Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities

1308 Pages·1922·154.57 MB·English

by  William Smith

DICTIONARY
OF
GREEK AND ROMAN ANTIQUITIES.
WILLIAM SMITH, LL.D.
M
EDITOR OF THE "DICTIONARY OF GREEK AND ROMAN BIOGRAPHT AND MYTHOLOGY."
ILLUSTRATED BY NUMEROUS ENGRAVINGS ON WOOD.
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Remits KRsitian,
IMPROVED AND ENLARGED.
BOSTON:
CHARLES C. LITTLE, AND JAMES BROWN.
LONDON TAYLOR, WALTON, & MABERLY AND JOHN MURRAY.
: ;
M.DCCC.XLIX.
Transfe-
AUG 12 192?
LIST OF WRITERS.
INITIALS. NAMES.
A. A. Alexander Allen, Ph.D.
W. F. D. William Fishburn Donkin, M.A.
Fellow ofUniversity College, Oxford,
W. A. G. William Alexander Greenhill, M.D.
Trinity College, Oxford.
B. J. Benjamin Jowett, M.A.
Fellow ofBaliol College, Oxford.
C. R. K. Charles Rann Kennedy, M.A.
Late Fellow ofTrinity College,, Cambridge.
T. H. K. Thomas Hewitt Key, M.A.
Professor of Comparative Grammar in University Col-
lege, London.
Henry George Liddell, M.A.
Head Master ofWestminster School.
George Long, M.A.
Late Fellow ofTrinity College, Cambridge.
Charles Peter Mason, B.A.
Fellow ofUniversity College,London.
John Smith Mansfield, M.A.
Fellow ofTrinity College, Cambridge.
William Ramsay, M.A.
Professor ofHumanity in the University of Glasgow.
Anthony Rich, Jun. B.A.
Late ofCaius College, Cambridge.
Leonhard Schmitz, Ph.D., F.R.S.E.
Rector ofthe High School ofEdinburgh.
Philip Smith, B.A.
Ofthe University ofLondon.
Robert Whiston, M.A.
Fellow ofTrinity College, Cambridge.
Ralph Nicholson Worntjm, Esq.
James Yates, M.A., F.R.S.
TheArticleswhich have no initials attached tothem are writtenbythe Editor.
A 3

;
PREFACE
TO
THE SECOND EDITION,
It was inevitable that many defects should be found in the first Edition ofa
work like the Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities, embracing a great
variety of subjects, written by different persons, and published periodically.
Of these no one was more fully aware than the Editor; and accordingly,
when the sale of a very largeimpression rendered the preparation of a second
Edition necessary, he resolved to spare no pains and exertions to render the
work still more worthy of the approbation with which it had been already
received. The following will be found to be the principal improvements in
the present Edition.
1. Many of the most important articles are rewritten. This is especially
the case in the earlier portion of the work, since it was originally intended to
complete it in a much smaller compass than was afterwards found advisable
andaccordinglymany subjectsin theearlier lettersofthealphabet weretreated
in the first Edition with a brevity which prevented the writers from giving a
full and satisfactory explanation of several important points.
2. Many subjects which were entirely omitted in the first Edition are here
supplied. Any one who has had experience in the arrangement of a work in
alphabetical order will not be surprised that there should be many omissions
in the first Edition of such a work. Some idea may be formed of the exten-
sive additions made to the work, when it is stated that, including the articles
which have been rewritten, the present Edition contains upwards of three
hundred pages ofentirely new matter.
3. Those articleswhichhavenot been rewritten have beencarefullyrevised,
and in many of them errors have been corrected, extraneous matter omitted,
and much additional information given. In this part ofhis labours the Editor
has received the most valuable assistance from Mr. George Long,Dr. Schmitz,
and Mr. Philip Smith.
4. Additional illustrations have been given by means of new woodcuts,
wherever the subjects appeared to require them. Many of these new wood-
vni PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION.
cuts are of considerable importance, as the reader may see by referring to
the articles Amphitheatrum, Aquaeductus, Columna, Templum, and many
others.
5. An alteration has been made in the arrangement ofthe work, which will
tend to facilitate its use. In the former Edition therewas some inconsistency
in the use of Greek, Latin, and English words for the names of articles. In
the present Edition the Latin language has been always employed for the
heading of the articles, except in those subjects connected with Greek Anti-
quities whereno correspondingwordsexistedinLatin as, forinstance,in legal
;
terms, andinthe names ofmagistrates. In these casesthe Greek languagehas
been necessarily employed but, incompliance with a wish expressed by many
;
persons, the Greek words are given in Latin letters, withthe Greek characters
subjoined.
In conclusion, the Editor has to express his regret that he is unable in any
way to make the additions and alterations in the present Edition available to
the purchasers of the former one. He had at one time thought ofpublishing
theminaseparateform;but hefound,astheworkproceeded, thatthiswasquite
impossible, on account oftheir great number and length. In fact, the present
Edition mustbe regarded, to a considerable extent, as a new work.
