
39), that its harbour was much frequented by the Ro-
mans, in their communication with Sardinia, Gaul, and
Spain. It was here that Scipio landed his army when
returning from the mouths of the Rhone to oppose
Hannibal in Italy. It became a colony 572 A. U. C.
(Liv. , 41, 43. ) Strabo speaks of it as having been
formerly an important naval station: in his day it was
still a very flourishing commercial town, from the sup-
plies of timber which it furnirhed to the fleets, and the
eosly marbles which the neighbouring quarries af-
forded for the splendid palaces and villas of Rome.
(Consult Plin. , 3, b. --Piol. , p. 64. ) Ita territory
produced wine, and the species of wheat called siligo.
(Plin. , 14, 3-- Id. , 18, 9. ) The Portus Pisanus was
at the mouth of the river, and is described by Rutilius.
(Itin. , 1, 531. -- Cramer, Anc. It, vol. 1, p. 173. ) The
? ? modern Pisa occupies the site of the ancient city.
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? PIMDIA
PIS
BxreaacJ, w'/%1<< in the interior the old republics, such
? s Tcrmcssus. Selge, and others, mere mountain-for-
tresses, still remained unrepressed, so that it was very
seldom any of the towns paid tribute to the mistress
of the world. It is true that Augustus did subject
the whole of Pisidia to the Roman empire, but it was
only ir. name. Even the Goths could do nothing
against it. History, therefore, does not recognise it
as the province of any great kingdom. --The bound-
ary-line between Pisidia and Pamphylia is a matter
not very clearly ascertained. The following remarks
of Rennell are worthy of a place here. "The an-
cients seem to have been agreed in the opinion that
Pamphylia occupied the seacoast from Fhaselis to
Coracesium; but the boundary between it and Pisidia
appears not to have been decided. For instance, Tcr-
mcssus is said to be in Pamphylia by Livy (38, 15),
and also by Ptolemy; but Strabo places it in Pisidia,
and Arrian calls it a colony of Pisidia. Livy and
Ptolemy arrange Pamphylia and Pisidia as one coun-
try, under the name of Pamphylia. The former, who
describes in detail the history of the Roman wars there,
and who may be supposed to have studied its geogra-
phy, includes Pisidia, if not Isauria, in Pamphylia.
For he says that part of Pamphylia lay on one side,
and part on the other side of Taurus (38, 39). Now
Pisidia is said by Strabo to occupy the summits of
Taurus, between Sagalassus and Homonada, togeth-
er with a number of cities, which he specifies, on both
sides of Taurus, including even Antinchia of Pisidia.
Livy, then, actually includes in Pamphylia the prov-
ince described by Strabo as Pisidia, and appears to
include Isayiria also. At the same lime, he admitted
the existence of a province under the name of Pisidia;
for he repeatedly mentions it, and says that the people
of Sagalassus are Pisidians. On the whole, therefore,
one cannot doubt but that he regarded Pisidia as a
provide of Pamphylia. Ptolemy, as we have observ-
ed, arranged Pamphylia and Pisidia together as one
country; or, rather, makes Pisidia a province of Pam-
phylia, and subdivides it into Pisidia proper and Pi-
sidia of Phrygia. He has also a province of Pam-
phylia. In the distribution of the parts of Pamphylia
? t large, Ptolemy assigns to the province of that name
tho tract towards the sea, which includes Olbia, At-
talea, and Side, on the coast; Termcssus. Selge, As-
pendus, Perge, &c, more inland. And Pisidia con-
tained the inland parts, extending beyond Taurus
northward, and containing the cities of Iiaris, Ambla-
da, Lysinoe, Cormaaa, &c. Moreover, his Pisidia ex-
tended to the neighbourhood of Celana? and Apamca
Cibotus. Pliny is much too brief on the subject. It
is only to be collected from him (5, 27), that the cap-
ital of Pisidia was Antiochia; and that the other prin-
cipal cities were Sagalassus and Oroanda. That it
was shut in by Lycaonia, and had for neighbours the
people of Philomelium, Thymbrium, Pelts? , &c. And,
finally, that the state of Homonada, formed of close
and deep valleys, within Taurus, had the mountains
of Pisidia lying above it. From all this we may col-
lect, that the Pisidia of Pliny extended along the north
of Pamphylia and of Taurus, from the district of Sa-
galassus westward, to that of Homonada eastward;
the latter being on the common frontiers of Lycaonia,
Cilicia Trachea, and Pisidia. The Pisidia of Pliny,
therefore, agrees with that of Ptolemy, and will be
found to agree also with that of Strabo. Strab > (667)
? ? clearly distinguishes Pisidia and Pamphylia as two
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? PISISTRATUS.
