CORNELL UNIVERSITY LIBRARY BEQUEST OF George Jean Nathan Class of 1904 Cornell University Ubrery DE 5.P36 1896 Harper's dlctlonaxl,SJtlllSlllB 3 1924 027 019 482 ••"•«» M ^c^ Cornell University Library The original of this book is in the Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924027019482 HARPER'S DICTIONARY OF CLASSICAL LITERATURE AND ANTIQUITIES EDITED BY HARRY THURSTON PECK, M.A., Ph.D. PROFESSOR OF THE LATIN LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE IN COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY ILLUSTRATED NEW YORK HARPER & BROTHERS PUBLISHERS 1898 Copyright, 1896, by Hakpek & Bkothbks. All rights reserved. VIRO DOCTISSIMO • ATQVE • HVMANISSIMO HENRICO • DRISLER • LL • D • COLLEGII • COLVMBIAB • QVONDAM • DECANO LINGVAE . LITTBRARVMQVE • GBAECARVM • PKOFESSOKI • EMEIIITO QTI MIHI ■ AVXILIVM ■ CONSILIVMQVE • PETENTI NVKQTAM ■ DEFVIT HOC • OPVS PIETATIS • AMOEIS ■ 7ENERATI0NIS ■ TESTIMONIVM DD D- PREFACE The purpose of the present volume is to give the student, in a concise and in- telligible form, the essential facts concerning those questions that oftenest arise in the stud}' of the life, the literature, the religion, and the art of classical antiquity. Its further purpose is to indicate the sources whence a fuller and more critical knowledge of these subjects can be most readily and most accurately gained. Until very recently, the study of classical literature was, in aU our univer- sities, inseparably linked with the conception of a liberal education. Holding firmly to the dignified traditions of the past, it was accepted as an undisputed fact that the highest type of scholarship, the type best fitted to sustain the supreme test of aesthetic perfection and to be stamped with the final cachet that confers distinction, was unattainable if severed from the direct influence and inspiration of the great Hellenic masters whose intellectual activity was imbued with a noble passion for ideal beauty and ideal truth. Of late, the tremendous pressure of material interests from without, and the national eagerness for immediate and tangible results, have bred a new and more utilitarian theory of the academic function ; so that the study of ancient life and thought has been deposed from its old supremacy and has been made to take its place beside those subjects of inves- tigation that derive their interest mainly from the appeal which they can make to tastes and motives that are essentially commercial and mechanical. This revolution in paedagogic theory, with the resulting revolution in the ordering of our university curricula, while it sprang from a false impression of what liberal study really means, and while it is fraught with especial evil to a community such as ours, already far too eager in the pursuit of all material ends, has nevertheless, by way of compensation, not been without a stimulating effect upon the methods and the aims of classical study. It has, to be sure, impaired the value of the university degree that once was everywhere accepted as being the hall-mark of the cultivated gentleman. It has broken down forever the intellectual sympathy that once existed as a powerful bond between all univer- sity men — a sympathj'^ based upon absolute identity of training, and one which made them a potent influence in the diffusion of sanity and serenity of thought. It has lowered the whole tone of university life and imported into the academic shades the standards of value, the aims, and the ambitions of the workshop and the counting-room. Yet, nevertheless, the very changes that have nar- rowed the sphere of classical study and restricted its power for good by releas- ing from its refining influence the very persons who are most in need of it, have still, within its sphere, compelled it to develop a new and vigorous life, by en- abling it to gain in perfection and completeness what it has lost in universality. vi PREFACE The teachers of the classics, under this new system, which takes nothing for granted and ascribes no preeminent value to the study and investigation of the past, have been forced to rouse themselves to a demonstration of that value even from the standpoint of the modern iconoclast. In so doing they have very wisely laid more stress than heretofore upon the intimate relation of the present to the past; they have laboured to bring out the essential modernity of the life of Greece and Eome; and they have dwelt as never before upon the points of resemblance rather than upon the points of difference that exist. Classical teach- ing has, therefore, gained immensely in vividness and vitality, and its topics of investigation have been at once enlarged and correlated. It is no loiiger sufficient to dwell upon the linguistic and literary obligations of the modern world to Greece and Eome. It is as necessary as it is entirely possible to show that the religious and the ethical problems of the past are those that still occupy the thought of educated men ; that the political and social dangers that confronted the Republics of Hellas and Rome are precisely those that are brooding over the nations of to-day ; and that in sociology and economics the student is but a tyro, who has not profoundly studied the Culturgeschichte of the two great nations. Hence it comes about that the study of the classics and of ancient life is to- day far more comprehensive in its scope, far broader in its purpose, far more con- sciously important in its relation to the whole field of human knowledge, and far more elaborate in its critical apparatus than it ever was before. The classical teacher feels that he must, in studying any side of his subject, avail himself of every possible aid that can be drawn from the investigations of his fellow-special- ists in order to give interest and life and richness to his own instruction. If he turn to language, he must draw upon the labours of the epigraphist, the numis- matist, the palaeographer ; if he deal with art, he must explain its inspiration by the testimony of literature and the history of contemporary life; if he inves- tigate history, he must know the whole intellectual and social environment of the people. Nor is the appreciation of these things confined to the teacher and the investi- gator. The younger student of the classics is also becoming more and more alive to the true significance of his work, as with every year more is required of hiin in the way of special equipment and general information. Even the undergraduate classical courses in our universities and colleges now touch upon many sides of study, and are no longer restricted to the mere reading of ancient authors and the formal study of their language. An early familiarity with the conditions of ancient life is expected and required ; some knowledge of art and archaeology is a further requisite; and at least a moderate acquaintance with the best and most obvious sources of information is asked of all. It is, therefore, evident that to aid the student in his work, as that work must be pursued under these compara- tively new conditions, some manual is needed that shall give him in a simple and intelligible form the most important facts, condensed and summarized and set forth not as isolated bits of information, but in their necessary connection with one another. The present volume is intended as a contribution towards this end. The information which is given in its articles, arranged under a single alpha- bet, may be classified under the following general heads : (1) BioGEAPHT. — The Dictionary includes articles on all the important person- ages of classical antiquity in every sphere of effort, whether military, literary PREFACE vii political, or artistic. The greatest of the Christian Fathers have been added to the list, both because of the general interest of their relation to the history of the Later Empire, and because to the student of language their writings