WILLIAM SMITH.
London, August 1st, 1848.
;
*
PREFACE
TO
THE FIRST EDITION.
The study of Greek and Roman Antiquities has, in common with all other
philological studies, made great progress in Europe within the last fifty years.
The earlierwriters onthesubject, whoseworks arecontained inthecollections
of Gronovius and Graevius, displaylittle historical criticism, and give no com-
prehensive view or living idea of the public and private life of the ancients.
Theywerecontented,forthemostpart,withmerelycollectingfacts,andarrang-
ing them in some systematic form,and seemed not tohave felt the wantofany
thing more they wrote about antiquity as if the people had never existed
:
they did not attempt to realise to their own minds, or to represent to those of
others, the living spirit of Greek and Roman civilisation. Butby the labours
ofmodern scholars life has been breathed into the study: men are no longer
satisfied with isolated facts on separate departments ofthe subject, but endea-
vour to form some conception of antiquity as an organic whole, and to trace
the relation ofone part to another.
There is scarcely a single subject includedunder the general nameofGreek
and Roman Antiquities, which has not received elucidation from the writings
ofthe modern scholars of Germany. The history andpoliticalrelations ofthe
nations of antiquity have been placed in an entirely different light since the
publication of Niebuhr's Roman History, which gave a new impulse to the
study, and has been succeeded by the works ofBockh, K. O. Muller, Wachs-
muth, K. F. Hermann, and other distinguished scholars. The study of the
Roman law, which has been unaccountably neglected in thiscountry, has been
prosecuted with extraordinary success by the greatjuristsofGermany, among
whom Savigny stands preeminent, and claims our profoundest admiration.
The subject of Attic law, though in a scientific point of view one ofmuch
less interest and importance than the Roman law, but without a competent
knowledge ofwhich it is impossible to understand the Greek orators, has also
received much elucidation from the writings of Meier, Schomann, Bunsen,
Platner, Hudtwalcker, and others. Nor has the private life of the ancients
been neglected. The discovery of Herculaneum and Pompeii has supplied
X PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION.
us with important information on the subject, which has also been dis-
cussed with ability by several modernwriters, among whom W. A. Becker, of
Leipzig, deserves to be particularly mentioned. The studyofancient art like-
wise, to which our scholars have paid little attention, has been diligently cul-
tivated in Germany from the time of Winckelmann and Lessing, who founded
the modern school of criticism in art, to which we are indebted for so many
valuable works.
While, however, so much has been done in everydepartment ofthe subject,
no attempt has hitherto been made, either in Germany or in this country, to
make the results ofmodern researchesavailableforthe purposesofinstruction,
by giving them in a single work, adaptedfor the use of students. At present,
correct information on many matters of antiquity can only be obtained by
consulting a large number ofcostly works, which few studentscan have access
to. It was therefore thought that a work on Greek and Roman Antiquities,
which should be founded on acareful examinationofthe original sources, with
such aids as could be derived from the best modern writers, and which should
bring up the subject, so to speak, to the present state of philological learning,
would form a usefulacquisitionto allpersonsengaged inthestudyofantiquity.
Itwas supposedthatthisworkmightfallintothehandsoftwodifferentclasses
ofreaders, and it was therefore considered proper to provide for theprobable
wantsofeach, as faraswas possible. Ithasbeen intended notonly forschools,
but also for the use ofstudents at universities, and of other persons, who may
wish to obtain more extensive information on the subject than an elementary
work can supply. Accordingly numerous referenceshavebeen given, notonly
to the classical authors, but also to the best modern writers, which will point
out the sourcesofinformationon each subject, and enable the reader to extend
his inquiries further if he wishes. At the same time it must be observed,
that it has been impossible to give at the end of each article the whole ofthe
literature which belongs to it. Such a list of works as a full account of
the literature would require, would have swelled the work much beyond the
limits ofa single volume, and ithas thereforeonlybeen possible to refer to the
principal modern authorities. This has been more particularly the case with
such articles as treat ofthe Roman constitution and law, on which the modern
writers are almost innumerable.
A
work like the present might havebeen arranged either in a systematic or
analphabeticalform. Eachplanhasitsadvantagesanddisadvantages,butmany
reasons induced the Editor to adoptthe latter. Besides the obvious advantage
of an alphabetical arrangement in a work of reference like the present, it
enabled theEditor toavailhimselfoftheassistance ofseveralscholarswhohad
made certain departments of antiquity their particular study. It is quite im-
possible that a workwhich comprehends all the subjects included under Greek
and Roman Antiquitiescanbewritten satisfactorilybyany one individual. As
it was thereforeabsolutelynecessary todividethe labour, nootherarrangement
offered so many facilities for the purpose as that which has been adopted; in
addition to which, the form of a Dictionary has the additional advantage of
enabling the writer to give a complete account of a subject under one head,
which cannot so well bedone in asystematic work. An examplewillillustrate
what is meant. A history of the patrician and plebeian orders at Rome can
PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION.
only be gained fromasystematic work byputting together the statements con-
tained in manydifferent parts ofthe work, while, in a Dictionary, a connected
view of their history is given from the earliest to the latest times under the
respective words. The same remark will apply to numerous other subjects.
