Polycrates

[ puh-lik-ruh-teez ]

noun

1. died 522? b.c., Greek tyrant of Samos.

Polycrates

/ pəˈlɪkrəˌtiːz /

noun

1. Polycrates?522 bcMGreekPOLITICS: tyrant died ?522 bc , Greek tyrant of Samos, who was crucified by a Persian satrap

Example Sentences

In the year 540 B.C. or thereabouts, on the island of Samos, there came to power a tyrant named Polycrates.

From Literature

Polycrates was a generous patron of the arts, sciences and engineering.

From Literature

Perhaps the most influential person ever associated with Samos was Pythagoras,* a contemporary of Polycrates in the sixth century b.c.

From Literature

But there is another and more ominous side to the enterprise: it was built in part by slaves in chains, many captured by the pirate ships of Polycrates.

From Literature

Polycrates’ fortifications were built by slaves.

From Literature