are of marked importance in the study of plebeian Latin and the development of the later dialects of Greek. Among the biographies which the Dictionary contains will be found also those of the great classical scholars and philologists of later times, and extending into our own century, since these represent distinct stages in the development of classical study, and their lives, when taken collectively, give a sug- gestive outline of the history of Classical Philology. The names of living scholars, for obvious reasons, have been excluded from the list. (2) Mythology. — All the mythological personages whose names appear and reappear in the pages of the Greek and Eoman writers are the subjects of sep^ arate articles which carefully distinguish the Hellenic myths from those that are essentially Italic, while the relation between them is indicated and the subsequent blending of the two described. In the case of the most famous of the myths the explanatory speculations of the latest schools of comparative mythologists are given, though with caution ; and the use of the myths themselves in literature is touched upon, with especial reference to their appearance in the prose and verse of the English classics. A separate general article on Mythology describes briefly the development of the different schools that have endeavoured to explain the folk-lore and religious tradition of the ancients. (3) Geogeaphy. — The names of all countries, provinces, states, cities, and other localities that are mentioned by the most read of the classical writers will be found as separate titles, with a treatment proportionate to the historical impor- tance of the subject and its interest to the student. Numerous maps and dia- grams illustrate the geographical information given in the text. The very inter- esting ethnic questions that arise in this department of the work — as, for example, in the articles Aegyptus, Etruria, Soythia — are briefly noted, with a statement of the views of recent ethnologists and anthropologists, and with bibliographical references to the original sources of information and discussion. (4) HisTOEY. — The principal political events of Greek and Eoman history form the subjects of special articles when these topics do not fall under geographical and biographical titles ; and even when they do, they are also given as separate captions with cross-references to direct the student to the proper place of treat- ment. (5) LiTEEATUEE. — The articles on the great writers of Greek and Eoman lit- erature will, it is hoped, be found to be especially complete ; and their best-known and most widely read works are noted likewise under distinct titles with cross- references to the leading articles. A very large number of general articles deal also with special phases of literary production, detailing, for example, the history of the Epic, of Lyric Poetry, of Dramatic Literature, of Parody, of the Epigram, of Jokes, of Ehyme, of Satire, of the Anthologies, of the Cento, of the ancient Novel and Eomance, of the Alexandrian Canon, of celebrated editions of the classics, of important Codices, of the Eenaissance, of Lexicography, of Grammar, and of Ehetorio and Oratory. Everywhere the effect of ancient literature upon the lit- erature of modern times has been noted with particular reference to such of the great modern masterpieces as have derived their suggestion and inspiration di- rectly from the works of Greek and Eoman writers. It is believed that this de- viii PREFACE partment of the Dictionary will prove especially attractive to those students who are interested in the study of Comparative Literature ; and that it will give to all a fuller sense of the essential unity of man's recorded thought. (6) Antiquities. — A large portion of the work is devoted to the discussion of subjects relating to the Amusements, Art, Costume, Domestic Life, Law, Music,. Numismatics, Philosophy, Religion, and Science of the ancients — a department,, in fact, upon which the greatest labour has been expended, as it is the sphere in which the greatest additions to our knowledge of antiquity have been made within the past half-century. It is, indeed, the progress in the field of archaeology that has most completely made the older works of reference seem antiquated for the purposes of the modern student. A wealth of new material has of late been pre- sented for scientific investigation. The work of discovery, pursued with increas- ing intelligence and enthusiasm, has brought to light fresh treasures of ancient art and ornament, and has made plain and in every way intelligible much that before^ was doubtful and obscure. The investigations of Schliemann, Humann, Dorpfeld, Flinders Petrie, Lanciani, HomoUe, and others would alone have made the past three decades a new and brilliant era in the history of classical archiBology, even had their discoveries not been supplemented and illustrated by the la^bours of scholars less known, perhaps, but not less able. Epigraphy, too, in the last fifty years has experienced a marked development. It would be easy to name certain inscriptions whose discovery has given an entirely new meaning to the investiga- tion of ancient life and manners, and especially to the study of Greek and Eoman law. Moreover, the literary productiveness of the period in its relation to the study of antiquity has been wonderfully rich in giving a lucid and s cientifi c expo- sition of these discoveries, and in deducing from them the knowledge which they embody or suggest. It is with these facts in mind that the portion of the work which relates to Archaeology proper has been prepared, and it has been the pur- pose of the Editor to leave no important topic unrecorded, or passed over without at least the most essential information. A number of short general articles take up the subjects that are necessary to an understanding of the collateral sources of information, such as those relating to Epigraphy, Palaeography, and Text Criti- cism; while important bits of special information regarding matters to which reference is frequently made in classical teaching, but for whose explanation the student is too often ignorant where to go, wiU be found under such titles as Cista Ficoroniana, Ohoragic Monument, Harpy Monument, Duenos Inscription, Graffiti, Monumentum Adulitanum, Monumentum Ancyranum, Palimpsest, Portland Yase,. Tabula Bantina, and very many more. (7) Language. — It has been thought desirable to provide the student, for pur- poses of ready reference, with some special information concerning the most important linguistic questions that arise in the study of the classics. Considera- tions of space have prevented the Editor from elaborating this department of the work and from adding many subjects to an already formidable list. What has been given will, he is assured, be a source of satisfaction to those who use the book. The character of the topics coming under this head can be fairly well indi- cated by mentioning a few of them, such as Alliteration, the African Latinity, Dialects, Grammar, Grimm's Law, the Indo-European Languages, Onomatopoeia Philology, the Pronunciation of Greek, the Pronunciation of Latin, Ehotacism the Sermo Plebeius, and Verner's Law. No work of reference in English that PKEFACE ix has to do with classical study has ever included information of this character, and it will be therefore, to American students, a feature that is quite unique. (8) BiBLioGKAPHT. — At the end of all of the most important articles a selected bibliography has been appended, including those works that are most famous, most valuable, and most readily accessible to the student who desires to acquire a more special knowledge of the subjects treated. Where such works exist in the English language, these have received the preference over those in foreign tongues. Un- fortunately, it is only within the last few years that English