PISISTRATUS.
such rapid strides towards tyranny, << said to have
taken down bis arrr. s, and laid them in the street be-
fore ins door, as a sign that he had made his last ef-
fort in the cause of liberty and the laws. Lycurgus
and his party seem to have submitted quietly for a
lime to the authority of Pisistratus, waiting, as the
event showed, for a more favourable opportunity of
overthrowing him. The usurper was satisfied with
the substance of power, and endeavoured as much as
possible to prevent his dominion from being seen and
folt. He made no visible changes in the constitution,
but suffered the ordinary magistrates to be appointed
in the usual manner, the tribunals to retain their au-
thority, and the laws to hold their course. In his own
person he affected the demeanour of a private citizen,
and displayed his submission to the laws by appearing
before the Areopagus to answer a charge of murder,
which, however, the accuser did not think fit to pros-
ecute. He continued to show honour to Solon, to
court his friendship, and ask his advice, which Solon
did not think himself bound to withhold where it might
be useful to his country, lest he should appear to sanc-
tion the usurpation which he had denounced. He
probably looked upon the government of Pisistratus,
though at variance with the principles of his constitu-
tion, as a less evil than would have ensued from the
success of either of the other parties; and even as
good, so far as it prevented them from acquiring a
similar preponderance. Solon died the year following
that in which the revolution took place (B. C. 559), and
Pisistratus soon after lost the power which be had
usurped, the rival factions of Lycurgus and Mcgaclcs
having united to overthrow him. But no sooner had
these two parlies accomplished their object, than they
quarrelled among themselves, and, at the end of five
years, Megacles, finding himself the weaker, made
overtures of reconciliation to Pisistratus, and offered
to bestow on him the hand of his daughter, and to as-
sist him in recovering the station he had lost. The
;ontract being concluded, the two leaders concerted
? plan for executing the main condition, the restoration
of Pisistratus. For this purpose Herodotus supposes
them to have devised an artifice, which excites his as-
tonishment at the simplicity of the people on whom it
was pracrecd, and which appears to him to degrade
the national character of the Greeks, who, he observes,
had of old been distinguished from the barbarians by
their superior sagacity. Yet, in itself, the incident
seems neither very extraordinary, nor a proof that the
contrivers reckoned on an enormous measure of credu-
lity in their countrymen. In one of the Attic villages
they found a woman, Phya by name, of unusually high
nature, and comely form and features. Having ar-
rayed her in a complete suit of armour, and instructed
her to maintain a carriage becoming the part she was
to assume, they placed her in a chariot, and sent her-
alds before her to the city, who proclaimed that Mi-
nerva herself was bringing back Pisistratus to her own
citadel, and exhorted the Athenians to receive the fa-
vourite of the goddess. Pisistratus rode by the wom-
an's side. When they reached the city, the Atheni-
ans, according to Herodotus, believing that they saw
the goddess in person, adored her and received Pisis-
tratus. This story would indeed be singular if we
consider the expedient in the light of a stratagem, on
which the confederates relied for overcoming the re-
sistance which they might otherwise have expected
? ? from their adversaries. But it seems quite as proba-
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? pis
PiSO.
ancient wcnJ ever raised in honour of the father of the
gods. Among the monuments in which splendour and
usefulness were equally combined, were the Lyceum,
a garden at a short distance from Athens, sacred to the
Lycian Apollo, where stately buildings, destined for
the exercises of the Athenian youth, rose amid shady
groves, which became one of the most celebrated
Daunts of philosophy; and the fountain of Callirrhoe,
which, from the new channels in which Pisistratus dis-
tributed its waters, was afterward called the fountain
of the Nine Springs ('Evveunpovvoc). /To defray the
xpense of these and his other undertakings, he laid a
ithe on the produce of the land: an impost which
seems to have excited great discontent in the class af-
fected by it, and, so far as it was applied to the pub-
lic buildings, was, in fact, a tax on the rich for the em-
ployment of the poor; but which, if we might trust a
late and obscure writer, was only revived by Pisistra-
tus after the example of the ancient kings of Attica.
(Diog. Laert. , 1. 53. ) He is also believed to have
been the author of a wise and beneficent law, which
Solon, however, is said to have suggested, for support-
ing citizens disabled in war at the public expense.
According to a tradition once very generally received,
posterity has been indebted to him for a benefit greater
than any which he conferred on his contemporaries, in
the preservation of the Homeric poems, which till
now had been scattered in unconnected rhapsodies.
After every abatement that can be required in this
story for misunderstanding and exaggeration, we can-
not doubt that Pisistratus at least made a collection of
the poet's works, superior in extent and accuracy to
all that had preceded it, and thus certainly diffused the
knowledge of them more widely among his country-
men, perhaps preserved something that might have
been lost to future generations. In either case he
might claim the same merit as a lover of literature:
and this was not a taste which derived any part of its
gratification from the vanity of exclusive possession,
lie is said to have been the first person in Greece who
collected a library, and to have earned a still higher
praise by the genuine liberality with which lie im-
parted its contents to the public. On the whole,
though we cannot approve of tho steps by which he
mounted to power, we must own that he made a
princely use of it; and may believe that, though un-
der his dynasty Athens could never have risen to the
greatness she afterward attained, she was indebted to
ois rule for a season of repose, during which she gain-
ed much of that strength which she finally unfolded.
Pisistratus retained his sovereignty to the end of his
life, and died at an advanced age, thirty-three years
after his first usurpation, B. C. 527. He was succeed-
ed by his sons, Hippias, Hipparclius, and Thcssalus.
(ThirlwaWs Greece, vol. 2, p. 55, seqq.
)
Piso, the name of a celebrated family at Rome, a
branch of the Calpurnian gens, which bouse claimed
descent from Calpus, the son of Numa Pompilius The
family of the Pisones had both a patrician and plebeian
side. The principal individuals of the name were: I.
