Parthenopaeus One of the Argive leaders among the Seven Against Thebes (see the Greek tragedy by Aeschylus). Aeneas encounters him in the Underworld among the heroes who are famous for their deeds in war. His name, according to Sophocles in Oedipus at Colonnus, means "son (pais) of an unwed woman (parthenos)". Parthenope A synonym for the city of Neapolis ("New City") in the Campanian region of Italy south of Rome. Neapolis is the modern day city of Naples. Vergil says in the Georgics that he wrote his first poetry, the Eclogues, there. Parthi The Parthians were the major rival to Roman power in the East, famous primarily for their skills as mounted archers. Marcus Licinius Crassus lost his army and the legions' standards to them in 53 B.C. Augustus, in 20 B.C., scored a major emotional victory for Rome by recovering the standards through diplomacy. The Scythian word parthi meant "exiles". Pasiphae The wife of Minos, King of Crete, she gave birth to the Minotaur. When Aeneas reaches Italy, he seeks Deiphobe in the grove of Diana; on the golden doors of the temple there the story of the Minotaur is pictured on the temple in Italy built by Daedalus, himself the designer of the Labrynth which held the monster. Patavium A town in Venetia in Cisalpine Gaul; the modern city of Padova is built on its site and derives its name from it. According to Vergil, it was founded by Antenor, another Trojan refugee. Patron One of Aeneas' men. He competes in the foot race in the funeral games to honor Anchises. Pax Peace, anthropomorphised as a goddess in the Georgics. She only became popular in Rome as Pax Augusta, part of the Imperial religious program. The Senate dedicated a monumental altar to her in 9 B.C. Pelasgi One of many Greek peoples, the name often is used by Vergil to refer to the Greeks in general. Pelethronius A Lapith who competes in a chariot race described in the Georgics. Pelias A Trojan warrior who fights alongside Aeneas during the fall of Troy. Pelides The patronymic name meaning "descended from Peleus", this name refers most commonly to Achilles, but also to his son Neoptolemus. Peleus was married to the sea goddess Thetis, and was the father of Achilles. Pelion A mountain in Thessaly. In mythology, the Giants piled nearby Mt. Ossa on top of it too reach Mt. Olympus. It was also the home of Centaurs, most notably the hero-trainer Chiron. The mountain's forests also provided the timber for Jason's ship, Argo. Pellaeus Pella was an important city in Macedon, the birthplace of Alexander the Great. Because Alexander founded Alexandria in Egypt, the Romans used Pellaeus to mean Alexandrian or, more generally, Egyptian. Pelops Pelops was the son of Tantalus. His father butchered him, cut him into pieces, and served him to the gods at a feast to which he had invited them (his motivation for this hospitality is unclear). The gods realized what they had been served before they ate, with the exception of Demeter, who ate his shoulder before she was warned. Tantalus was punished severely, and Pelops was reassembled and brought back to life. His missing shoulder was replaced by one of Ivory. His children were Atreus and Thyestes, who continued their grandfather's tradition of cuisine à l'enfant. Pelops' surviving grandchildren were Agamemnon and Menelaus, leaders of the war against Troy. Pelorus The NE promontory of Sicily, and the closest Sicilian point to Italy. A pharos (lighthouse) stood there in ancient times, giving it its modern name of Punta del Faro. The name in Greek, pelóros, means "monstrous, huge". Pelusiacus Pelusium was a city on the bank of the Nile, and crucial to the defense of Egypt. Apparently it produced lentils, though its principal product was fine flax. Peneleus A Greek warrior at the sack of Troy; he kills the Trojan warrior Coroebus, who was disguised as a Greek along with Aeneas. He appears in the Iliad as the leader of the Boeotians. Peneus A river in Thessaly. As an anthropomorphised river god, he is the grandfather of the nymph Cyrene. Penthesilea Queen of the Amazons, she appears in the Iliad and on a famous black figure vase by Exekias. She battles Achilles, by whom she is killed. She serves as the type in the Aeneid for warrior maidens and huntresses. Pentheus Grandson of Cadmus. As King of Thebes, he opposed the new worship of Dionysus (his cousin!) and for his pains was driven mad by the angry new god, who caused him to suffer a variety of hallucinations, to dress as a woman, and finally to be dismembered by his own mother and the women of Thebes, who were also suffering