Herodiānus, a Greek historian, who flourished A.D. 247. He was born at Alexander, and he was employed among the officers of the Roman emperors. He wrote a Roman history in eight books, from the death of Marcus Aurelius to Maximinus. His style is peculiarly elegant, but it wants precision, and the work too plainly betrays that the author was not a perfect master of geography. He is accused of being too partial to Maximinus, and too severe upon Alexander Severus. His book comprehends the history of 68 or 70 years, and he asserts that he has been an eye-witness of whatever he has written. The best editions of his history are that of Politian, 4to, Dovan, 1525, who afterwards published a very valuable Latin translation, and that of Oxford, 8vo, 1708.
Herodicus, a physician surnamed Gymnastic, who flourished B.C. 443.——A grammarian surnamed Crateleus, B.C. 123.
Hērŏdŏtus, a celebrated historian of Halicarnassus, whose father’s name was Lyxes, and that of his mother Dryo. He fled to Samos when his country laboured under the oppressive tyranny of Lygdamis, and travelled over Egypt, Italy, and all Greece. He afterwards returned to Halicarnassus, and expelled the tyrant; which patriotic deed, far from gaining the esteem and admiration of the populace, displeased and irritated them, so that Herodotus was obliged to fly to Greece from the public resentment. To procure a lasting fame he publicly repeated at the Olympic games the history which he had composed, in his 39th year, B.C. 445. It was received with such universal applause, that the names of the nine Muses were unanimously given to the nine books into which it is divided. This celebrated composition, which has procured its author the title of father of history, is written in the Ionic dialect. Herodotus is among the historians what Homer is among the poets, and Demosthenes among the orators. His style abounds with elegance, ease, and sweetness; and if there is any of the fabulous or incredible, the author candidly informs the reader that it is introduced upon the narration of others. The work is a history of the wars of the Persians against the Greeks, from the age of Cyrus to the battle of Mycale in the reign of Xerxes, and besides this, it gives an account of the most celebrated nations in the world. Herodotus had written another history of Assyria and Arabia, which is not extant. The life of Homer, generally attributed to him, is supposed by some not to be the production of his pen. Plutarch has accused him of malevolence towards the Greeks, an imputation which can easily be refuted. The two best editions of this great historian are that of Wesseling, folio, Amsterdam, 1763; and that of Glasgow, 9 vols., 12mo, 1761. Cicero, de Legibus, ch. 1; On Oratory, ch. 2.—Dionysius of Halicarnassus, bk. 1.—Quintilian, bk. 10, ch. 1.—Plutarch, de Herodoti Malignitate.——A man who wrote a treatise concerning Epicurus. Diogenes Laërtius.——A Theban wrestler of Megara, in the age of Demetrius son of Antigonus. He was six feet and a half in height, and he ate generally 20 pounds of flesh, with bread in proportion, at each of his meals. Athenæus, bk. 16.——Another, whose victories are celebrated by Pindar.
Heroes, a name which was given by the ancients to such as were born from a god, or to such as had signalized themselves by their actions, and seemed to deserve immortality by the services which they had rendered their country. The heroes which Homer describes, such as Ajax, Achilles, &c., were of such prodigious strength, that they could lift up and throw stones which the united force of four or five men of his age could not have moved. The heroes were supposed to be interested in the affairs of mankind after death, and they were invoked with much solemnity. As the altars of the gods were crowded with sacrifices and libations, so the heroes were often honoured with a funeral solemnity, in which their great exploits were enumerated. The origin of heroism might proceed from the opinions of some philosophers, who taught that the souls of great men were often raised to the stars, and introduced among the immortal gods. According to the notions of the stoics, the ancient heroes inhabited a pure and serene climate, situate above the moon.
Herōis, a festival, celebrated every ninth year by the Delphians, in honour of a heroine. There were in the celebration a great number of mysterious rites, with a representation of something like Semele’s resurrection.
Heron, two mathematicians, one of whom is called the ancient and the other the younger. The former, who lived about 100 years before Christ, was disciple to Ctesibius, and wrote a curious book translated into Latin, under the title of Spiritualium Liber; the only edition of which is that of Baldus, Aug. Vind. 1616.
Heroopŏlis, a town of Egypt on the Arabic gulf.
Herŏphĭla, a Sibyl, who, as some suppose, came to Rome in the reign of Tarquin. See: [Sibyllæ]. Pausanias, bk. 10, ch. 12.
Herophĭlus, an impostor in the reign of Julius Cæsar, who pretended to be the grandson of Marius. He was banished from Rome by Cæsar for his seditions, and was afterwards strangled in prison.——A Greek physician, about 570 years before the christian era. He was one of the first who dissected bodies. Pliny, Cicero, and Plutarch have greatly commended him.
Herostrătus. See: [Erostratus].