and American scholars have begun to put forth monographs in any way comparable with the treatises in which the French and German classicists have long been accustomed to embody the results of their special investigations. Hence, a large proportion of the references are to books and pamphlets in the Continental languages, including many important " programmes "' and university dissertations. In no case has an exhaustive bibliography been attempted, but such a selection has been given as will be of the greatest practical assistance. (9) Illustrations. — A word should be said of the illustrations, of which the Dictionary contains some fifteen hundred. Their insertion has necessarily drawn heavily upon.the space at the Editor's disposal ; yet he feels that the gain in in- terest and in intelligibility which they secure far more than compensates for the enhanced brevity which they entail upon the printed text. In the case of mate- rial objects, a picture is usually far more intelligible than whole paragraphs of ver- bal description whose place, in truth, they very efficiently supply. Their sources are in most cases indicated ; and the fact that the greater number of them repro- duce exactly objects that have come down to us from antiquity gives them an especial interest and value. In some cases, for the clearer comprehension of the original form, restorations by archseologists of distinction, such as Dorpfeld, Biihl- mann, Brune, Hoffmann, Wagner, Benvenuti, and Lanciani, have been inserted, and now and then the ideal creations of modern sculptors and painters, such as Canova, Thorwaldsen, Alma-Tadema, and Jalabert, have received a place, as giving a more vivid perception of the essential meaning of a theme. From what has now been said, it will be evident that the work is, in fact, a Classical Encyclopaedia. Were the title not too ambitious, it might perhaps be more correctly described as a Dictionary of Classical Philology, using that term in the sense which it conveys in Germany. It does, indeed, aim to give in a single volume the substance of all the information that it has hitherto been necessary to seek among many books and in many places. The massing of all this material in a single volume and under a single alphabetical arrangement would in itself be an immense gain in convenience to the student who has heretofore been obliged to refer to half a dozen dictionaries for the elucidation of the questions that arise in his daily work ; but the advantages of such a consolidation extend far beyond any mere question of convenience. It enables all the topics to be treated in a way that shall show their natural relation to one another and that makes impossible a sense of detachment and isolation. Thus, History illustrates Literature, and Liter- ature explains History; while Art, and Language, and Science are shown in their proper relations to the whole study of ancient life and thought. It has every- where been the purpose of the Editor to make this intimate connection fully ap- parent, and every important article in each department refers directly and contin- ually to all the others that in any way have any bearing upon the same subject. X PREFACE The general articles, such as those on Epigraphy, History, Libraries, Museums, Music, Palaeography, PhUology, Philosophy, Painting, Sculpture, Numismatics, Religion, and Text Criticism, are meant to give the reader in each case a conspec- tus of the whole field in an outline which the special articles will enable him to fill in with a more elaborate detail. It is this method of treatment that has made possible the inclusion of so many classes of topics in a volume of moderate size ; for each article serves to explain many others, and thus to avoid a tedious and unnecessary repetition. As may be readily understood, the most difficult question confronting the Ed- itor was the question of proportion. It is unlikely that any two scholars could be found to agree upon the relative importance of the topics presented ; and it is, therefore, here that the Editor must expect to receive the greatest amount of criti- cism. Hence, it is proper to set forth the general principles that have guided him in his work, so that, whether or not they meet with general approval, they may, at any rate, be recognized as definite and consistent. Having in mind the daily needs of the student, it has been the purpose of the Editor to give the fullest treatment to those questions that most frequently arise in one's ordinary reading of the classics, and that are of the greatest practical importance. Thus, the largest assignment of space has been given to articles that deal with ancient literature in all its phases, inasmuch as it is from and through literature that our clearest knowledge of Greek and Eoman thought and life has been derived, and because literature has itself been to all succeeding ages the magnet that drew men's minds to the investigation of the past. Historical questions are also quite fully dealt with ; while in the department of antiquities those topics that are most closely related to the every-day life of the Greeks and Romans are the ones that have received the preference. Thus, much space is given to describing the dress, the food, the houses, the amusements, the conveniences, the arts, and the religious faith and rites of the two great peoples ; far less is assigned to their governmental regulations ; while with regard to the minuter points of law, the different ies, with Gilbert's Oreek Constitutional Antiquities in the German original, and lately in the excellent English version of Messrs. PREFACE xiii Brooks and Nioklin published iu 1893. Especial mention should be made of the third edition of Sir William Smith's Dictionary of Greek and Boman Antiquities (London, 1891), upon which the Editor has continually drawn and from which several important articles* have been wholly or in part condensed. Some useful material has been found in Eich's Dictionary of Roman and Greeh Antiquities (5th ed., London and New York, 1890). The Becker-GoU revisions of Oharihles and Gallus are frequently cited or referred to under titles relating to the private life of the Greeks and Eomans, as are also Marquardt's Privatlelen der Romer (2d ed., Leipzig, 1886) ; Friedlander's Darstellung aus der Sittengeschichte Boms (6th ed., Leipzig, 1888-90) ; and Menard's Yie PrivU des Anciens (Paris, 1880). For ancient art, of especial use have been the works of Winckelmann, Stark, O verbeck, Westropp, Reber, Murray, Newton, Michaelis, Perry, Krause, Helbig, Woltmann and "Woer- mann, Mau, Middleton, Brunn and Eergusson. For the technical and scientific knowledge of the ancients, Bliimner's Technologie und Terminologie (Leipzig, 1875-87) has, of course, been of the greatest aid. Some of the general articles are mainly drawn from Seyffert's Lexihm der Jclassischen Alterthumskunde (Leipzig, 1882), though it has, of course, been necessary to add largely to the material found in this excellent but in some respects too elementary work. Here and there the Editor has availed himself of the supplementary matter supplied to these articles of Seyffert by Dr. J. E. Sandys in the English edition made by himself and the late Professor Nettleship — additions so admirable as to induce regret that these distin- guished scholars did not supply them in all the articles which they translated. Many useful suggestions in this and other departments of the work were derived from Eeinach's Manuel de Philologie Olassique (Paris, 1883-84), a marvel of en- cyclopaedic knowledge and judicious condensation that has now for twelve years been the philological pemmican of all classical scholars. It would be superfluous to mention the immensely valuable monographs contained in Iwan Miiller's Hand- huch der Jclassischen Altertumswissenchaft. The Pauly-Wissowa Real-Encydlo- padie der Jclassischen Altertumswissenchaft began to appear