C. Calpurnius Piso, city praetor in 212 B. C. , and who
had the command of the Capitol and citadel when Han-
nibal marched out against Home. He was afterward
sent into Etruria as commander of the Roman forces,
and at a subsequent period had charge of Capua in
Campania, after which his command in Etruria was
renewed. (Liv. , 25, 41. --Id, 26, 10, 15, et 28. --Id. ,
? ? 27, 6, dec. )--II. C. Calpurnius Piso, was pnetor B. C.
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? PTS
nt
lony. Piso, in his outward deportn,. ;. . , if we believe
the picture drawn of him by Cicero, affected the mien
? nd garb of a philosopher; but this garb of rigid vir-
tue covered a most lewd and vicious mind. (Cic. in
Pis. --Middleton's Life of Cicero. )--IX. L. Calpurni-
us Piso, son of the preceding, inherited man) of the
vices of his father, but redeemed them, in some de-
gree, bj \. n talents. He was at first one of the warm-
est opponents of the party of Csesar, and took an ac-
U'5 part in the war in Africa. (Hirt. , Bell. Af) Af-
ter the death of Caesar, he followed the fortunes of
Brutus and Cassius, until the overthrow of the repub-
lican forces. Being at length restored to his country,
>o refuser1 all public offices, until Augustus prevailed
upon him to accept the consulship. This was in A U. C.
731, Augustus himself being his colleague. He was
ifterwara named governor of Pamphylia, and conduct-
ed himself with great ability in his province. Having
iubsequently received orders to pass into Europe, in
arder to oppose the Bessi, a Thracian tribe, he gained
i complete victory over them. He was appointed,
ifter this, prefect of the city by Tiberius, whose fa-
rour he is said to have gained by drinking with him
for two days and two nights in succession. (Plin. ,
14, 28. ) Piso appears to have been a man of pleas-
jre, who passed his evenings at table, and slept till
noon; but he possessed such capacity for business, that
the remainder of the day sufficed for the despatch of
ihose important affairs with which he was successive-
ly intrusted by Augustus and Tiberius. It was to this
individual and his two sons that the epistle of Horace,
commonly called the " Art of Poetry," was addressed.
[Sucton. , Vil. Tib. ,42. --Scnec, Ep,63. -- Veil. Pa-
tcrc, 2, 92. )--X. Cn. Calpurnius Piso, son of the pre-
:eding, was a man of violent passions, impatient of
control, and possessing much of the haughty spirit of
ris sire. To the pride derived from such a father he
? n:lcd the insolence of wealth, acquired by his mar-
riage with Plancina, who, besides her high descent,
possessed immoderate riches. Tiberius appointed him
governor of Syria, and was said to have given him se-
cre"; instructions to thwart the movements of Germani-
tns. Plancina, in like manner, had her lessen from
Livia, witrT full instructions to moriify, in every possi-
ble way, the pride of Agrippina. These machinations
proved but too successful. ' Germanicus was cut off,
and Piso, accused of having poisoned him by noth
his widow Agrippina and the public voice, and rinding
himself deserted by all, even by the emperor, put an
end to his existence, A. D. 20. (Tacit. . Ann. ,2,43. --
Id. 2,55. --Id. , 2, 69, seqq. )--XI. C. Calpurnius Piso,
leader of the celebrated conspiracy against Nero. His
eloquence and his amiable qualities had conciliated to
such a degree the public esteem, that the majority of
the con<<pirators intended him as the successor of the
empcrorv The plot was discovered on the very morn-
ing of theday intended for its execution, and Piso, in-
stead of at once adopting energetic measures, and at-
tempting to scizo upon the throne by open force, as
his friends advised him to do, shut himself up in his
mansion and opened his veins. (Tacit. , Ann. , 15,48,
seqq)--XII. C. Piso Licinianus, adopted son of the
Emperor Galba, made himself universally esteemed by
bis integrity, his disinterestedness, and by an austerity
of manners that recalled the earlier days of Rome.
He was put to death, by order of Otho, after the fall of
Galba, at the age of 31 years. (Tacit. , Hist. , 1, 14.
? ? --Id. ib. , 3, 68. --Id. ib. , 4, 11, 40. )
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? PLA
PLA
in tha island as promised to secure its peace and
proaperity, he voluntarily resigned his power, which
he had held for ten years, and retired to private life.
--The following maxims and precepts are ascribed to
him. The first office of prudence ia to foresee threat-
ening misfortunes, and prevent them. Power discov-
ers the man. Never talk of your schemes before they
are executed, lest, if you fail to accomplish them, you
be exposed to the double mortification of disappoint-
ment and ridicule. Whatever you do, do it well.
Do not that to your neighbour which you would take
ill from him. Be watchful of opportunities. (Diog.
Lacrt. , in Vit. -- Plut. , Conviv. Sap. -- Larcher, ad
Herod. , 1, 27. --Enfield, Hist. Phil. , vol. 1, p. 144. )
Pitthius. a king of Trcezene in Argolis, son of
Pelops and Hippodamia. He gave his daughter /Ethra
in marriage to jiSgcus, king of Athens, and brought
up Theseus at his court. {Vid. Theseus. ) He also
reared Hippolytus, the son of Theseus. (Eunp. ,Hip-
vol. , 11. --Schol. ,ad loc. ) Pittheus was famed for his
commonly at the court ol die latter, and was present
when Koine was first invested by the arms of Alaric,
being then about twenty years of age. Placidia be-
came a hostage in the hands of the victor, according,
to some a captive, and her personal attractions <<ur,
for her the hand of Ataulphus or Adolphua, the \novtai
in-law of Alaric, and king of the Visigoth*. Ml<< the
death of Ataulphus, she married Constantius, and be-
? ramc the mother of Valentinian III. Having lost her
second husband, she acted as guardian for her son, and
reigned twenty-five years in his name, and the charac-
ter of that unworthy emperor gradually countenanced
the suspicion, that Placidia had enervated his youtn
by a dissolute education, and studiously diverted his
attention from every manly and honourable pursuit.
