POLYCRATES, 1,6-Mere-tea, Greek tyrant of Samos; d. 522 a.c. He was one of the most daring, successful and treacherous of the Greek tyrants. Toward the end of the reign of Cyrus, about 535 a.c., with the aid of his brothers, Pantagnotus and Syloson, he conquered the island of Samos which had until then been free, and by banishing one brother and executing the other firmly established his power as sole ruler of the island. He raised a fleet of 100 vessels manned by 1,000 archers, seized several of the surrounding islands, conquered Miletus and de feated the Lesbians who came to assist the in habitants of the latter city. Fired with the purpose of conquering the Ionian cities and the islands of the d'Egean he formed an alliance with Amasis of Egypt. Herodotus informs us that Amasis, fearing the anger of the gods at the extraordinary good fortune of Polycrates in his many expeditions, persuaded him to make a sacrifice to the gods to avert misfortune. Poly crates thereupon threw into the sea a signet ring of great value, which was found a few days later in the maw of a fish presented to him. Amasis considering his ally's doom cer tain, withdrew from the alliance. Grote, how
ever, considers this story a fiction, and holds that it was Polycrates who broke off the alli ance, perceiving it to be more to his interest to cultivate the friendship of Cambyses, who in 525 a.c. invaded Egypt. Polycrates sent to Cambyses 40 ships manned by the malcontents of his kingdom with the understanding that they were never to return. They escaped, how ever, returned to Samos and made war upon Polycrates, but were defeated, whereupon they gained the assistance of the Spartans and Corinthians and laid siege to Samos for 40 days, then abandoning the war. Polycrates con tinued prosperous, becoming more and more powerful until ()metes, satrap of Sardis, nourishing a deadly hatred against him, treacherously contrived to lure him to his palace where he had him crucified. Herodotus says of Polycrates (iii, 125) that he perished in a man ner unworthy of himself and of his high de signs, and that none of the Greek tyrants, with the exception of those of Syracuse, were to be compared with him in greatness of character.