Phalaris

Phalaris, tyrant of Agrigentum, in Sicily, who flourished about the middle of the 6th century B.C., was born on a small island near Cnidus, in Asia Minor, and whilst building a temple in the citadel of Agrigentum made himself master of the city. He greatly embellished it, and extended his power over large districts in Sicily. But after holding power for sixteen years he was overthrown, for his cruelties, by noble families of the island, and roasted alive in his own invention, the brazen bull. The tradition points probably to the religious sacrifice of human victims to Baal or Moloch (q.v.). Later ages represent Phalaris as a humane and enlightened ruler. But the 148 letters bearing his name were proved by Bentley (q.v.) in 1697 and 1699 to be spurious, and to have been composed several centuries after Phalaris died. See Bentley's Dissertation, edited by W. Wagner (Lond. 1883).