Amid the decay of military spirit, her armies were
commanded by two generals, Aetius and Boniface,
who may be deservedly named as the last of the Ro-
mans. Placidia died at Koine. A. D. 450. She was
buried at Ravenna, where her sepulchre, and even hei
wisdom, and Pausanias ascribes to him a work on the corpse, seated in a chair of cypress wood, were pro-
art of speaking, given to the world by a native of Epi
Jaurus, and which he says he himself saw. He also
states, that Pittheus taught this same art in a temple
of the Muses at Troezene. The same writer likewise
mentions the tomb of Pittheus, which was still seen
? n his day, and on which were three thrones or seals
)f white stone, on which the monarch and two assist-
mts were accustomed to sit when dispensing justice.
The whole story of this monarch, however, appears to
be mythical in its character. (Pausan. , 2, 31. --Plut. ,
Vit. Thes. )
Pityonesos, a small island off the coast of Argolis.
It lay opposite to Epidaurus, and was situate six miles
from the coast, and seventeen from i? gina. (Plin. ,
4,11. )
Pityusa, a small island off the coast of Argolis,
near Arislera. The modern name is Tulea. (Plin. ,
*, 12. )
Pityusa, a group of small islands in the Mediter-
ranean, off the coast of Spain, and lying to the south-
west of the Baleares. They derived their name from
the number of pine-trees (trine, a pine) which grew
in them. The largest is Ebusus or Irica, and next to
it is Ophiusa or las Columbretcs. (Mela, 2, 7. --
Plin, 3, 5. )
PlacentIa, a city of Gallia Cisalpina, at the con-
? ? fluence of the Trebia and Padus. It is now Placenta.
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? PLA
PLAT. EA.
el reeds on his head, and with the tail of a fish attached
to his body behind. Plancus, however, appears to
have been a man of literary tastes, and we have an
ode addressed to him by Horace on one occasion,
when he had become snspected of disaffection by Au-
gustus, and was meditating his departure from Italy.
(Plut. . Vu. Am. --Veil. Palerc, 2, 93. --Herat. , Od. ,
1, 7, ccc. )
Plancdrs, Maximus, a Greek monk, commonly
designated "of Constantinople," probably by reason
of his having long resided there; for he was, in fact, a
native of Nicomedia. He was a man of great learn-
ing and various acquirements, and flourished in the
fourteenth century. In 1327, the Emperor Androni-
cus Paleologus sent him as ambassador to the Vene-
tian republic. He is said to have been the first Greek
that made use of the Arabic numerals, as Ihcy are
called. Planudes has given us, 1. A collection of
-rEsopic fables, together with a very absurd life of the
ancient fabulist himself; 2. An Anthology, selected
from that of Constantine Cephalas; 3.
known oy the name of dvopohoyrjfiaTa. We learn,
for instance, from, the inscription of the Choiseul mar-
ble (BockX Corp. Inscript. , vol. 1, p. 219), written
near the close of the Peloponnesian war, that bills of
tnis description were drawn at that time by the gov-
ernment at Athens on the receiver-general at Samos,
and made payable, in one instance, to the paymaster
at Athens; in another, to the general of division at
Santos. ? These bills were doubtless employed as mon-
ey, on the credit of the in-cotning taxes, and entered
probably, together with others of the same kind, into
the circulation of the period. (Cardwcll's Lectures
on the Coinage of the Greeks and Romans, p. 20,
seqq. )
Pirenk, a fountain near Corinth, on the route from
the city to the harbour of Lcchseum. According to
the statement of Pausanias (2, 3), the fountain was of
white marble, and the water issued from various arti-
ficial caverns into one open basin. This fountain is
celebrated by the ancient poets as being sacred to the
Muses, and here Bellerophon is said to have seized
the winged horse Pegasus, preparatory to his enter-
jrise against the Chiinaera. (Pind. , Olymp , 13, 85.
'--Eurip. ,Med. , 67. --Id. , Troad. ,205. --Soph. , Elec-
v. , 475, &c ) The fountain was fabled to have de-
ived its name from the nymph Pirene. who was said
>> have dissolved in tears at the death of her son Cen-
? ? ilreas, sccidentally slain by Diana. (Pausan. , I. c. )
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? PIS
nut to tr. is injury on the part of their more powerful
neighbours, and, having procured the assistance of
Phidon, tyrant of Argos, recovered Olympia, where, in
the eighth Olympiad, they again celebrated the festi-
val; but the Eleans, in their turn, obtaining succour
fr ;in Sparta, defeated Phidon, and once more expelled
Ita PisatiB from Olympia. (Ephor. , ap. Strab. , 358.