Dionysus' anger. Euripides, in his tragedy the Bacchae, puns on the similarity of his name to the Greek word penthos, "grief, sorrow". Pergama The citadel of Troy, which subsequently lent its name to several "reborn" Troys. The name is often used as a synonym for Troy, and as an adjective it can simply mean Trojan. In Epirus, the Trojan prince Helenus, released from slavery to Neoptolemus and given a share of his land, founds the city Chaonia and names its citadel Pergama. In Crete, Aeneas, believing to have found the destined site for his city, begins to build walls and names the city Pergama. Peridia Mother of Onites, a Rutulian-allied Theban whom Aeneas kills in the final battle. Periphas A Greek warrior accompanying Pyrrhus at the sack of Troy. Permessus A stream on Mt. Helicon in Northern Boeotia. Persis The ancient kingdom of Persia in the East. Though an important empire through the fifth century B.C., after Alexander the Great Persia ceased to be a threat to the West. The Parthians replaced them as the dominant eastern power, and the name Persis in Latin often stands in for Parthia. Petelia A city in Bruttium. According to Greek tradition, it was founded by Philoctetes after the Trojan war. Its importance to the Romans was the result of its loyalty to Rome during the Second Punic War, when the rest of Bruttium defected to the Carthaginians. Its name supposedly derives from the old Latin petilus, "thin, small". Phaeaces The Phaeacians were mythical inhabitants of Scheria (the Romans identified this land as Corcyra, in western Greece) in the Odyssey. They are famous for the kindness and hospitality they show Odysseus. Aeneas' fleet passes them by on his journey Westward. Phaedra Daughter of King Minos of Crete, wife to King Theseus of Athens. Phaedra was the victim of Aphrodite's plot to destroy Theseus' son Hippolytus, who scorned her worship and love. To destroy him, she put a burning passion into Phaedra for her stepson, resulting in Hippolytus' death at the curse of Theseus and Phaedra's subsequent suicide (see Euripides' play Hyppolytus and Seneca's play Phaedra). Aeneas sees her in the Underworld in the same place he sees Dido: the place for those destroyed by passion. Phaethon The sun. The name literally means "shining". Helios' son, who insisted on driving his father's sun chariot to prove to his friends that Helios was his father. Phaethon was unsuccessful in this venture, wreaking havoc on the Earth and Heaven until Zeus dispatched him with a thunderbolt. Phaleris A Trojan warrior killed by Turnus when he enters the Trojan camp. Phanaeus King of Chios, in Greece. Chian wine was one of the best wines produced by Greece. Pharus Aeneas killed this Rutulian warrior who didn't know when to keep his mouth shut. Phasis A river in Colchis, a country on the East of the Euxine sea which, for the ancients, was the boundary between Europe and Asia. It is probably the modern day Rion river. Phegeus A low ranking Trojan who acts as a servant during the funeral games, carrying out one of the prizes, and dies at the hands of Turnus defending the Trojan camp. A Trojan warrior who attempts to stop Turnus' assault by chariot; he grabs the reins of the horses, but is dragged by them until Turnus pierces his side with a spear. Pheneus Evander's birthplace, in Arcadia (in the Peloponese of Greece). Here, as a youth, Evander met Anchises. Pheres A Trojan soldier killed by Halaesus, chief of the Aurunci and allied to Turnus. Philippi The town in Eastern Macedonia where Octavian (Augustus) and Marc Antony defeated the forces of Brutus and Cassius after Julius Caesar's assassination on October 23, 42 B.C. Imperial literature closely associated this battle and place with Pharsalus (in Southern Thessaly), where Julius Caesar defeated Pompey in 48 B.C. Phillyrides The matronymic name of the Centaur Chiron. Philyra was a daughter of Oceanus, involved in an affair with Saturn. They were caught in the act by Saturn's consort Rhea. To escape, Saturn changed himself into a Stallion--the result was Philyra's child Chiron, half man, half horse. Philoctetes Arms bearer to Hercules, he inherited Hercules' bow at the hero's death. He went on to join the Greeks in their war against Troy, but was bitten by a serpent which left him permanently sickened and in pain. The Greeks abandoned him for this reason on Lemnos, but returned to retrieve him when they learned that Hercules' bow would play a crucial role in the fall of Troy (see Aeschylus' play Philoctetes). After the war, he founded the city of Petelia in Bruttium. Aeschylus puns on his