too late to be used to any extent. For those articles that deal with the literature of Greece and Rome and those that embody miscellaneous and collateral information, so many works in so many languages have been continually consulted as to render any separate mention of them utterly impossible. Suffice it to say that, besides the great standard' author- ities in each department, the special monographs of French and German scholars have been frequently referred to, as well as such papers of value as are continually appearing in the archaeological and philological journals of England, France, Ger- many, Italy, and the United States. In preparing the bibliography, much use was naturally made of Engelmann-Preuss, of Professor Hiibner's Grundriss su Vorle- sungen uber die romische Litteratwrgeschichte (4th ed., Berlin, 1878), and the same scholar's Bihliographie der Tclassischen Altert/umswissenchaft (2d ed., Berlin, 1889), besides the well-known works of Professor J. E. B. Mayor, and the Teuffel- Schwabe-"Warr History of Roman Literature (London, 1891). In preparing the short biographies of mediaeval and modern classical scholars and their works, much help was derived from Pokel's Schriftstellerlexikon (1882) and from Pro- fessor Alfred Gudeman's excellent Outlines of the History of Classical Philology (2d ed., Boston and New York, 1894). * Especially Amphitheatrum, Athletae, Baeclianalia, Balneae, Oircm, Eletmnia, Fratres Arvales, Theatrum,. Vaa. xiv PREFACE In drawing upon these and all his other sources, the Editor has allowed himself the very greatest freedom. "Whatever he has taken he has used in the way best adapted to secure the end he had in view. "When material was, in its original form, precisely suited to his purpose he incorporated it without a change. When change for any reason was desirable, he enlarged, condensed, modified, transposed, or paraphrased according to his conception of what was most needed in the given case ; and as the greater part of his work was compilation rather than original exposition, he wishes here to express his very great indebtedness to the many books that have been drawn upon. No acknowledgment can be too full or too comprehensive ; and if the completed work be found of service to the student of the classics, this result must be very largely credited to the original sources whence so great a portion of the Dictionary is derived. The illustrations also come from many places. The various "atlases" pub- lished in Germany, especially that of Schreiber, have yielded many ; and so have Baumeister's Denkmdler, Overbeck's Pornpeii, and Falke's Hellas und Bom. Many, however, are from photographs, for some of which the Editor is indebted to the kindness of the friends who are mentioned in the following paragraph. A good many drawings of minor objects have been taken from Rich ; and several from Daremberg and Saglio, and from Guhl and Koner's Life of the Greeks and Romans, — a work that has likewise proved of service in other departments of this Dictionary. Some especial mention is due to those who have in many ways aided in the preparation of the book. To Professor Henet Deislee, whose name is still first among American lexicographers of the classical languages, sincere thanks are due for assistance, information, and advice, as well as for the loan of books from his well-stored private library. To his lamented colleague. Professor Atr&usTtrs C. Meeeiam, the Editor is indebted for having read a number of the articles in proof, and for many very valuable suggestions. For a like service, acknowledgments are hereby made to Professors Peeet, Jackson, and Egbert. Dr. Eobeet Aeeowsmith assumed the task of translating into English the articles contributed to this work by foreign scholars. Professor Eodolfo Lanciani, Professor Feancis "W. Kelset, Professor F. B. Taebell, and Mr. Henuy E. Tayloe have been espe-, cially kind in furnishing for the Editor's use various photographs, drawings, and diagrams not readily obtainable elsewhere. The publishing-house of Herr Olden- bourg, of Munich, has furnished some of the electrotypes used in Baumeister's Benk- maler, and Messrs. Estes and Lauriat of Boston have kindly permitted the reproduc- tion of some of the illustrations from their edition of Duruy's History of Borne. The house of Herr Gustav Fock, of Leipzig, has aided greatly in the preparation of the bibhographical portion of the book by furnishing valuable data under this head. Finally, the Editor would be indeed ungrateful were he to abstain from a warm expression of personal indebtedness to his publishers, whose patience and consideration during many unavoidable delays have been as generous as their liberality in carrying out the Editor's plan has been unstinted. It is, in fact, in the cultivated and broad-minded publisher of to-day that one finds the modern type of the Augustan Maecenas, but with a vastness of opportunity and a far- reaching influence such as no ancient ever exercised, for the effective encourage- ment of hterature and learning. In sending forth at last this volume, to whose preparation he has now -for PREFACE XV nearly five years devoted every hour that could be spared from other and most arduous duties, the Editor appreciates, far more keenly than when the work began, the enormous difficulties of his task. In bringing together a mass of material requiring at every point so much special knowledge and so much mastery of detail, it is inevitable that what he has done should here and there be open to the charge of inadequacy, of inconsistency, and perhaps of error. Yet it is still his earnest hope that as those most competent to criticise are best able also to appre- ciate the innumerable perplexities inherent in the undertaking, they will judge his labours as a whole ; and that when so regarded, these will be found at least to have done something to promote the comprehensive, intelligent, and sympathetic study of classical antiquity. Haeet Thukston Peck. Columbia University, New York, August 1st, 1896. PEEFATORY NOTE TO THE SECOND EDITION The Editor has availed himself of the opportunity afforded by an early demand f6r a second edition of this Dictionary to make certain alterations and corrections suggested by a careful reading of the printed sheets. Some additions have been made to the bibliography, some very recent discoveries in archaeology have been noted, and such other changes have been introduced as appeared to be feasible and at the same time desirable to make. He wishes here to mention his especial obligation to Professor Alfred Gudeman, of the University of Pennsyl- vania, who undertook a very thorough examination of the work, bringing to the task a singularly accurate and varied scholarship, and very kindly furnishing the Editor with the notes resulting from this reading. The Editor also thanks those scholars who have discussed the book at length in the columns of the leading critical reviews. If it should appear that he has not in all cases availed him- self of the suggestions which have been so thoughtfully commended to him, this is attributable wholly to the fact that a careful consideration of the evidence has sometimes failed to convince him of existing error ; for in the sphere of classical study there are found so many questions upon which the best opinion still remains divided as to prevent even the pronouncement of an anonymous reviewer from possessing always the stamp of absolute finality. In conclusion, the Editor desires to express his grateful acknowledgments to the entire body of classical students and instructors who have given to the book so immediate and so warm a welcome. H. T. P. My 1st, 1897. A DICTIONARY OF CLASSICAL LITERATURE AND ANTIQUITIES. A, the first letter iu both the Greek and Latin alphabets. The principal uses of the letter in ab- breviations found in MSS. and inscriptions, or on coins, are given below. In Greek. — Abbreviations of one or even of two letters are of extreme rarity on Greek coins and inscriptions of the pre-Euclidean period ; after this time a few instances occur, owing doubtless to Roman influence, their use being chiefly confined to a few Roman proper names, e. g. A=AiiXor, Aiprj- Xioj, 'Ajiraivhos. With the general introduction of-alphabetic numerals, about the beginning of the fifth century B.C., the letter A, a, is also used as a numeral for 1 and 1000 (,a). Cf. S. Reinach, TraM d^jSpigraphie Grecque (1885), pp. 220 ff. 225 ff. In Latin. — The Romans made an astonishingly extensive use of abbreviations.