Polyaenus orPolyenus (/ˌpɒliˈiːnəs/POL-ee-EE-nəs; seeae (æ) vs. e;Ancient Greek:Πoλύαινoς,romanized: Polyainos, "much-praised") was a 2nd-century Roman Macedonian author and rhetorician,[1] known best for hisStratagems in War (Ancient Greek:Στρατηγήματα,romanized: Strategemata), which has been preserved. He was born inBithynia,Asia Minor. TheSuda[2] calls him arhetorician, and Polyaenus himself writes that he was accustomed to plead causes before theRoman emperor.[3] Polyaenus dedicatedStratagems in War to the two emperorsMarcus Aurelius (r. 161–180) andLucius Verus (r. 161–169), while they were engaged in theRoman–Parthian War of 161–166, about 163, at which time he was too old to accompany them in their campaigns.[4]
This work is divided into eight books: the first six contain accounts of thestratagems of the most celebratedGreek generals and rulers, the seventh book contains stratagems of non Greeks and Romans, and the eighth book those of the Romans and of illustrious women. Parts, however, of the sixth and seventh books are lost, so that of the 900 stratagems which Polyaenus described, 833 have survived.
The book has survived in a single copy made in the 13th century, although there exist five abridged versions, which will be discussed below. The full copy once belonged toMichel Apostolios and is now in theLaurentian Library inFlorence. The work is written in a clear and pleasing style,[citation needed] though somewhat tinged with the artificial rhetoric of the age.[clarification needed] It contains a vast number of anecdotes respecting many of the most celebrated men in antiquity, and has uniquely preserved many historical facts.
There are no less than fiveByzantine abridgments of this work, the most important one of which is held in the same library of the original, the Laurentian. This compendium, titled Ὑπoθέσεις ἐκ τῶν στρατηγικῶν πράξεων, contains 58 chapters and 354 stratagems, and is useful to elucidate and explain many passages of the original, lost or not. Despite the existence of the abridgements, Polyaenus' treatise was not popular in theMiddle Ages. The original is rarely cited by Byzantine sources, which suggests that it had ceased to circulate, and that the abridgements had replaced it. To this it must be added that only the Ὑπoθέσεις derives directly from the original, while the other four versions seem to be summaries of the first.
Polyaenus was first printed in aLatin translation, executed byJustus Vulteius, atBasel, 1549. Thefirst edition of the Greek text was published byIsaac Casaubon,Lyon, 1589; the next byPancratius Maasvicius,Leyden, 1690; the third bySamuel Mursinna,Berlin, 1756; the fourth byAdamantios Korais, Paris, 1809.[5] The work has been translated into English by R. Shepherd,London, 1793; into German by Seybold,Frankfurt, 1793–94, and by Blume,Stuttgart, 1834.
Polyaenus also wrote several other works, all of which have perished. TheSuda has preserved the titles of two,On Thebes (Περὶ Θηβῶν) andTactics, in three books (Τακτικά).Stobaeus makes a quotation from a work of Polyaenus, Ὑπὲρ τoῦ κoινoῦ τῶν Mακεδόνων[6] (For thekoinon of Macedonians), and from another entitled Ὑπὲρ τoῦ Συνεδρίoυ[7] (For theSynedrion). Polyaenus likewise mentions his intention of writing a work on the memorable actions of M. Aurelius and L. Verus.[8]
Smith, William, ed. (1870)."Polyaenus (4) the Macedonian".Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology. Vol. 3.