What is "musaeus"

Musaeus, Musaios or Musäus may refer to:

• Musaeus of Athens, legendary polymath, considered by the Greeks to be one of their earliest poets
• Musaeus of Ephesus, lived after 241 BCE
• Musaeus Grammaticus, lived probably in the beginning of the 6th century

• Musaeus (officer of Antiochus III) (fl. 190 BCE), Seleucid Empire
• Musaeus College, a private girls' school in Colombo, Sri Lanka
• 10749 Musäus, a main belt asteroid
• Musaeus, spider of the family Thomisidae

Musaeus was an officer of Antiochus III the Great, the ruler of the Seleucid Empire. Following his defeat in the Battle of Magnesia (190 BC) Antiochus III sent Musaeus to the triumphant Roman consuls ( Scipio Asiaticus and Scipio Nasica), then stationed at Sardis to request their permission to start negotiating a peace treaty. According to Polybius Scipio Nasica received him courteously and granted him a safe passage back, with his consent to start negotiating a truce.

Polybius later mentions Musaeus as an emissary sent by Antiochus III to Gnaeus Manlius Vulso (consul in 189 BC), to discuss a truce with the Romans. Both incidents are also related by Livy, who only refer to Musaeus as "Antiochi legati." Appianus, similarly, mentions the events, but again do not mention Musaeus by name and refers to anonymous "Άντιόχου πρέσβεσι" (Antiochus' messengers or ambassadors)