Polycrates
a ruler of the island of Samos from about 536 to 522 B. C.
He conquered several islands on the Asiatic mainland, waged war successfully against the inhabitants of Miletus, and defeated their allies, the Lesbians, in a great sea fight. His intimate alliance with Amasis, King of Egypt, proves the importance in which this daring islandprince was held even by great monarchs. According to Herodotus, Amasis dreaded the misfortunes that the envious gods must be preparing for so lucky a mortal, and wrote a letter to Polycrates, earnestly advising him to throw away the possession that he deemed most valuable, and thereby avert the stroke of the spleenful gods. Polycrates, in compliance with this friendly advice, cast a signet-ring of marvelous workmanship into the sea, but next day a fisherman presented the tyrant with an unusually big fish and in its belly was found the identical ring. It was quite clear to Amasis now that Polycrates was doomed man, and he immediately broke off the alliance. When Cambyses invaded Egypt (525) Polycrates sent him a contingent of 40 ships, in which he a POLYCYSTINA placed all the Samians disaffected toward his tyranny, but mutinying they returned to Samos, and made war against the tyrant, but without success.
Thereupon they they went to Sparta, Sp and secured the help of both Spartans and Corinthians and embarked for Samos, and besieged Samos in vain, and Polycrates became more powerful than ever. Orœtes, the Persian satrap of Sardis, had conceived a deadly hatred against Polycrates, and having enticed the latter to visit him at Magnesia, he seized and crucified him.