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

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

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

From Literature