--Pausan. , 6, 22. ) These, during the 34th Olym-
niad, being at that time under the authority of Panta-
leoa, who had possessed himself of the sovereign pow-
er, made another effort to regain their ancient prerog-
ative, and, having succeeded in vanquishing their op-
ponents, retained possession of the disputed ground
for several years. The final struggle took place in the
forty-eighth Olympiad, when the people of Pisa, as
Pausanias affirms, supported by the Triphyliaus, and
other neighbouring towns which had revolted from
Elis, made war upon that stale. The Eleans, how-
ever, aided by Sparta, proved victorious, and put an
end for ever to this contest by the destruction of Pisa
ind the other confederate towns. (Pausan*, 6, 22. --
Strabo, 355. ) According to the scholiast on Pindar,
the city of Pisa was distant only six stadia from Olym-
pia, in which case we might fix Us site neai that of
Miracca, a little to the east of the celebrated spot now
called Antilalla; but Pausanias evidently leads us to
suppose it stood on the opposite bank of the river.
(Cramer's Anc. Greece, vol. 3, p. 93, scqq. )
1'is. k (or Pisa, as it is sometimes written), a city of
Etruria, on the river Arnus or Arno, about a league
from its mouth. We learn from Strabo (222), that
formerly it stood at the junction of the Ausar (Serchio)
and Arnus, but now they both Mow into the sea by
aeparate channels. The origin of Piss is lost amid
the fables to which the Trojan war gave rise, and which
are common to ao many Italian cities. If we are to
believe a tradition recorded by Strabo (/. c), it owed
its foundation to some of the followers of Nestor, in
iheir wanderings after the fall of Troy. The poets
ia7a not failed to adopt this idea. (Virg. , Mn. , 10,
179. --Until. , Itin. , 1, 565. ) Lycophron says it was
taken byTyrrhenus from the Ligurians (v. 1241). Ser-
vius reports, that Cato had not been able to discov-
er who occupied Pises before the Tyriheni under Tar-
cho, with the exception of tho Tcutones, from which
account it might be inferred that the most ancient
possessors of PissB were of northern origin. (Sen.
ad. Mn. , 10,179. ) Dionysius of Halicarnassus names
it among the towns occupied by the Pelasgi in the
territory of the Siculi. The earliest mention we have
of this city in Roman history is in Polybius (2, 16, and
27), from whom we collect, as well as from Livy (21,
39), that its harbour was much frequented by the Ro-
mans, in their communication with Sardinia, Gaul, and
Spain. It was here that Scipio landed his army when
returning from the mouths of the Rhone to oppose
Hannibal in Italy. It became a colony 572 A. U. C.
(Liv. , 41, 43. ) Strabo speaks of it as having been
formerly an important naval station: in his day it was
still a very flourishing commercial town, from the sup-
plies of timber which it furnirhed to the fleets, and the
eosly marbles which the neighbouring quarries af-
forded for the splendid palaces and villas of Rome.
(Consult Plin. , 3, b. --Piol. , p. 64. ) Ita territory
produced wine, and the species of wheat called siligo.
(Plin. , 14, 3-- Id. , 18, 9. ) The Portus Pisanus was
at the mouth of the river, and is described by Rutilius.
(Itin. , 1, 531. -- Cramer, Anc. It, vol. 1, p. 173. ) The
? ? modern Pisa occupies the site of the ancient city.
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? PIMDIA
PIS
BxreaacJ, w'/%1<< in the interior the old republics, such
? s Tcrmcssus. Selge, and others, mere mountain-for-
tresses, still remained unrepressed, so that it was very
seldom any of the towns paid tribute to the mistress
of the world. It is true that Augustus did subject
the whole of Pisidia to the Roman empire, but it was
only ir. name. Even the Goths could do nothing
against it. History, therefore, does not recognise it
as the province of any great kingdom. --The bound-
ary-line between Pisidia and Pamphylia is a matter
not very clearly ascertained. The following remarks
of Rennell are worthy of a place here. "The an-
cients seem to have been agreed in the opinion that
Pamphylia occupied the seacoast from Fhaselis to
Coracesium; but the boundary between it and Pisidia
appears not to have been decided. For instance, Tcr-
mcssus is said to be in Pamphylia by Livy (38, 15),
and also by Ptolemy; but Strabo places it in Pisidia,
and Arrian calls it a colony of Pisidia. Livy and
Ptolemy arrange Pamphylia and Pisidia as one coun-
try, under the name of Pamphylia. The former, who
describes in detail the history of the Roman wars there,
and who may be supposed to have studied its geogra-
phy, includes Pisidia, if not Isauria, in Pamphylia.
For he says that part of Pamphylia lay on one side,
and part on the other side of Taurus (38, 39). Now
Pisidia is said by Strabo to occupy the summits of
Taurus, between Sagalassus and Homonada, togeth-
er with a number of cities, which he specifies, on both
sides of Taurus, including even Antinchia of Pisidia.
