Deinocrates

(Δεινοκράτης).

1. A Syracusan, was originally a friend of Agathocles, who on that account spared his life in the massacre at Syracause by which he established himself in the tyranny, B. C. 317. Afterwards, however, in B. C. 312, we find Deinocrates commanding the Syracusan exiles them against Agathocles. The latter, when he fled from Africa and returned to Sicily at the end of B. C. 307, found Deinocrates at the head of so formidable an army, that he offered to abdicate the tyranny and restore the exiles, stipulating only for the possession of two fortresses with the territory around them. But the ambition of Deinocrates, who preferred his present power to the condition of a private citizen in Syracuse, led him to reject the offer. Agathocles, however, defeated him in a battle, and he then submitted. He was received into favour by the tyrant, who gave him the command of a portion of his forces, and retained him in his confidence to the end. (Diod. 19.8, 104, 20.77, 79, 89, 90.)

2. A Messenian, went to Rome in B. C. 183, to justify the revolt of Messene from the Achaeans. On his arrival, his hopes were raised by finding that Flamininus, who was a personal friend of his and an enemy to Philopoemen, the Achaean leader, was about to pass into Greece on an embassy to Prusias and Seleucus. Flamininuspromised him his services, and, when he had reached Naupactus, sent to Philopoemen and the other magistrates, desiring them to call an assembly of the Achaeans. Philopoemen, however, was aware that Flamininus had not come with any instructions on the subject from the senate, and he therefore answered, that he would comply with his request if he would first state the points on which he wished to confer with the assembly. This he did not venture to do, and the hopes of Deinocrates accordingly fell to the ground. Shortly after this, Philopoemen was taken prisoner by the Messenians, and Deinocrates was prominent among those who caused him to be put to death. In the ensuing year the authors of the revolt were obliged to yield to the wishes of the Messenian people for peace, and Lycortas, the Achaean general, having been admitted into the city, commanded the execution of Deinocrates and the chiefs of his party; but Deinocrates anticipated the sentence by suicide. His qualifications as a statesman were, according to Polybius, of the most superficial character. In political foresight, for instance, he was utterly deficient. (Plb. 24.5, 12; Liv. 39.49; Plut. Phil. 18-21, Flam. 20; Paus. 4.29.) [E.E]

(Δεινοκράτης), a most distinguished Macedonian architect in the time of Alexander the Great. He was the architect of the new temple of Artemis at Ephesus, which was built after the destruction of the former temple by Herostratus. [Chersiphron.] He was employed by Alexander, whom he accompanied into Egypt, in the building of Alexandria. Deinocrates laid out the ground and erected several of the principal buildings. Besides the works which he actually erected, he formed a design for cutting mount Athos into a statue of Alexander, to whom he presented his plan upon his accession to the throne; but the king forbad the execution of the project. The right hand of the figure was to have held a city, and in the left there would have been a basin, in which the water of all the mountain streams was to pour, and thence into the sea. Another curious work which he did not live to finish, is mentioned under Arsinoe [pp. 366, 367] : this fixes the time of the architect's death. The so-called monument of Hephaestion by Deinocrates was only a funeral pile (πυρά, Diod. 17.115), though a very magnificent one. It formed a pyramid, rising in successive terraces, all adorned with great magnificence. (Plin. Nat. 5.10, s. 11, 7.37, s. 38, 34.14, s. 42; Vitr. 1.1.4, ii. praef.; Strab. xiv. pp. 640, 641; V. Max. 1.4, ext. 1; Amm. Marc. 22.16; Solin. 35, 43; Plut. Alex. 72, de Alex. Virt. 2.2; Lucian, pro Imag/. 9, de conscrib. Hist. 12; Tzetz. Chil. 8.199, 11.367.) There is immense confusion among these writers about the architect's name. Pliny calls him Dinochares, or, according to some of the MSS., Tymochares or Timocrates; Strabo has Χειροκράτης; Plutarch, Στασικράτης; and, among other variations, Eustathius (ad Hom. Il. ξ. 229) calls him Diocles of Rhegium. [P.S]