Page:Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology (1870) - Volume 1.djvu/962

Rh 944 DAT AMES. the differences and discrepancies in the statements of the two works are so great, that they alone are sufficient to overthrow the hypothesis. Dede- rich, the last editor, is inclined to think that the author of our work was a real Roman of the 5th, 6th, or 7th century. The work itself is evidently the production of a person of little education and of bad taste : it seems to consist of a number of extracts made from several writers, and put toge- ther without any judgment ; there is scarcely any- thing in the work that is striking or novel. But, notwithstanding all this, the work was very popu- lar in the loth and 16th centuries, like everything else referring to the war of Troy. Hence several editions and translations were made of it. It was then and is still usually printed together with the work of Dictys Cretensis. The first edition ap- peared, at Cologne, in 1470 ; the first in which care was bestowed upon the text, is that of J. Mercerus. (Paris, 1618, and Amsterdam, 1631, 12mo.) The subsequent editions give the text of Mercerus, such as those of Anne Dacier (Paris, 1680, and Amsterdam, 1702, 4to.), U. Obrecht (Strassb. 1691, 8vo.), and others. The best and most recent edition is that of A. Dcderich (Bonn, J 837, 8vo.), who has appended it to his edition of Dictys, and premised an interesting dissertation upon Dares and the work bearing his name. [L.S.] DA'SIUS. 1. Of Bnindusium, was commander of the garrison at Clastidium in B. c. 218, and being bribed by Hannibal, he surrendered the place to him, whereby the Carthaginians, who were en- camped on the Trebia, obtained plentiful stores of provisions. (Liv. xxi. 48.) 2. Of Salapia. He and Blattius were the leading men at Salapiii, and he favoured Han- nibal, while Blattius advocated the interests of Rome, at least as much as he could do in secret. But as Blattius could effect nothing without Da- si us, he at length endeavoured to persuade him to espouse the part of the Romans. But Dasius, un- willing to support his rival, informed Hannibal of the schemes of Blattius. Both were then sum- moned by Hannibal. Blattius, when he appeared before the Carthaginian general, accused Dasius of treachery ; and Hannibal, who had not much con- fidence in either of them, dismissed them both. However, Blattius carried out his design, and Sa- lapia with its Punic garrison was surrendered to the Romans. Dasius was killed in the massacre which ensued. This happened in B. c. 210. (Liv. xxvi. 38 ; Appian, Amiih. 45, &c.) [L. S.] DA^SIUS, ALTI'NIUS, of Arpi. When P. Sempronius and Q. Fabius, in b. c. 213, had taken up their positions in Lucania and Apulia against Hannibal, Dasius went at night time into the camp of Fabius, and offered to deliver up Arpi into his hands, if the consul would give him an appropriate reward. Fabius consulted with his other officers, and, as Dasius had on a former occasion betrayed the Romans, as he now proposed to betray Hanni- bal, it was resolved that for the present he should be kept in custody till the end of the war. In the mean time, his absence had created considerable uneasiness at Arpi, and a report of his treachery reached Hannibal, who is said to have availed himself of the opportunity to confiscate the pro- perty of the traitor, and also to order his mother and her children to be buried alive. (Liv. xxiv. 45.^ [L. S.] DA'TAMES (AoTa|wr;s), a Carian by birth, the DATIS. son of Camissares by a Scythian mother. His father being satrap of Cilicia under Artaxerxe* II. (Mnemon), and high in the favour of that monarch, Datames became one of the king's body- guard ; and having in this capacity distinguislied himself in the war against the Cadusii, was ap- pointed to succeed his father (who had fallen ia that war) in the government of his province. Here he distinpfuished himself both by his military abilities and his zeal in the service of the king ; and reduced to subjection two satraps who had revolted from Artaxerxes, Thyus, governor of Paphlagonia, and Aspis of Cataonia, He was in consequence entrusted by the Persian king with the chief command of a force designed for the re- covery of Egypt ; but the machinations of his enemies at the Persian court, and the risks to which he was in consequence exposed, induced him to change his plan, and throw off his allegiance to the king. He withdrew with the troops under his command into Cappadocia, and made common cause with the other satnips who had revolted from Persia. Artabazus, one of the generals that remained faithful to the king, advanced against him from Pisidi;i, but was entirely defeated. The great reputation that Datames had acquired in- duced Artaxerxes to direct his utmost exertions to effect his subjection, but Autophradates, who was sent against him with a large array, was obliged to retreat with heavy loss. Datames, however, though constantly victorious against open foes, ultimately fell a victim to treachery, and, after evading numerous plots that had been fonned against his life, was assassinated at a conference by Mithridates, the son of Ariobarzanes, who had gained his confidence by assuming the appearance of hostility to the king. (Corn. Nep. Datames ; Diod. XV. 91; Polyaen. vii. 21, 29. § 1.) Datames appears to have obtained the highest reputation in his day for courage and ability in war, which caused his fame to extend even among the Greeks, though he did not come into personal collision with them. Cornelius Nepos (to whose biographical sketch we owe the only connected narrative of his life) calls him the bravest and most able of all barbarian generals, except Hamil- car and Hannibal ; but there is much confusion iu the accounts transmitted to us, and it is difficult to assign the anecdotes of him recorded by Polyae- nus to their proper place in his history. The chronology of the events related by Nepos is also very obscure ; but according to that author and Diodorus it would appear that Datames must have died before Artaxerxes, probably B. c. 362. Clin- ton is, however, of opinion that a much longer interval elapsed between his revolt and his death (Clinton, F. H. vol. iii. p. 422, not.) [E. H. B.] DATAPHERNES {Aaracpepwns), a Persian m the confidence of Bessus, and one of those who betrayed him to Alexander, B. c. 329. He joined Spitamenes, satrap of Sogdiana, in his revolt, and, when their cause became desperate, took refuge among the Dahae, who, on hearing of the death of Spitamenes, delivered him up in chains to Alexan- der. (Arr. Anah. iii. 29, 30, iv. 1, &c. ; Diod. xvii. 83 ; Curt. vii. 5, 6, &c., viii. 3 ; Freinsh. ad loc.) [E. E.j DATIS (Aarts), a Mede, who, together with Artaphernes, had the command of the forces which were sent by Dareius Hystaspis against Eretria and Athens, and which were finally defeated at