* Ouly a very few out of many thousands recorded in the indexes to the C. I. L. (ii. 777, iii. Iia5, v. 1201, vii. 342, viii. 1103, ix. 795, X. 1165, xii. 945, xiv. 583) can be given here under each letter. On Roman abbreviations in general, cf. R. Mowat, Bull. Epigraph. IV. p. 127 ff. (1884); E. Hubner, in Iwan Muller's Sandbuch, i. 496 ff., 523 ff. ; R. Cagnat, Cours d'Spigraphie Latine (1889), p. 351 ff. A =; absolve, written on voting tablets, " I favor acquittal ;" hence called littera salutaris. (Cic. pro Mur. vi. 15). A = antiquo, designates a nay vote in the Roman comitia, in rejection of a proposed change. A = auditor, or adulescens iu some of the MSS. of Cic. Tusc. Disp., to denote one of the interloc- utors as opposed to M ^ Marcus or magister. A^Aulu8,Augu8tus,Aurelius, Antoninus, Africa, Aprilis, aedilis. V=:Aurelia (inverted letter always used to des- ignate female names). A=:accipiet, actum, aeternus, annus, annona, ara, armatura, argento, anro, as. A-A = Aquae, Aponi, Anli duo. AAGG = Augusti duo. AAAGGG = Augusti tres. * The original name for these abbreviations seems to have been Utterae singulares or singulariae (cf. Gell. xvii. 9, 1). At a later period notae became the more common term (cf. Festus, p. 184 : ybta nunc significat signum ut in peeoribus, tabtdiSj libris, lit- terae singidaevel binae). Valerius Probus wrote an elaborate work JDe NotU, only a part of which has been preserved. In the J)i- gest! of Justinian noto is displaced by the term ligla. The word is of doubtful origin. Most scholars regard it as a syncopated form of Hgillwa ; others derive it from singtili; Mommsen thinks it a mere corruption from singvlans. 1 ABACTORES A-A-A-F-F := acre argento auro flando feriundo. A-B=:a balneis (very frequently for a or ah), amicus bonus. A-B-M:=:amico bene merenti. A-C = acre collate, armorura cnstos, a oolonia, a commentariis. A-D = ante diem, ager divisus. A-D-Ar=agris dandis adsignandis. A-D-AI = agris dandis adsignandis iudicandis. A-E=: actum esse. A-FPR=actum fide Publii Rutilii (Cic.ZJe Orat. ii. 69, 280). A-G-T = Augustus. A-G'IV-C'P = arborum genera quattuor, cetera privata. A-H-NP = ad heredem nou pertinet. A-L := actarius legati, [et si qui] alii liberti [eruut], animo libens, Augusti libertus, area lata. A'L-F(P) = animo libente fecit (posuit). A'0-F-C=:amico optimo faoiundum curavit. A-P = aediUcia potestate, animo pio, anno pro- vinciae, a populo, area publica, argentis pondo, ager publicus. A-P-R:=aerarium populi Romani. A-P-R-C = anno post Romam conditam. A-Q-ERPP = ant qui erunt proximi. A-Q-E-R'P-P-R'L = ad quem ea res pertinet, per- tinebit recte licet. AQ-P = a quaestionibas praefecti. A-S :=a sacris, a senatu. A-S-F (F-C) = a solo fecit, faciundum curavit. A-V=:aediles vici, argenti unciae, ave vale. A'V-C ^anno urbis conditae. Abacsenum. An auoient town of Sicily, west of Messiiua and south of Tyndaris. See Died. Sic. xiv. 78, 90. Abactores, Abigeatores, or Abigei are terms used to signify those guilty of cattle - stealing ( abigeatue ), which the Roman practice distin- guished from ordinary furtum (q. v.), when the theft was of a sufficiently serious kind. The stealing of a single horse or ox was abigeatus, but to steal less than ten sheep or four pigs was only furtum. It was an aggravation of the offence to steal the animals from a pen or other enclosure, or for the abactor to carry weapons. The punish- ment was at the discretion of the magistrate, and ranged from bauishmeut and degradation from rank to penal servitude and death. Cf. Dig. 47, ABACTUS VENTER 14, De AUgeis ; Cod. ix. 37 ; aud Keln, Daa Crimi- nalrecht der Bom. pp. 323-325 (Leips. 1844). Abactus Venter. See Aboktio AbactUus (Gr. d^aKia-Kos), diminutive of abacus (q. v.), and denoting a tile of marble, glass, etc., used In making ornamental pavements. See Mu- BivuM Opus. AbScus (Gr. a/3a|, ofiaKiov). (1) A square plate, especially the stone slab that covers the capital of acolnmu. (2) A dice-board. See Duodkcim Sceip- ta; Latkunculi. (3) A mathematician's table strewn with fine sand, on which figures were drawn with a stilus. (4) A counting-board, on which sums were worked for private and public accounts. This might be : (a) A tablet with a frame or rim, covered with sand, in which lines or figures could be drawn either with the finger or some pointed instrument ; and used iu geometry, arithmetic, etc. (Pers. i. 131 ; eruditus pulviSjCio. N.D.ii. 18, 48). The name arena- rius, applied to the element'ary teacher. Implies that this sort of abacus was used by school-children. (V) A development of this simple form was the abacus on which yj/Pifjjoi, caZeuK, pebbles or counters, were employed in calculations. It was a board marked off by ridges or grooves (along which balls, counters, or buttons could be moved) into com- partments, for the several orders of numbers. We have examples of both Greek and Roman abaci. The Greek abacus figured here is from Salamis, and is of marble, about forty inches long by twenty- eight broad. At a distance of ten inches from one of the sides are marked five parallel Hues. At twenty inches' distance from the last of these, eleven others are marked and bisected by a cross XiOHJVfllldaJXKll X X XTOPAPHCTX o H X Greek Abacus, or CaJculatiBg Table. line, the point of whose intersection with the third, sixth, and ninth lines is marked by a star. Along three of the sides is arranged a series of characters in the same order, and so as to be read with equal ease whichever way the abacus is turned : the se- ries on one side having two more characters than the others. These characters ( ^ being known as = drachma) gives the following scale, reckoned from the left of ^ : K P A P H p X 1 6 10 50 100 600 1000 These characters are of great antiquity. F is a mutilated E, initial of h ; P an old form of fl, i. e. TTf vTf ; A obviously represents 8eKa, and X )^l\ioi, ; while of the three remaining characters, H is for HEKATON, the old way of writing fKorov, P is P •with A inscribed, [P, P with H. The characters ou the right of ^ are i = obol, c = ^ obol, T = J obol, X := ^oKkovs, -J obol. The two additional charac- ters in the left-hand series are P = 5000 (P with X inscribed), and t ^ talent (of 6000 drachmas) ; so ABACUS that the lowest and highest money units are at the two ends of the scale. To understand the use of this abacus, the calcu- lator must be supposed sitting before one of its long sides, and putting counters into the spaces between the marked lines. Each space represents an order of numerals, the space on the right hand being intended for units, the next space for tens, the next for hundreds, and so on. The numbers belonging to the first four of each series are put on that side of the bisecting line which is nearest the calculator ; those over five are put beyond it. As five spaces out of the ten would be enough for these purposes, it is conjectured that after the pro- gression of drachmas going up to 5000, a fresh pro- gression of talents begau ( t = 6000 drachmas ), going up to the seventh place (1,000,000). Thus the Greek abacus, like the Roman, which was no doubt derived from it, reckoned up to a million. The fractions of the drachma were reckoned on the five lines at the other end of the slab. It is to an abacus of this kind that Polybius