name and the Greek words philos, "friend" and ktéma, "possession". Philomela Daughter of King Pandion of Athens, sister of Procne. Procne's husband Tereus raped Philomela and cut out her tongue to keep her silent. Philomela told her story to Procne by means of a piece of weaving which depicted the entire story. Procne sought out Philomela and took revenge on Tereus by feeding their child Itys to him. When he learned of this, he pursued the two sisters for revenge, but the gods transformed him into a hoopoe, Procne into a nightingale, and Philomela into a swallow (see Ovid's Metamorphoses). Phineius King of Thrace. Because he unjustly blinded his sons at their stepmother's urging, he was punished by the gods. He was constantly harassed by the Harpies, who either stole or polluted his food, nearly starving him. Twice in mythology he is given respite: once by the Argonauts (see Apollonius' Argonautica) in exchange for prophetic guidance, once by Aeneas crew. Phlegethon The river of fire in the Underworld. Its name possibly comes from the Greek word phlego, "to burn". Phlegyas A king of the Lapiths, he scorned the gods by setting fire to Apollo's temple at Delphi. For this he was punished in the Underworld, where he bellows out a warning to be respectful to the gods. Apparently his son, Ixion, didn't pay any attention to that warning. Phoebe A Titan, whose name means "bright". She is the grandmother of Apollo and Diana, who often assumes her name as goddess of the moon. The moon itself is also called Phoebe. Phoebus A common name used for the god Apollo, whose grandmother was Phoebe, "the bright one". Apollo was one of the most important gods in the Augustan regime's religious emblems, and Augustus dedicated a temple to him on the Palatine Hill. Often, Phoebus is used poetically as the sun. Phoenices Excellent sailors and traders, originally from the Eastern Mediterranean. The Tyrians are of Phoenician stock, and therefore so are the Carthaginians. Dido herself is referred to as "the Phoenician" several times. Phoenix A Greek warrior at the sack of Troy, he guards the plunder alongside Ulysses. After a falling out with his father in Hellas, he found work in fertile Phthia as young Achilles' tutor. Phoenix followed Achilles to the war in Troy. There he tried unsuccessfully to patch up the quarrel between Agamemnon and Achilles. Pholoe A Cretan slave owned by Aeneas. He gave her to Sergestus as a prize for the boat race during the funeral games for Anchises. Pholus A Centaur killed by Hercules. A Trojan warrior killed by Turnus in his chariot attack. Phorbas A Trojan, one of Aeneas' crew. When Sleep comes for Palinurus, he takes the form of Phorbas to speak to him. Phorcus A sea god who accompanies Neptune. Father of the Latin warrior Cydon and seven other sons who come to Cydon's rescue before Aeneas can kill him in battle. Phrygia A geographical region in Asia Minor which covered much of Anatolia. In Roman times it was divided between the provinces of Galatia and Asia. Little is known of the origins of the Phrygians, but in Vergil the name is often used synonymously with Troy, though it often carries with it connotations of laziness and effeminate luxury. Phyllis In Greek, her name means "foliage". She is the subject of many shepherds' songs in the Eclogues. Phyllodoce A nymph, her name means "leaf receiver". Picus His name means "woodpecker" (he gave his name to the bird when he was changed into one by Circe when he refused her advances). Son of Saturn, he was the first king of Latium and fathered Faunus. He was the grandfather of Latinus. Pierides The name used of the Muses in Vergil, they originally were nymphs from Pieria near Mt. Olympus. Pilumnus An Italian god and great-great-grandfather of Turnus. Pinaria The house of the Pinarii was one of the two Arcadian families in Palantium responsible for the maintenance of the rites of Hercules from the time of Evander. The Pinarii were lower in rank, not presiding as priests, but only as ministri--apparently Pinarius was late to the first sacrifice, and Hercules was steamed up about it. By the end of the Republic, the Hercules cult had been taken over by the state, and the gens Pinaria was of no particular significance. Pindus A mountain range in western Thessaly, the source of the river Achelous, who was father of the Nymphs Pirithous King of the Lapiths, son of Ixion (or of Zeus by Ixion's wife). He battled the Centaurs at his wedding to Hippodamia (they became a little unruly after a few cups of wine, and tried to carry off the bride). He is a friend of