Livy, then, actually includes in Pamphylia the prov-
ince described by Strabo as Pisidia, and appears to
include Isayiria also. At the same lime, he admitted
the existence of a province under the name of Pisidia;
for he repeatedly mentions it, and says that the people
of Sagalassus are Pisidians. On the whole, therefore,
one cannot doubt but that he regarded Pisidia as a
provide of Pamphylia. Ptolemy, as we have observ-
ed, arranged Pamphylia and Pisidia together as one
country; or, rather, makes Pisidia a province of Pam-
phylia, and subdivides it into Pisidia proper and Pi-
sidia of Phrygia. He has also a province of Pam-
phylia. In the distribution of the parts of Pamphylia
? t large, Ptolemy assigns to the province of that name
tho tract towards the sea, which includes Olbia, At-
talea, and Side, on the coast; Termcssus. Selge, As-
pendus, Perge, &c, more inland. And Pisidia con-
tained the inland parts, extending beyond Taurus
northward, and containing the cities of Iiaris, Ambla-
da, Lysinoe, Cormaaa, &c. Moreover, his Pisidia ex-
tended to the neighbourhood of Celana? and Apamca
Cibotus. Pliny is much too brief on the subject. It
is only to be collected from him (5, 27), that the cap-
ital of Pisidia was Antiochia; and that the other prin-
cipal cities were Sagalassus and Oroanda. That it
was shut in by Lycaonia, and had for neighbours the
people of Philomelium, Thymbrium, Pelts? , &c. And,
finally, that the state of Homonada, formed of close
and deep valleys, within Taurus, had the mountains
of Pisidia lying above it. From all this we may col-
lect, that the Pisidia of Pliny extended along the north
of Pamphylia and of Taurus, from the district of Sa-
galassus westward, to that of Homonada eastward;
the latter being on the common frontiers of Lycaonia,
Cilicia Trachea, and Pisidia. The Pisidia of Pliny,
therefore, agrees with that of Ptolemy, and will be
found to agree also with that of Strabo. Strab > (667)
? ? clearly distinguishes Pisidia and Pamphylia as two
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? PISISTRATUS.
PISISTRATUS.
such rapid strides towards tyranny, << said to have
taken down bis arrr. s, and laid them in the street be-
fore ins door, as a sign that he had made his last ef-
fort in the cause of liberty and the laws. Lycurgus
and his party seem to have submitted quietly for a
lime to the authority of Pisistratus, waiting, as the
event showed, for a more favourable opportunity of
overthrowing him. The usurper was satisfied with
the substance of power, and endeavoured as much as
possible to prevent his dominion from being seen and
folt. He made no visible changes in the constitution,
but suffered the ordinary magistrates to be appointed
in the usual manner, the tribunals to retain their au-
thority, and the laws to hold their course. In his own
person he affected the demeanour of a private citizen,
and displayed his submission to the laws by appearing
before the Areopagus to answer a charge of murder,
which, however, the accuser did not think fit to pros-
ecute. He continued to show honour to Solon, to
court his friendship, and ask his advice, which Solon
did not think himself bound to withhold where it might
be useful to his country, lest he should appear to sanc-
tion the usurpation which he had denounced. He
probably looked upon the government of Pisistratus,
though at variance with the principles of his constitu-
tion, as a less evil than would have ensued from the
success of either of the other parties; and even as
good, so far as it prevented them from acquiring a
similar preponderance. Solon died the year following
that in which the revolution took place (B. C. 559), and
Pisistratus soon after lost the power which be had
usurped, the rival factions of Lycurgus and Mcgaclcs
having united to overthrow him. But no sooner had
these two parlies accomplished their object, than they
quarrelled among themselves, and, at the end of five
years, Megacles, finding himself the weaker, made
overtures of reconciliation to Pisistratus, and offered
to bestow on him the hand of his daughter, and to as-
sist him in recovering the station he had lost. The
;ontract being concluded, the two leaders concerted
? plan for executing the main condition, the restoration
of Pisistratus. For this purpose Herodotus supposes
them to have devised an artifice, which excites his as-
tonishment at the simplicity of the people on whom it
was pracrecd, and which appears to him to degrade
the national character of the Greeks, who, he observes,
had of old been distinguished from the barbarians by
their superior sagacity. Yet, in itself, the incident
seems neither very extraordinary, nor a proof that the
contrivers reckoned on an enormous measure of credu-
lity in their countrymen. In one of the Attic villages
they found a woman, Phya by name, of unusually high
nature, and comely form and features. Having ar-
rayed her in a complete suit of armour, and instructed
her to maintain a carriage becoming the part she was
to assume, they placed her in a chariot, and sent her-
alds before her to the city, who proclaimed that Mi-
nerva herself was bringing back Pisistratus to her own
citadel, and exhorted the Athenians to receive the fa-
vourite of the goddess. Pisistratus rode by the wom-
an's side. When they reached the city, the Atheni-
ans, according to Herodotus, believing that they saw
the goddess in person, adored her and received Pisis-
tratus. This story would indeed be singular if we
consider the expedient in the light of a stratagem, on
which the confederates relied for overcoming the re-
sistance which they might otherwise have expected
? ? from their adversaries. But it seems quite as proba-
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? pis
PiSO.
ancient wcnJ ever raised in honour of the father of the
gods. Among the monuments in which splendour and
usefulness were equally combined, were the Lyceum,
a garden at a short distance from Athens, sacred to the
Lycian Apollo, where stately buildings, destined for
the exercises of the Athenian youth, rose amid shady
groves, which became one of the most celebrated
Daunts of philosophy; and the fountain of Callirrhoe,
which, from the new channels in which Pisistratus dis-
tributed its waters, was afterward called the fountain
of the Nine Springs ('Evveunpovvoc). /To defray the
xpense of these and his other undertakings, he laid a
ithe on the produce of the land: an impost which
seems to have excited great discontent in the class af-
fected by it, and, so far as it was applied to the pub-
lic buildings, was, in fact, a tax on the rich for the em-
ployment of the poor; but which, if we might trust a
late and obscure writer, was only revived by Pisistra-
tus after the example of the ancient kings of Attica.