refers, when he compares the ups and downs of court favorites to the yjrrj(l)oi on an d^aKiov, which, according to the line in which they are placed, may signify either a talent or a chalcus (Polyb. v. 26, § 13). This com parison is elsewhere attributed to Solon (Diog, Laert. i. 59). The Roman abacus (figured here from the Kir- cherian Museum at Rome) was ou the same system, 1 9 3 4 E 6 1 8 9 o oo 1 P % c ) 0' X ( 1 \ ^ f 1 U-U — ) Cj 11 11 1 Roman Abacus, or Calculating Table. It is divided into eight lower and eight higher (somewhat shorter) grooves : there is also a ninth lower groove, without an upper groove to corre- spond. Four sliding buttons are attached to each lower groove except the eighth, which has five : each upper groove has one button. Between the two sets of grooves the following numbers are marked : iXi CCCIOOO CCIOO CIO c X I 1,000,000 100,000 10,000 1000 100 10 1 The units of any other number when not above 4 are marked by moving a corresponding num- ber of buttons along the lower groove upwards the button in the upper groove = 5. The eighth row was used by reckoning fractions (aes reeurrens) on the duodecimal system, by ounces, or twelfth of the as, and is accordingly marked O or © = uncia: each of its five lower buttons = 1 ounce and the upper one =6. Fractions below an ounce were reckoned on the ninth groove, marked : s z or 2 I ^ \ \ semuncia. sicilicus. duella. i oz. i OZ. J oz. See the article Logistica, (5) The name is also used of a wooden tray or ABAE ABLEGMINA platter employed lu domestic economy. Cf. Plin. H. N. xxxvii. \ 18 and ^ 21 ; Apul. Met. ii. 7. (6) A sideboard for vessels, and for offerings to the gods (Boettioher, Tektonih der Hellenen, iii. p. 46"). Abacus, sideboard. (Relief in British Museum.) Abae ('A/Sai). A city of Phocis, near and to the right of Elatea, towards Opus. The inhabitants had a tradition that their city was founded by Abas, son of Lyncens and Hypermnestra, grandson of Danaus (Paus. 10, 35). It was most probably of Pelasgio origin. Abae was early celebrated for its oracle of Apollo, of greater antiquity than that at Delphi, and hence Apollo is called Abaeus. Dar- ing the Persian invasion, the army of Xerxes set fire to the temple, and nearly destroyed it ; soon after it again gave oracles, though in this dilapi- dated state, and was consulted for that purpose by an agent of Mardonius (Herod, viii. 134). AbaUenatio. See Mancipium. Abautes {'A^avres). The ancient inhabitants of Euboea. They are said to have been of Thracian origin, to have first settled in Phocis, where they built Abae (q. v.), and afterwards to have crossed over to Euboea. The Abautes of Euboea assisted in colonizing several of the Ionic cities of Asia Minor. Abanti&des, A patronymic applied to Perseus ( q. V. ), Acrisius, and other descendants of Abas (q.v.). Abantias. (1) Any female descendant of Abas (q. v.), such as Danae and Atalanta. (2) An an- cient name of Euboea. See Abantes. Abails C Adapts). (1) A Hyperborean priest of Apollo, who came from the country about the Cau- casus to Greece, while his native land was visited by a plague. His history is entirely mythical : he is said to have taken no earthly food, and to have ridden on an arrow, the gift of Apollo, through the air. (See MuUer, Dorier, i. 364.) (2) A city of Egypt, east of the Bubastio mouth of the Nile. Abas ("AiSas). (1) Son of Metanira, and changed by Demeter into a lizard, because he mocked the goddess when she had come on her wanderings into the house of his mother, and drank eagerly to quench her thirst. (2) Twelfth king of Argos, son of Lynceus and Hypermnestra, grandson of Da- naiis, and father of Acrisius and Proetus. When he informed his father of the death of Danaiis, he was rewarded with the shield of his grandfather, which was sacred to Her6. This shield performed various marvels, and the mere sight of it could subdue a river. (See Serv. ad Verg. Aen. iii. 286). (3) A Latin chief who assisted Aeneas against Turnus, and was killed by Lausus (Verg. Am. x. 170). (4) A river of Albania emptying into the Caspian Sea. (5) A mountain of Armenia Minor, identified by Mannert with Ararat. Abbreviations. For abbreviations found in MSS. and inscriptions, and on ancient coins, see the articles on the diifereut letters of the alphabet, and also Numismatics ; Palaeogkaphy. Abdera {rh" k^hripa). (1) A town of Thrace, near the mouth of the Nestus, which flowed through the town. It was colonized by Timesius of Clazo- menae about B.C. 656, and a second time by the in- habitants of Teos in Ionia, who settled there after their own town had been taken by the Persians, B.C. 544. It was the birthplace of Democritus, He- cataeus, Protagoras, Anaxarchus, and other distin- guished men ; but its inhabitants, notwithstanding, were accounted stupid, and Abderite was a term of reproach. (See Juv. x. 50 ; Mart. x. 25. ) (2) A Punic town of Hispania Baetica, on the sea-coast. Abderites (A^&riplTrjs) and Abderita. A name generally applied to the "laughing philosopher" Democritus (q. v.), as being a liative of Abdera. Abderus ("A^Si;por). The armour-bearer of Heracles (q. v.), torn in pieces by the mares of Dio- medes. The town Abdera was said to have been founded by Heracles in his honour. Abdicatio. See Magistratus. Abecedarii Hymni. Hymns containing as many lines as there are letters in the alphabet, each line beginning with a particular letter. An instance is given by St. Augustine in his Betractationes, i. 20. See Acrosticha. Abella or Avella. A town of Campania, not far from Nola, founded by the Chalcidians in Euboea. It was celebrated for its apples, whence Vergil calls it malifera, AbgSbnis ('A^yapos), Acb^rus {"AK^apos) or Au- g&rus. A name common to many rulers of Edessa, the capital of the district of Osrhoenfi in Mesopo- tamia. Of these rulers one is supposed by Ense- bius to have been th« author of a letter written to Christ, which he found in a church at Edessa and translated from the Syriao. Eusebius {Eceles. Mist. i. 13) gives the text of the letter and also of the alleged reply. A translation of both can be found in MoClintock and Strong's Cyclopaedia of Biblical Literature, a. v. Abgarus. Abia {'t^ia ). ( 1 ) A town of Messenia on the Messenian Gulf, and at one time a member of the Achaean League (q. v.). (2) The nurse of Hyllus, in whose honour Cresphontes changed the name of Ir6 to Abia. Abigeatores. See Abactores. AbigeatuB. See Abactores. Abigei. See Abactores. Abitla (Ta'A/SiXa). (1) A town of Coele- Syria, afterwards called Claudiopolis, and capital of the tetrarohy of Abilene. It is mentioned in the N. T., Lake, iii. 1. (2) A mountain of Africa, opposite Gibraltar (Calpfe). Abisares ('A^ia-dpris). An Indian king who sent embassies to Alexander the Great, and was by him allowed to retain his kingdom with considerable additions. His realm lay beyond the Hydaspes. See Quint. Curt. viii. 12-14; ii. 1. Ablegmlna {drroXeyiioi) were the parts of the victim which were offered to the gods in sacrific- ing. Other names were porriciae and proaecta. See Sacrificium ; Victima. ABLECTI Ablecti. See Extraordinakii. Abnoba Mous. The rauge of hills covered by the Black Forest iu Germauy. See Gerjiania. Abolla. A rough, thick cloak resembliug the Greek chlamys (q. v.), and called by Horace (£p. i. 17, 25) duplex jyannus. It was of foreign origin. Abolla. (Arch of Septimius Sererus.) and at Rome in imperial times was worn indis- criminately as an outer garment (Jnv. iv. 76). With the wealthy it was often of pnrple (Suet. Cal. 35) ; but it seems to have retained its simple coarseness when adopted by philosophers. It was thus worn by the Cynics, serving alike for day and night clothes (Martial, iv. 53, 5 ; Hor. Ep. I. c, the same as the Tpifiav SittXoCs, Diog. Laert. vi. 22). The abolla as worn by soldiers is probably to be recognized iu the bas-relief from the arch of Sep- timius Severn s. Abonitichos {'Afiavov tsIxos). A town of Paph- lagonia, the birthplace of an impostor who assnmed the character of Asclepius. See Lucian, Pseud. 