POLYC'RATES (Lat.. from Gk. Itoictipiirig., Polykrati's. A tyrant if Samos, horn in the tirst part of the sixth century. Not is known of him until about P.C. 515, when with the as sistance of his brothers. Pantagmotns and Sy bison. and a small band of eonspirators, lie seized the government of the island. After a short time Polverates made himself sole despot, eon quered several islands of the archipelago. and even some towns on the Asiatic mainland, waged war successfully against the inhabitants of and defeated their allies. the Lesbians. in It great sea-fight. his fleet, which was probably the most powerful in all Greece, amounted to one hundred armed ships. and lie had a force of 1000 mercena ry bowmen. lle was in mate alliance with .Amasis, King of Egypt, but this was ultimately broken od—neeording to He rodotus. by Amasis. who became alarmed at the un interrupted good fortune of Polyerates. Ile is reported to have written a letter to Polyerates, earnestly advising him to throw away the pos session that he deemed most valuable, and there by avert the displeasure of the envious gods. Polverates, in compliance with this advice, east a signet-ring of marvelously beautiful workman ship into the sea : but a fisherman presented the tyrant with an unusually big fish that he had caught, and in its belly was found this same ring. It was quite clear to Amasis now that Poly erates was a doomed man, and lie immediately broke oft their alliance. Grote suggests that
Polyerates, with characteristic perfidy. abandoned the Egyptian for a Persian alliance when lie found the latter likely to be of more value to him in his ambitious designs. When Cambyses invaded Egypt 525) Polyerates sent him a contingent of 40 ships. in which be placed all the Sztinians disalrectid toward his tyranny telling the Persian King not to let them come back. They escaped in some way or other the fate which Polyerates had designed for them. returned to Samos. and made war against the tyrant. but without success. Hereupon, they went to Sparta and succeeded in securing the help of both the Spartans and Corinthians. A triple force of Samians, Spartans, and Corinthians embarked for Samos, and attacked the capital. After vainly besieging it for forty days they sailed away, and Polyerate: now became more powerful than ever. But a certain Ormtes, Persian satrap of Sardis, had, for unknown reasons, conceived a deadly hatred against Polyerates, and having. by appeal ing to his eupidity. enticed the latter to visit lie seized tun] crucified him, about n.c. 522. Polverates was a patron of literature and the tine arts, and had many poets and artists about his Court, among the former being Anacreon.