Theseus, and Theseus joined him on his journey to the Underworld to kidnap Proserpina. Both were imprisoned alive down there, though eventually Hercules managed to liberate Theseus. Pisa A town in Elis, in Greek Peloponnesus, on the river Alpheus. It is often identified with Olympia, and presided over the Olympic games until it was wiped out by the Eleians. Pisae An important city of Etruria on the river Arnus, supposed to have been founded by colonists from Pisa in Elis, which is on the river Alpheus. Piscis The constellation Pisces. During the war of the Titans, two fish rescued Venus and Cupid and carried them across the Euphrates sea. As a reward, they were placed among the stars. Pleas The Pleiades were seven sisters (Electra, Halcyone, Celaeno, Maia, Sterope, Taygete, Merope), the daughters of Atlas and Pleione, a sea goddess. They were changed into stars by Diana when they prayed for her aid in escaping Orion, who was pursuing them with amorous intent. Servius derives the name from the Greek verb pleo, "to sail" because their rise marked the beginning of the sailing season. Plemyrium The Sicilian promontory forming the southern side of the Great Harbor of Syracuse. The name may be related to plémmyris, "flood, tide", and is certainly punned on this way by Vergil. Pluton The god Pluto (the name means "wealth", for the material riches buried in the earth) was also known as Hades, Orcus, and Dis. He ruled the Underworld with his queen, Proserpina. He is the father of Allecto. Podalirius A Trojan warrior killed with an ax by the Latin shepherd Alsus. Poeni The Phoenicians; this Latinized form of the word gave the Punic Wars their name. Excellent sailors and traders, originally from the Eastern Mediterranean. The Tyrians are of Phoenician stock, and therefore so are the Carthaginians. Polites Son of Priam, he is cut down by Neoptolemus before his parents' eyes. Quintus Smyrneus, however, has him killed by Achilles on the battlefield at Troy (Book XIII).His son, "little Priam" competes in Aeneas' Troy games in Sicily. Pollio Caius Asinius Pollio played an important role in late Republic politics before retiring to a life of letters. He founded the first public library in Rome; was a friend of Catullus and later of Horace; saved Vergil's property from confiscation; composed poetry, tragedy, oratory and, most notably, history. His work does not survive, but influenced Plutarch and Appian. Pollux One of the twin Dioscuri, sons of Leda by Zeus. Castor was born mortal, whereas Pollux was divine. Upon Castor's death, Pollux gave up half of his immortality so that his brother might be redeemed from the Underworld for half of each year. A large temple was built to the Dioscuri in the Forum Romanum after they supposedly aided the Romans in a battle against the Latins in 484 B.C. Polyboetes A Trojan warrior and priest of Ceres whom Aeneas encounters in the Underworld in the area for war heroes. Polydorus A son of Priam who escaped the Fall of Troy, but was murdered soon after. Priam, feeling that the war was going poorly, had sent young Polydorus to the king of Thrace for protection. Once Troy fell, the king murdered the boy to gain his gold and Agamemnon's favor. Aeneas learns of his fate when he lands on Thrace and begins to found Aeneadae. Upon breaking off branches from a patch of myrtle and dogwood, the tree spouts blood, and Polydorus' ghost tells Aeneas the tale. Aeneas and his men give Polydorus a proper funeral, then sail away from the accursed land. His name is a compound of the Greek words poly, "many" and dóra, "gifts". A little ironic. Polyphemus The Cyclops who terrorized Odysseus and his men when they wandered into his cave (see Odyssey, Book IX). Odysseus escaped the Cyclops by blinding him, but was cursed because Polyphemus was Neptune's son. His name comes from the Greek poly, "much" and phemos, "prophecy" (see his last speech in Odyssey Book IX). Aeneas sees him briefly when he rescues Achaemenides, a Greek left behind on the island when Odysseus (Ulysses) escaped. Pometii Also known as Suessa Pometia, this ancient town of Latium no longer existed in Vergil's time, and its exact location was unknown, though it supposedly gave its name to the Pomptinae Paludes. It was probably a Volscian city, though Vergil labels it a colony of Alba. During the time of the Roman kings, it was reputedly very wealthy, and its booty provided Tarquinius Superbus with the money to build the Capitoline Temple. Pontus A large country in the northeast of Asia Minor, its name comes from the fact that it was on the coast of