58. Aborigines. A name given by the Roman writ- ers to the primitive race, who were thought to have blended with the Siculi, and founded subsequently the nation of the Latins. The name is equivalent to the Greek avToxdoves, as indicating an indige- nous race. According to tradition, they dwelt originally around Mount Velino, and Lake Fu- cinus, extending as far as Carseoli, and towards Keate. This was Cato's account (Dionys. H. ii. 49). The Aborigines are depicted by Sallnst and Vergil as savages living iu hordes, without manners, law, or agriculture, on the produce of the chase, and on wild fruits. Tbis, however, does not agree with the traces of their towns in the Apennines ; but the whole account was, perhaps, little else than an ancient speculation on the progress of mankind from rudeness to civilization. The Aborigines are said to have revered lanus and Saturn. The lat- ter taught them husbaudry, and induced them to choose settled habitations, as the founders of a better way of life. From this ancient I'ace, as has already been remarked, blending with a remnant of the Siculi, the nation of the Latins was said to liave sprung; and between Saturn and the time assigned for the Trojan settlement, only three kings of the Aborigines are enumerated — Picns, Faunus, and Latinus. As to the name of this early race, the old and genuine one seems to have been [ ABSIS Casci'; and the appellation Aborigines was only given them by the later Roman writers. Regard- ing the historical aborigines of Italy, see Italia. Aborrhas (A^oppas). A branch of the Euphra- tes ; also written Chaboras, the modern Khabour. Abortio, Abortus. If we may j udge from poets and satirists, it was not an uncommon practice among the Romans to procure abortion (Plant. True. 202; Jnv. ii. 32; vi. 368). Cicero (,Clu. 12) relates a case where a testator, leaving his wife pregnant, endeavours to secure the birth of his son by leaving his wife a handsome bequest if his sou become heir, and nothing if he does not. Cicero charges Oppianions with paying the amount con- tingently bequeathed to the widow, and procuring abortion in order that Oppianious's son may succeed to the inheritance. A woman at Miletus, who in similar circumstances procured abortion by the use of drugs, was condemned to death in the time of Cicero's proconsulate. It was probably some such dangers that led to the Lex Cornelia, making it a criminal offence to give love-potions or medicines for abortion (Paul. Sent. v. 23, 214). All women who procured abortion were, by a rescript of Seve- rns and Caracalla, condemned to exile. Of the practice and law in Greece still less is known. Lysias in a speech, or declamation, im- peached Antigonus for procuring abortion (xar' 'Avnyovov afi^Xdxrcas, Fragm. 10, ed. Bait, and Sauppe). Plato recommended it in certain cir- cumstances in his ideal Republic {Rep. v. 9, p. 461 c), and so also Aristotle (FoUt. iv. [vii.] 16). Abradatas ( A^paSdras). A king of Susa, who submitted with his arms' to Cyrns, when he learned that his wife, Pantljea, who had been made pris- oner by the latter, was treated by him with great kindness and humanity. He was subsequently slain in fighting for Cyrus (Xen. Cyrop. v. 6). Abrlncatui. A nation of Gaul, dwelling, ac- cording to the common opinion, on the western coast, north of the Liger, or Loire, and whose capital, Ingena, is supposed to coincide with Avranches (Pliny, S. X. iv. 18). Abro. (1) An Athenian author, whose work on the festivals of the Greeks is lost. (2) A gram- marian of Rbodes of the time of Augustus, and a pupil of Tryphon. (3) Au Argive of dissolute and luxurious life, whose uame is perpetuated in the proverbial expression "A^pmvos fiios (Abronis vita) (Suidas, s. h. v.). Abrocomas {'AjSpoKofias). (1) A son of Darius who accompanied Xerxes against Greece, and was slain at Thermopylae. (2) A satrap of Artaxerxes Muemon who was sent with an army of 300,000 men to oppose Cyrns on his march into Upper Asia. He burned some boats to preveiit Cyrus from crossing the Euphrates, but did not arrive in time for the battle of Cnnaxa (Xen. Anab. i. 3, § 20 ; iv. § 3, 5, 18 ; vii. 5 12). Abrogatio. See Lex. Abrotonum ('A^poTovov). Au African coast- town lying between the Syrtes. It was founded by the Phoenicians, and subsequently became a Ro- man colony. It was also called Neapolis; and with Oea and Leptis Magna formed the so-called African Tripolis (Pliny, S. N. v. 4). Absinthium (d^|riv6l.ov). Wormwood. Absis or Apsis (di/^i'y). Literally, a fastening ABSOLUTIO of any kind. It was applied specially to the join- ing together of the extremities of a piece of wood, 80 as to give it the shape of a bow ; and hence it oame to signify anything of that shape, siich as a bow, an arch, or a wheel (Hes. Op. 424 ; Herod, iv. 72.) The next transition of meaning is to any- thing vaulted (for example, ^ virovpavia &<^l.s, the vault of heaven. Plat. Phaedr. 247 B) ; and in this sense it was adopted in architecture, first, for any building or portion of a building of a circular form, or vaulted (Plin. Jipiat. ii. 17, § IS), and more especially for the circular and vaulted end of a basilica (Paul. Nol. Ep. 12). In Christian churches the apse came to mean the end of the choir, where the bishop's throne was placed. Absolutdo. See Iudicium. Abstineudi Beneficium. See Heres. Absyrtides. Islands at the head of the Adri- atic, in the Sinus Flanaticus (Gulf of Quarnero) ; named, as tradition reported, from Absyrtus the brother of Medea, who, according to one account, was killed here. See Absyrtus. Absyrtus or Aps3rrtus {"Aylrupros). The son of Aeetes, king of Colchis, whom Medea took with her when she fled with lason. Being pursued by her father, she murdered her brother, cut his body in pieces, and threw them into the sea, that her father might be detained by gathering the limbs of his child. Tomi, the place where this horror was committed, was believed to have derived its name from Tefiva, " cut." See Ahgojs'autae ; Medea. Abus. A river of Britain, now the Humber. Abiisus. See Usus Frdctus. Abydenus ("A/SuSj/koi). A pupil of Berosus, who flourished B.C. 368. He wrote in Greek an histori- cal account of the Chaldeans, Babylonians, and As- syrians, some fragments of which have been pre- served to us by Eusebius, Cyril, and Syncellus. An important fragment, which clears up some difficul- ties in Assyrian history, has been discovered in the Armenian translation of the Chronicon of Eusebius. See the edition of his fragments by Richter (Leip- zig, 1825). Abydos (*A^uSo^). (1) A town of the Troad on the Hellespont, and a Milesian colony, nearly oppo- site to Sestos, but a little lower down the stream. The bridge of boats which Xerxes (q. v.) construct- ed over the Hellespont, B.C. 480, commenced a little higher up than Abydos, and touched the European shore between Sestos and Madytus. (2) A city of Upper Egypt, near the west bank of the Nile ; once second only to Thebes, but in Strabo's time (a.d. 14) a small village. It had a temple of Osiris and a Meranonium,both still standing, and au oracle. Abj^Ia or AbiQa. A monntain in Mauretania forming the eastern extremity of the African coast of the Fretum Gaditaunm, or Strait of Gibraltar. This and Mt. Calp^, opposite to it, were called the Columns (or Pillars) of Hercules, from the legeud that they were originally a single mountain, and had been torn asunder by Hercules. Acacius. (1) A disciple of Eusebius, bishop of Caesarea, whom he gucceeded iu 338 or 340. He was surnamed Mov6iai). A town in Boeotia at Lake Copais, in which the Thebaus took refuge after their town had been destroyed by Alexander. It contained a temple of Dionysus. Acr^ga?. See Agriguntum. Acratisma {aKpana-iia). The early meal (npa'i- vov npia-Tov) of the Greeks, taken immediately ou rising, like the