(Diog. Laert. , 1. 53. ) He is also believed to have
been the author of a wise and beneficent law, which
Solon, however, is said to have suggested, for support-
ing citizens disabled in war at the public expense.
According to a tradition once very generally received,
posterity has been indebted to him for a benefit greater
than any which he conferred on his contemporaries, in
the preservation of the Homeric poems, which till
now had been scattered in unconnected rhapsodies.
After every abatement that can be required in this
story for misunderstanding and exaggeration, we can-
not doubt that Pisistratus at least made a collection of
the poet's works, superior in extent and accuracy to
all that had preceded it, and thus certainly diffused the
knowledge of them more widely among his country-
men, perhaps preserved something that might have
been lost to future generations. In either case he
might claim the same merit as a lover of literature:
and this was not a taste which derived any part of its
gratification from the vanity of exclusive possession,
lie is said to have been the first person in Greece who
collected a library, and to have earned a still higher
praise by the genuine liberality with which lie im-
parted its contents to the public. On the whole,
though we cannot approve of tho steps by which he
mounted to power, we must own that he made a
princely use of it; and may believe that, though un-
der his dynasty Athens could never have risen to the
greatness she afterward attained, she was indebted to
ois rule for a season of repose, during which she gain-
ed much of that strength which she finally unfolded.
Pisistratus retained his sovereignty to the end of his
life, and died at an advanced age, thirty-three years
after his first usurpation, B. C. 527. He was succeed-
ed by his sons, Hippias, Hipparclius, and Thcssalus.
(ThirlwaWs Greece, vol. 2, p. 55, seqq.
)
Piso, the name of a celebrated family at Rome, a
branch of the Calpurnian gens, which bouse claimed
descent from Calpus, the son of Numa Pompilius The
family of the Pisones had both a patrician and plebeian
side. The principal individuals of the name were: I.
C. Calpurnius Piso, city praetor in 212 B. C. , and who
had the command of the Capitol and citadel when Han-
nibal marched out against Home. He was afterward
sent into Etruria as commander of the Roman forces,
and at a subsequent period had charge of Capua in
Campania, after which his command in Etruria was
renewed. (Liv. , 25, 41. --Id, 26, 10, 15, et 28. --Id. ,
? ? 27, 6, dec. )--II. C. Calpurnius Piso, was pnetor B. C.
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? PTS
nt
lony. Piso, in his outward deportn,. ;. . , if we believe
the picture drawn of him by Cicero, affected the mien
? nd garb of a philosopher; but this garb of rigid vir-
tue covered a most lewd and vicious mind. (Cic. in
Pis. --Middleton's Life of Cicero. )--IX. L. Calpurni-
us Piso, son of the preceding, inherited man) of the
vices of his father, but redeemed them, in some de-
gree, bj \. n talents. He was at first one of the warm-
est opponents of the party of Csesar, and took an ac-
U'5 part in the war in Africa. (Hirt. , Bell. Af) Af-
ter the death of Caesar, he followed the fortunes of
Brutus and Cassius, until the overthrow of the repub-
lican forces. Being at length restored to his country,
>o refuser1 all public offices, until Augustus prevailed
upon him to accept the consulship. This was in A U. C.
731, Augustus himself being his colleague. He was
ifterwara named governor of Pamphylia, and conduct-
ed himself with great ability in his province. Having
iubsequently received orders to pass into Europe, in
arder to oppose the Bessi, a Thracian tribe, he gained
i complete victory over them. He was appointed,
ifter this, prefect of the city by Tiberius, whose fa-
rour he is said to have gained by drinking with him
for two days and two nights in succession. (Plin. ,
14, 28. ) Piso appears to have been a man of pleas-
jre, who passed his evenings at table, and slept till
noon; but he possessed such capacity for business, that
the remainder of the day sufficed for the despatch of
ihose important affairs with which he was successive-
ly intrusted by Augustus and Tiberius. It was to this
individual and his two sons that the epistle of Horace,
commonly called the " Art of Poetry," was addressed.
[Sucton. , Vil. Tib. ,42. --Scnec, Ep,63. -- Veil. Pa-
tcrc, 2, 92. )--X. Cn. Calpurnius Piso, son of the pre-
:eding, was a man of violent passions, impatient of
control, and possessing much of the haughty spirit of
ris sire. To the pride derived from such a father he
? n:lcd the insolence of wealth, acquired by his mar-
riage with Plancina, who, besides her high descent,
possessed immoderate riches. Tiberius appointed him
governor of Syria, and was said to have given him se-
cre"; instructions to thwart the movements of Germani-
tns. Plancina, in like manner, had her lessen from
Livia, witrT full instructions to moriify, in every possi-
ble way, the pride of Agrippina. These machinations
proved but too successful. ' Germanicus was cut off,
and Piso, accused of having poisoned him by noth
his widow Agrippina and the public voice, and rinding
himself deserted by all, even by the emperor, put an
end to his existence, A. D. 20. (Tacit. . Ann. ,2,43. --
Id. 2,55. --Id. , 2, 69, seqq. )--XI. C. Calpurnius Piso,
leader of the celebrated conspiracy against Nero. His
eloquence and his amiable qualities had conciliated to
such a degree the public esteem, that the majority of
the con<<pirators intended him as the successor of the
empcrorv The plot was discovered on the very morn-
ing of theday intended for its execution, and Piso, in-
stead of at once adopting energetic measures, and at-
tempting to scizo upon the throne by open force, as
his friends advised him to do, shut himself up in his
mansion and opened his veins. (Tacit. , Ann. , 15,48,
seqq)--XII. C. Piso Licinianus, adopted son of the
Emperor Galba, made himself universally esteemed by
bis integrity, his disinterestedness, and by an austerity
of manners that recalled the earlier days of Rome.