the Pontus Euxinus (the Euxine Sea). The kingdom reached its peak under Mithridates VI, but after Pompey defeated him he annexed much of the kingdom in 65 B.C., and divided up the rest. Populonia An Etruscan seaport which supplies Abas with men and arms to aid Aeneas. It is opposite the island of Elba, five miles north of the modern city Piombino. Porsenna Lars Porsenna was king of Clusium, and, according to legend, besieged Rome at the founding of the Republic in order to reinstate Tarquinius Superbus. However, he was so impressed by the bravery of Romans like Cocles that he made peace with Rome and attacked the Latin town of Aricia instead; he was defeated there. Tacitus and Pliny, however, offer a version of the story in which Porsenna defeated Rome. It is possible that this happened, and that Porsenna was actually responsible for indirectly abolishing the monarchy in Rome rather than trying to reinstate it. Portunus God of harbors (from the Latin portus, "harbor". The second century B.C. temple of Portunus at the Aemilian Bridge in Rome is one of the city's best preserved temples, though for many years it was incorrectly identified as a temple to Fortuna Virilis. Potitius The house of the Potitii was one of the two Arcadian families in Palantium responsible for the maintenance of the rites of Hercules from the time of Evander. The Potitii were higher in rank, presiding as priests, because Potitius showed up for the first sacrifice on time --apparently Pinarius was late, and Hercules was steamed up about it. By the end of the Republic, the Hercules cult had been taken over by the state, and the gens Potitia had ceased to exist. Potnias A town in Boeotia, not far from Thebes. In mythology, it is the home of Glaucus and his mares, who tore him to pieces (either because he had gotten them used to a diet of human flesh, but his supply ran short; or because Glaucus had scorned Venus, and she had wanted him punished; or because they drank from a spring in Potnias which drove horses insane.) Praeneste One of the most important ancient cities of Latium, twenty-three miles east of Rome. The modern city of Palestrina is there. Vulcan's son, King Caeculus, who fought against Aeneas, founded this city (though this is only one of many traditions). The city was an important member of the Latin League, but allied itself with Rome in 499 B.C. The alliance was broken several times, including an attack on Rome during which Cincinnatus soundly defeated them in 380 B.C. It again played important roles in the Second Punic War, the Social Wars, and the Civil Wars between Marius and Sulla. During Imperial times, it was a popular resort town for the Romans. The remains of a gigantic temple of Fortune, restored and enlarged by Sulla, are still there. Its name comes from the Latin praesto, "stand out" because it was built into and on a high hill. Priam King of Troy. Son of Laomedon. Priam was the sole survivor of Hercules' wrath when Laomedon refused to pay him for saving Hesione from a sea monster. His wife was Hecuba. He was the father of fifty sons, including Hector, Paris, Polydorus, Deiphobus, Helenus, and Troilus. Cassandra was his daughter. At the fall of Troy, he was murdered at his household altars by Neoptolemus. He plays a major role in Homer's Iliad. Priapus An ithyphallic god who commonly protects gardens. He is the son of Dionysus either by Aphrodite or by a nymph. His cult began in Lampsacus on the Hellespont. Pristis Mnestheus' ship in the boat race; its name means "shark" or "whale". The ship came from last place to finish second, though it perhaps would have won if not for a little divine intervention on behalf of Cloanthus' ship. Privernum King Metabus was driven from here along with his infant daughter Camilla. It was a major Volscian city and, historically, a thorn in Rome's side until 327 B.C., when it was reduced by two consular armies. Privernus A Rutulian warrior killed by Capys with an arrow. Procas A (future) king of Alba Longa, seen by Aeneas in the Underworld. Prochyta The modern day island of Procida, near the promontory of Misenum off the Campanian coast. Servius gives two possibilities for the origin of the name, both of which seem to be operating in Vergil. The first comes from Pliny, who says that the island was "poured" forth from volcanic activity. The Greek cheein, "pour" plus the prefix pro, "forth"; Vergil may be alluding to this in his epithet alta because, as Servius points out, "but this island is flat". Servius also comments on a derivation of the name by the earlier epic poet Naevius, who