Somesubjectshavebeen includedinthepresentworkwhichhavenotusually
been treated of in works on Greek and Roman Antiquities. These subjects
have been inserted on account ofthe important influence which theyexercised
upon the publicand private life ofthe ancients. Thus, considerable spacehas
been given to the articles on Painting and Statuary, and also to those on the
different departments oftheDrama. There mayseem tobesome inconsistency
and apparent capriciousnessin theadmission and rejection ofsubjects, but it is
very difficult to determine at what point to stop in a work of this kind. A
DictionaryofGreek andRoman Antiquities, ifunderstoodin itsmostextensive
signification, wouldcomprehendan accountofeverything relatingto antiquity.
In its narrower sense, however, the term is confinedtoan accountofthepublic
and private life of the Greeks and Romans, and it is convenient to adhere to
this signification of the word, however arbitrary it may be. For this reason
several articles have been inserted in theworkwhich some persons mayregard
as out of place, and others have been omitted which have sometimes been im-
properly included in writings on Greek and Roman Antiquities. Neither the
names ofpersons and divinities, nor those ofplaces, have been inserted in the
present work, as the former willbe treatedofin the "DictionaryofGreek and
Roman Biography and Mythology," andthelatter inthe "DictionaryofGreek
and Roman Geography."
The subjects ofthe woodcuts have been chosen bythe writers ofthe articles
which they illustrate, and the drawingshavebeenmade under theirsuperinten-
dence.* Manyofthesehavebeentaken from originals in the British Museum,
and others from the different works which contain representations ofworks of
ancient art, as the Museo Borbonico, Museo Capitolino, Millin's Peintures de
Vases Antiques, Tischbein's and D'Hancarville's engravings from Sir William
Hamilton's Vases, andothersimilarworks. Hithertolittleusehasbeenmadein
thiscountryofexistingworksofart,forthepurposeofillustratingantiquity. In
many cases, however, the representation of an object gives a far better idea of
the purposes for which it was intended, and the way in whichitwasused,than
any explanation in words only can convey. Besides which,someacquaintance
with the remains ofancient art is almost essential to aproperperception ofthe
spirit ofantiquity, and would tend to refine and elevate the taste, and lead to a
just appreciation ofworks ofart in general.
Mr. George Long, who has contributed to this work the articles relating to
Roman Law, has sent the Editor the following remarks, which he wishes to
make respectingthearticleshehas written, andwhichareaccordinglysubjoined
in his own words.
" The writer of the articles marked with the letters G. L. considers some
" apology necessary in respectofwhat he hascontributedtothiswork. Hehas
" never had the advantageofattending acourseoflecturesonRomanLaw,and
" hehaswritten these articlesinthemidstofnumerous engagements,which left
* The woodcutshaveheen executedby Mr. John Jackson.
Xll PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION.
" little timeforother labour. The want ofpropermaterialsalsowasoftenfelt,
" and it would have been sufficient to prevent the writer from venturingon
" suchan undertaking, if he had not been able to avail himself of the library
" ofhis friend, Mr. William Wright, of Lincoln's Inn. These circumstances
" will, perhaps, be some excuse for theerrors and imperfections which will be
" apparent enoughtothose who are competent judges. Itis only those who
" have formed an adequate conception of the extent and varietyofthe matter
" oflaw in general, and ofthe Roman Law in particular, who can estimate the
" difficulty ofwriting on such a subject inEngland, and theywill allow to him
" who has attempted it ajust measure ofindulgence. The writer claims such
" indulgence from thoselivingwriters ofwhose labours he has availed himself,
" ifany of these articles should ever fall in their way. It will be apparent
" that these articles have been written mainly with the view of illustrating
" the classical writers and that a consideration of the persons for whose use
;
they are intended, and the present state ofknowledgeof the Roman Lawin
" this country, havebeen sufficient reasons for the omissionofmanyimportant
" matters which would have been useless to most readers and sometimes unin-
" telligible.
" Though few modern writers have been used, compared with the whole
" number who might havebeen used, they are not absolutely few, and many of
" them to Englishmen are new. Many ofthem also are the best, and among
" thebest, ofthekind. The difficulty ofwritingthesearticles was increasedby
" thewantofbooks intheEnglishlanguage for,thoughwe havemanywriters
;
" on various departments ofthe Roman Law, of whom two or threehave been
" referred to, theyhave been seldom used, and with very little profit."
It would be improper to close these remarks without stating the obligations
this work is under to Mr. Long. It was chiefly through his advice and en-
couragement that the Editor was induced to undertake it, and during its
progress he has always been ready to give his counsel whenever it was
needed. It is therefore as much a matter ofduty asit is of pleasure, to make
this public acknowledgment to him.
WILLIAM SMITH.
London, April 2nd, 1842.