He was put to death, by order of Otho, after the fall of
Galba, at the age of 31 years. (Tacit. , Hist. , 1, 14.
? ? --Id. ib. , 3, 68. --Id. ib. , 4, 11, 40. )
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? PLA
PLA
in tha island as promised to secure its peace and
proaperity, he voluntarily resigned his power, which
he had held for ten years, and retired to private life.
--The following maxims and precepts are ascribed to
him. The first office of prudence ia to foresee threat-
ening misfortunes, and prevent them. Power discov-
ers the man. Never talk of your schemes before they
are executed, lest, if you fail to accomplish them, you
be exposed to the double mortification of disappoint-
ment and ridicule. Whatever you do, do it well.
Do not that to your neighbour which you would take
ill from him. Be watchful of opportunities. (Diog.
Lacrt. , in Vit. -- Plut. , Conviv. Sap. -- Larcher, ad
Herod. , 1, 27. --Enfield, Hist. Phil. , vol. 1, p. 144. )
Pitthius. a king of Trcezene in Argolis, son of
Pelops and Hippodamia. He gave his daughter /Ethra
in marriage to jiSgcus, king of Athens, and brought
up Theseus at his court. {Vid. Theseus. ) He also
reared Hippolytus, the son of Theseus. (Eunp. ,Hip-
vol. , 11. --Schol. ,ad loc. ) Pittheus was famed for his
commonly at the court ol die latter, and was present
when Koine was first invested by the arms of Alaric,
being then about twenty years of age. Placidia be-
came a hostage in the hands of the victor, according,
to some a captive, and her personal attractions <<ur,
for her the hand of Ataulphus or Adolphua, the \novtai
in-law of Alaric, and king of the Visigoth*. Ml<< the
death of Ataulphus, she married Constantius, and be-
? ramc the mother of Valentinian III. Having lost her
second husband, she acted as guardian for her son, and
reigned twenty-five years in his name, and the charac-
ter of that unworthy emperor gradually countenanced
the suspicion, that Placidia had enervated his youtn
by a dissolute education, and studiously diverted his
attention from every manly and honourable pursuit.
Amid the decay of military spirit, her armies were
commanded by two generals, Aetius and Boniface,
who may be deservedly named as the last of the Ro-
mans. Placidia died at Koine. A. D. 450. She was
buried at Ravenna, where her sepulchre, and even hei
wisdom, and Pausanias ascribes to him a work on the corpse, seated in a chair of cypress wood, were pro-
art of speaking, given to the world by a native of Epi
Jaurus, and which he says he himself saw. He also
states, that Pittheus taught this same art in a temple
of the Muses at Troezene. The same writer likewise
mentions the tomb of Pittheus, which was still seen
? n his day, and on which were three thrones or seals
)f white stone, on which the monarch and two assist-
mts were accustomed to sit when dispensing justice.
The whole story of this monarch, however, appears to
be mythical in its character. (Pausan. , 2, 31. --Plut. ,
Vit. Thes. )
Pityonesos, a small island off the coast of Argolis.
It lay opposite to Epidaurus, and was situate six miles
from the coast, and seventeen from i? gina. (Plin. ,
4,11. )
Pityusa, a small island off the coast of Argolis,
near Arislera. The modern name is Tulea. (Plin. ,
*, 12. )
Pityusa, a group of small islands in the Mediter-
ranean, off the coast of Spain, and lying to the south-
west of the Baleares. They derived their name from
the number of pine-trees (trine, a pine) which grew
in them. The largest is Ebusus or Irica, and next to
it is Ophiusa or las Columbretcs. (Mela, 2, 7. --
Plin, 3, 5. )
PlacentIa, a city of Gallia Cisalpina, at the con-
? ? fluence of the Trebia and Padus. It is now Placenta.
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? PLA
PLAT. EA.
el reeds on his head, and with the tail of a fish attached
to his body behind. Plancus, however, appears to
have been a man of literary tastes, and we have an
ode addressed to him by Horace on one occasion,
when he had become snspected of disaffection by Au-
gustus, and was meditating his departure from Italy.
(Plut. . Vu. Am. --Veil. Palerc, 2, 93. --Herat. , Od. ,
1, 7, ccc. )
Plancdrs, Maximus, a Greek monk, commonly
designated "of Constantinople," probably by reason
of his having long resided there; for he was, in fact, a
native of Nicomedia. He was a man of great learn-
ing and various acquirements, and flourished in the
fourteenth century. In 1327, the Emperor Androni-
cus Paleologus sent him as ambassador to the Vene-
tian republic. He is said to have been the first Greek
that made use of the Arabic numerals, as Ihcy are
called. Planudes has given us, 1. A collection of
-rEsopic fables, together with a very absurd life of the
ancient fabulist himself; 2. An Anthology, selected
from that of Constantine Cephalas; 3.