says that one of Aeneas' kinswomen was named Prochyta; compare Aeneas' naming of the promontory Caieta after his nurse. Procne Daughter of King Pandion of Athens, sister of Philomela. Procne's husband Tereus raped Philomela and cut out her tongue to keep her silent. Philomela told her story to Procne by means of a piece of weaving which depicted the entire story. Procne sought out Philomela and took revenge on Tereus by feeding their child Itys to him. When he learned of this, he pursued the two sisters for revenge, but the gods transformed him into a hoopoe, Procne into a nightingale, and Philomela into a swallow (see Ovid's Metamorphoses). Procris Daughter of Erectheus, wife of Cephalus. Procris and Cephalus had a pretty untrusting relationship: each caught the other willing to be unfaithful. She was accidentally killed by Cephalus while she was spying on him while he was hunting. Erectheus buried her and prosecuted Cephalus. (See Ovid's Metamorphoses) Proetides The daughters of King Proetus (depending on the version, king of Tiryns or Argos) insulted Hera (or sometimes Dionysus) and were punished for it by being driven into the delusion that they were cows. They were healed by Melampus, who married one of them and inherited the kingdom. Prometheus One of the Titans who had the foresight (the literal meaning of his name, from the Greek pro, "before" and métis, "thought") to join the Olympians in their war against Cronos and the Titans who ruled the universe. He is a great benefactor of humankind: in some myths he created humans out of clay; he tricked Jupiter into accepting bones and skin for sacrifice, while humans kept the tasty meat and fat; and finally he stole fire for humans as well after they had been punished with Pandora's box. For this theft, Prometheus was punished by being chained to a mountain in the Caucasus, where an eagle (sometimes two) came each day to feast on his immortal liver. He eventually was released by Hercules. (See Aeschylus' Prometheus Bound). Promolus A Trojan warrior killed by Turnus. Proserpina Daughter of Ceres, wife of Dis. While gathering flowers one day, Proserpina was kidnapped by the love struck Dis to be his bride and queen of the Underworld. Ceres' grief at the loss of her daughter resulted in a withering of the world's vegetation--the first winter. To save the world, Zeus ordered Proserpina returned, but she had already tasted of the food of the dead (often identified with a Pomegranate). A deal was worked out whereby Proserpina was allowed to return to her mother for half of the year, and remained in the Underworld the other half--thence the cycle of the seasons. It was Proserpina who added the stipulation for Orpheus that he could not look back at Eurydice before she had returned to the light. Proteus A sea god with the ability to prophesy and to assume any form he wished. Menelaus sought him out on the island of Pharos, off the coast of Egypt, to find his way home in the Odyssey. Prytanis A Trojan warrior killed by Turnus in the defense of the Trojan camp. Pthia Phthiotis was one of the four major regions of Thessaly, and included the Homeric kingdom of Phthia. This was the kingdom from which Achilles and Neoptolemus come. In Homer, the epithet for this country is "fertile". Phthia was probably the ancient name of Pharsalus, where the decisive battle in the Civil War was fought between Pompey and Caesar. Punicus The Latinized name for the Phoenicians. Excellent sailors and traders, originally from the Eastern Mediterranean. The Tyrians are of Phoenician stock, and therefore so are the Carthaginians. Dido herself is referred to as "the Phoenician" several times. This spelling gives the wars against Carthage the name "Punic". Vergil puns on the word with the Latin puniceus, "purple", when describing Dido. Pygmalion King of Tyre, and Dido's brother, whose lust for gold drove him to murder Sychaeus, Dido's husband. Vergil's Pygmalion is not to be confused with the king of Cyprus who carved a statue with which he fell in love (see Ovid's Metamorphoses). Pyragmon The name comes from the Greek pyr, "fire" and akmón, "anvil". Also known as Steropes (Greek steropé, "lightning"), he was, along with Brontes (Greek bronté, "thunder") and Arges (Greek argés, "bright"), one of the Cyclopes born to Uranus and Gaea. Uranus imprisoned them, so they were only too happy to join Zeus in his war to overthrow the Titans. They provided Zeus with his thunderbolts, during the war and after, also assisting Hephaestus until Apollo killed them to take revenge on Jupiter for his murder