first breakfast in France and Ger- many. It consisted of bread dipped in unmixed wine (aKparos oivos), whence the name aKparuriia. Acratophorum (aKparoffiopov). A small vessel for holdiug wine; a wine-cup. Tlie name is de- rived from axparov, "unmixed wine," and (j)4po>, " to bear." Pollux mentions it in his account of ancient driuking-vessels, and describes it as rest- ing, not on a flat bottom, but on small astragals. Acrisione (AKpia-iavr]). Danae (q. v.), daughter of Acrisins. Acrisius (^AKpia-ws). The sou of Abas, king of Argos, by Ocalia, daughter of Mantiueus. He was born at the same birth as Proetus, with whom it is said that he quarrelled even in his mother's womb. After many dissensions, Proetus was driven from Argos. Acrisius had Danae by Eurydice, daughter of Lacedaemon ; and au oracle having declared that he should lose his life by the hand of his ACROPOLIS grandson, he endeavoured to frustrate the predic- tion by the imprisonment of his daughter, in order to prevent her becoming a mother. (See Danais.) His efforts failed of success, and he was eventually killed by Perseus, son of Danae and Zeus. Acri- sius, it seems, had been attracted to Larissa by the reports which had reached him of the prowess of Perseus. At Larissa, Perseus, wishing to show his skill in throwing a quoit, killed au old man who proved to be his grandfather, whom he knew not, and thus the oracle was fulfilled. Acritas ('AicpetVas). A promontory of Messeuia in the Peloponnesus, now Cape Gallo. Aero, Helenius. A Roman grammarian of the end of the second century a.d. He wrote com- mentaries (now lost) ou Terence, Horace, and per- haps Persius. The collection of scholia bearing his name dates from the seventh century. See Grafen- han, Geschieh. d. class. Philol. iv. pp. 308-313. Acroama (aKpoap-a). Properly a musical piece, but also a play, dance, or a recitation, such as were common at meals (Suet. Vesp. 19; Pliny, Ep. vi. 31, 13). The word also denotes the musicians or act- Acroamata. (Millingen, Peintures, pi. viii.) ors employed to amuse the guests during an en- tertainment ; and is rarely used of an actor on the stage. See Marquardt, Bom. Altert. vii. p. 327 ; and the article Anagnostab. Acroasis (aKpoaaris). (1) A literary discourse or lecture. The term ( itself of Greek origin ) is ap- plied by the Latin writers to a discourse or dispn- tation, by some instrnctor or professor of an art, to a numerous audience. The corresponding Latin term is auditio. (2) It also signifies a place or room where literary men met, a lecture-room. Acroceraunia, See Ceraunii Months. Acrocorinthus ('AKpoKopwBos). A high hill over- hanging the city of Corinth, on which was erected a citadel, called also by the same name. This situ- ation was so important a one as to be styled by Philip the fetters of Greece. See Corinthus. Acrolithi (aKpoXidoi). Statues, of which the extremities only ( head, feet, and hands ) were of stone, and the remaining part of the body of bronze or gilded wood (Vitruv. ii. 8, 11). Acropodium (aKpowoSiov). The base or pedestal of a statue, so called from its supporting the ex- tremities or soles of the feet (uKpos, irovs). Acropolis (dxpoTroXts). In nearly all the cities of Greece, which were usually built upon a hill or ACROPOLIS 13 ACROTERIUM some natural elevation, there was a kind of tower or citadel, reared upon the highest part, to which the name aKpowoXis (upper town) was given. At Rome, the Capitolintn (q. v.) was analogous in its purposes to the acropolis of Greels cities. The Acropolis of Athens was situated on a pla- teau of rook, ahout 200 feet in height, 1000 in breadth from east to west, and 460 in length from north to south. It was originally called Ceoropia, after Cecrops, the ancestor of the Athenians, whose grave and shrine were shown on the spot. On the north side of the Acropolis was the Erechtheum, the common seat of worship of the ancient gods of Athens, Atheii6 Polias, Hephaestus, Poseidon, and Ereohtheus himself, wlio was said to have founded the sanctuary. His house was possibly northeast - of the Erechtheum. Pisistratus, like the ancient kings, had his residence on the Acropolis, and may have added the stylobate to the temple of Athene recently identified, soutli of the Erechtheum. The walls of the fortress proper were destroyed in the Persian wars, 480 and 479 B.C., and restored by Cl- one on the north side was dedicated to Pan, anoth- er to Apollo. See Atiibnae ; and Boettioher, Die AkropoUs von Athen, w. 36 plates (Berlin, 1888). Acrost)tcha (axpotrnxa). Acrostics, which were popular alike with the Hebrews, Greeks, and Eo- mans. With the Hebrews, in acrostic poetry, the initial letters of the lines or stanzas are made to run over the letters of the alphabet in their order. Twelve Psalms in the Old Testament are so writ- ten, the most remarkable being the ll9tli. One of the most celebrated acrostics in Greek is that contained in the words 'Ir/a-ovs XpKrrbs SeoO YiAs ScBTijp, the initial letters of wliich spell lx6vs (fish), whence to the word Ixdvs a mystical mean- ing was attached by the early Christians. The Romans borrowed acrostic poetry from the Greeks as early as the time of Ennius, who composed one (Cio. de Div. ii. 111). At a later period in- soriptional acrostics occur, one of which calls the reader's attention to its character with the line Inspice, lector, primordia versioulorum (Wilmanns, 592, 593). The arguments to the Plantine plays are in acrostic lines. When the last letters of 'vStair to Grotto of/iglauros BASTION OF XXDYSHEUSia' recently removed "ODYsiliisTBilij^f"- ENTRANCE . TO m AOROPOUS DlOHySIA C THEATRE PLAN OF THE ACROPOLIS IS 1889, IKCLUDIXG BESHLTS OF THE EXOAVATIOHS BEOtlK IN 1885. (Beduced from plan by Messrs. Penrose and Schultz, Jomtwl ofBellmic Studies, 1889, pi. viii.) mon. But the wall surrounding the foot of iiie hill, called the Pelasgicon or Pelargicon, and sup- posed to be a relic of the oldest inhabitants, was left in ruins. Ciraon also laid the foundation of a new temple of Athene on the south side of the hill. This temple was begun afresh and completed in the most splendid style by Pericles, and called the Parthenon ( q. v. ). Pericles at the same time adorned the approach to the west side of the Acropolis with the glorious Propylaea, and began to rebuild the Erechtheum in magnificent style. (See Erechtheum; Propylaea.) There were sev- eral other sanctuaries on the Acropolis— that, for in- stance, of Artemis Brauronia, on the southeastern side of the Propylaea ; the beautiful little temple of Athene Nik6, to the southwest ; and the Pau- flroseum, adjoining the temple of Erechtheus. There were many altars — that of Zeus Hypatos, for example— and countless statuesj among them that of Athene Proniaohos, with votive offer- ino's. Among the numerous grottos in the rock, the lines spell words, the verse is called telestio; when letters in the middle of the lines do so, the verse is meaostic. Combinations of acrostic and telestio are found in the Corp. Inseript. Lat. v. 1693 ; of acrostic, mesostic, and telestic, in Fla- vins Felix (about a.d. 500). See Gerber, Die Spraehe ala Kunst, ii. pp. 362 foil., and the article Abecbdarii Hymni. Acroterium ( aKparfipiov ). A word generally used in the plural, and signifying the extremity of anything. (1) In architecture it is the same as fastigium (q. v.), the sloping roof of a building, and also for the ornamental front or gable. A more usual meaning is the pedestals placed on the sum- mit of a pediment to receive statues or other orna- mental figures. There were three acroteria, one over each angle of the pediment. (2) The extrem- ities of the prow of a vessel, which were usually taken from a conquered vessel as a mark of vic- tory. Hence, the act of so doing is expressed by the verb dxpairripidCeiv. (3) The extremities of ACEOTHINION 14 a statue, such as the head, feet, hauds, wings, etc. Acrothinion {a