of Aesculapeius. Pyrgi A town in Etruria thirty-four miles north of Rome. It was a coastal town and served as the port for Caere, six miles away. Originally a Pelasgian settlement and home to a wealthy temple to Eilethyia , a Greek goddess of childbirth. The town aids Aeneas in his battle against Turnus. Pyrgo One of the nurses from Priam's household, who "unmasks" Juno in her guise as Beroe by Aeneas' ships in Sicily. Pyrrha Wife of Deucalion. As the two human survivors of the great flood, it was their job to repopulate the world. Informed by the goddess Themis that they were to throw the bones of their mother behind their backs, Deucalion correctly interpreted the prophecy to mean that they were to throw stones--the bones of "Mother" Earth. The stones thrown by Deucalion became men and those by Pyrrha, women. (See Ovid's Metamorphoses). Pyrrhus Another name for Neoptolemos, the son of Achilles. The name literally means "flame-colored". He was one of the leaders of the sack of Troy, and killed King Priam on the altars in the palace. He was later murdered, after the war, and left substantial territory to the Trojan Helenus, who had been his slave. Quercens A Rutulian warrior who (pretty unsuccessfully) attacks Aeneas' camp. His name is probably invented from the Latin quercus, "oak" to suggest great strength. Quirinus The name of the deified Romulus, who lends his name to one of the most solemn forms of address to Roman citizens, Quirites and to the Quirinal Hill of Rome (it is possible that the etymology for both comes from con-viri-um, referring to the assembly of men). He is part of a martial triad including Mars and Jupiter. Rapo An Etruscan soldier. Remulus From Tiber; he received friendship gifts from King Caedicus which, generations later, fell into the hands of the Rutulians in battle. Euryalus captured them in his sneak attack on the Rutulian camp with Nisus. A Rutulian warrior (his full name is Numanus Remulus) and the first man killed by Ascanius, with his bow. A Rutulian warrior unhorsed by a spear cast from Orsilochus, who feared to face him in hand-to-hand combat. Remus A Rutulian warrior killed by Nisus on his nighttime raid on the Rutulian camp. The twin brother of Romulus, son of Mars and Ilia (AKA Rhea Silvia),killed by his brother when he overleaped the walls Romulus was building for his new city: hence Rome was founded in civil strife. Rhadamanthus King of Crete, living in the city of Cnossos. In life he was famous for justice, and became judge and confessor in the Underworld after his death. (Compare Dante's Inferno, where his more famous brother Minos has the same job). Rhaebus The horse of Mezentius, an Etruscan king who fought for Turnus. Rhaeticus The country of Rhaetia was essentially Alpine, consisting of a series of valleys and containing the sources for every major Alpine river. The valleys were extremely fertile, though the Rhaetians were primarily shepherds. Rhamnes A Rutulian warrior murdered in his sleep by Nisus. The name comes from one of the old Roman tribes, the Ramnenses, which in turn took its name from Romulus (note that the name Remus appears with that of Rhamnes in Book IX of the Aeneid. Rhea A priestess who bore Aventinus, allied to Turnus, to Hercules. Vergil is tying her to Rhea Silvia, mother of Romulus, by including the word silva in line 659 of Book VII of the Aeneid. Rhenus The Rhine river in Germany. It originates in the Swiss Alps and flows down through Germany. Vergil describes the Rhine as bicornis because, according to Asinius Pollio, the river had two outlets. It served as the ultimate frontier between the Roman world and the barbarian tribes of Germania. Rhesus King of Thrace who came to the Trojan War as an ally to Troy. It had been prophesied that if his horses ate the grasses of Troy or drank from the Xanthus river that Troy would remain unconquered. Diomedes and Ulysses raided his camp, murdered Rhesus, and stole the horses to avert this prophecy. Rhipeus A Trojan who accompanies Aeneas during his battles the night that Troy fell. Although most just of all the Trojans, the gods did not see fit to spare him that night after Coroebus' plan was uncovered by the Greeks. His name may come from the Greek rhipé, "rush" Rhodius Rhodes was one of the major islands of the Aegean sea. It was said to have risen out of the sea and to have been inhabited by an ancient race, the Telchines. Amphitrite, sister of the nine original Telchines, bore Poseidon a daughter, Rhodos, who gave the island its name. A less mythological derivation of the name says that it comes from the Greek word rhodon, a rose (the rose is pictured on coinage from the island, seeming to confirm this etymology). The wine it produced was much esteemed in the ancient world. Rhodope A mountain chain which formed the frontier between Thrace and Macedonia. Its heights are desolate, and little known. Rhoecus A centaur whom Vergil has placed in the battle between the Lapiths and the centaurs, though he actually comes from the mythic tradition of Atalanta, who killed him along with the centaur Hylaeus when they insulted her. Rhoeteius Rhoeteum was the name of both a promontory and its town at the entrance to the Hellespont, just north of Troy. The adjective Rhoeteius is a synonym for "Trojan". Rhoeteus A Rutulian soldier killed in his chariot by a spear cast (aimed at someone else) from Pallas. Rhoetus A Rutulian warrior murdered in his sleep by Nisus before the Trojan camp. The Marsian father of Anchemolus, who is cut down by Pallas. Anchemolus seduced his father's second wife (Casperia). In fear of Rhoetus' retribution, Anchemolus fled to the court of Turnus' father. Riphaeus The noun form of this word does not exist in Latin. The name is given to a fabled mountain range at the far north of the known world. The name probably derives from the Greek word rhiphé, the cold "blast" of wind from Boreas. Vergil uses this range to invoke an image of extreme cold. Roma The city of Rome, the ultimate goal of Aeneas' journey, though he himself would die long before its founding. According to myth, the city was founded by Romulus, son of the god Mars by the Vestal priestess Rhea Silvia, and a native of Alba Longa who had been suckled by a wolf cub and raised by a shepherd. Desiring to found a new city, he and his brother Remus set out and settled on a marshy area protected by seven hills on the Tiber river. The twins soon quarreled over just who would be the founder and king of this city, and split up. Remus mocked his brother's foundations by leaping over the defensive works, and for his insult Romulus murdered him. Then he gave his own name, uncontested, to the city of Rome. Romulus See Roma. See Quirinus. Romulus was the first king of Rome, and his death is told in two different ways. It is possible that the aristocracy under his rule revolted and attacked him, tearing him to pieces. The mythic version of this tale says that one day Romulus was swept away in a thunderstorm to become the god Quirinus. Roseus Rosea was a Sabine district, near modern day Rieti. It was famous for the horses bred there. Vergil is probably punning on a connection of the name to the Latin ros, "dew". Rubeus Servius claims that this adjective comes from the name of the town Rubi (modern day Ruvo) in Apuleia. The city is situated on the Appian way between Rome and Brundisium (see Horace, Satire I.5), about ten miles from the sea coast. There seems to have been a strong Greek presence or influence there. Rufrae Most authors consider Rufriae a Samnite town on the border of the Campanian region, though Vergil suggests that it actually is Campanian. Any attempts to identify its actual location are conjectural. Rutuli An Italian people ruled by Turnus. The Rutuli were settled in Latium, and there capital was Ardea. Historically, they were a small an unimportant people, though they play a major role in the mythic traditions of Aeneas in Italy. Ardea was one of the cities of the Latin League, and was probably conquered by Rome before the end of the monarchy; the end of the Rutuli as a distinct people soon followed. It is possible that they were Etruscan in origin. Sabaeii The principal nation in Yemen, or Arabia Felix. Sabaean opulence and luxury were proverbial among the Romans, though in fact they were little known, and the Sabaeans poetically represented the people in one of the far corners of the known world. Their land was extremely fertile (felix), thus allowing them to concentrate on trade and the produce of luxuries such as silk and frankincense. Their wealth, however, was greatly exaggerated by classical poets and geographers. Sabellus Sabelli is the more ancient, poetical name of the Sabines (though some modern scholars suggest that the two are not connected). The Sabines occupied the territory to the northeast of Rome, and are most famous in Roman mythology for Romulus' rape of the Sabine women to furnish the new city of Rome with a female population. The Sabines are reputedly the forefathers of all the Sabellian peoples, which included the Picentines and the Samnites. Sabini See Sabellus. Saces A Latin warrior fighting for Turnus.