Esi-liylus and his immediate successors the the-
atrical contests advanced to a high degree of impor-
tance.
atrical contests advanced to a high degree of impor-
tance.
Charles - 1867 - Classical Dictionary
--Michaud, Biogr.
Univ.
, vol.
45,
p. 230. )
Thala, a city of Africa, in the dominions of Ju-
eurtha. It is supposed by some to be the same with
f elepte, now Ferrcanach, though this seems doubtful.
Mannert, however, inclines to this opinion. (Consult
? ? Shaw's Travels in Barbary, vol. 1, pt. 2, c. 5. )
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? THA
THE
bvpi nearli opposite to the modem Racca. Geogra-
pners are wrong in removing it to Ul-Dcer (Wil-
uams, Giogr. of Asia, p. 129, ser/q ) This ford was
passed by Cyrus the Younger in his expedition against
Artaxerxe*' afterward by Darius after his defeat by
Alexander at Issus; and near three years after by Al-
exander in pursuit of Darius, previous to the battle of
Arbela. (Xen. , Anab. , 1, 4. --Plin. , 5, 24 --Stepk.
Byz. ,i. r)
Thapsus, I. now Demsas, a town of Africa Propria,
on the coast, southeast of Hadrumctum, where Scipio
and Juba wero defeated by Coisar. It was otherwise
a place of little consequence. (Manner! , Gcogr. , vol.
10, pt. 2, p. 241. )--II. A town of Sicily, on the east-
ern coast, not far to the north of Syracuse. It was
situate on a peninsula, which was sometimes called an
island, and which now bears the name of Macromsi.
The place probably obtained its name from the penin-
sula producing the ^tixfioc, a sort of plant or shrub
used for dyeing yellow. (Thucyd. , 6,4. --Bloomfield,
ad Thucyd. , I. e. )
Thasus, an island in the -Etrcan, off the coast of
Thrace, and opposite the mouth of the Nestus. It
received, at a very remote period, a colony of Phoeni-
cians, under the conduct of Thasus (Herod. , 6, 47.
-- Scymn. , Ch. , v. 660), that enterprising people having
already formed settlements in several islands of the
^Egean. (Thucyd. , 1, 8. ) They were induced to
possess themselves of Thasus, from the valuable sil-
ver-mines which it contained, and which, it appears,
they afterward worked with unremitting assiduity.
Herodotus, who visited this island, reports that a large
mountain on the side of Samothrace had been turned
upside down (uvrarpa/ifievov) in search of the precious
uir-tal. Thasus, at a later period, was recolonized by
a party of Parians, pursuant to the command of an or-
acle to the father of the poet Archilochus. From this
document, quoted by Stephanas, we learn that the
ancient name of the island was iEria. (Pliny, 4,
IS. ) It is said by others to have been also named
Cbxyse. (Eustath. , ad Dion. Ptrieg. , p. 97. ) His-
? iseus the Milesian,during the disturbances occasioned
by the Ionian revolt, fruitlessly endeavoured to make
himself master of this island, which was subsequently
conquered by Mardonius, when the Thasians were
commanded to pull down their fortifications, and re-
move their ships to Abdera. (Herod. , 6,44. ) On the
expulsion of the Persians from Greece, Thasus, to-
gether with the other islands on this coast, became
tributary to Athens; disputes, however, having arisen
between the islanders and that po-ver 3n the subject of
the mines on the Thracian coast, a war ensued, and
the Thasians were besieged for three years. On their
surrender their fortifications were destroyed, and their
ships of war removed to Athens. (Thucyd. , I, 101. )
Thasus once more revolted, after the great failure of
the Athenians in Sicily, at which lime a change was
effected in the government of the island from democ-
racy to oligarchy. (Thucyd, 8, 64. ) According to
Herodotus, the revenues of Thasus amounted to two
hundred, and sometimes three hundred, talents annu-
ally. These funds were principally derived from the
mines of Scapte-hyle, in Thrace (6, 48). --The capital
of the island was Thasus. --Thasus furnished, besides
gold and silver, marbles and wine, which were much
esteemed. (Plin. , 35, 6. -- Senee. , Epi. it. , 86. --
Athen. , 1,51. ) The soil was excellent. (Dion. Pe-
? ? rieg. , v. 623 ) The modern name of the island is
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? THEATRUM.
xHEATKUM.
divtiu worship. In Greece, pre-eminently ihe land of
:he song and the lyre, this practice prevailed from the
moat ancient times. At the periodic festivals of their
several deities, bands of choristers, accompanied by
the pipe, the lute, or the harp, sang the general praisea
of the god. or episodic narrations ol his various achieve-
ments. The leasts of Bacchus had, of course, their
sacred choruses; and these choruses, from the cir-
cumstances of the festival, naturally fell into two
classes of very different character. The hymns ad-
dreascd immediately to the divinity, round the hal-
lowed altar during the solemnity of the service, were
grave, lofty, and restrained. The songs inspired by
the carousals of the banquet, and uttered amid the rev-
elriea of the Phallic procession, were coarse, ludi-
crous, and satirical, interspersed with mutual jeat and
gibe. 1'he hymn which accompanied the opening sac-
rifice was called iiBvpaptot, a term of doubtful ety-
mology and import. Perhaps, like the repulsive sym-
bol ol the Phallic rites, its origin must be referred to
an Eastern clime. --Besides the chanters of the Dithy-
ramb and the singers of the Phallic, there was, proba-
bly from the first introduction of Bacchic worship, a
third class of performers in these annual festivals.
Fauns and Satyrs were, in popular belief, the regular
attendants of the deity; and the received character of
these singular beings was in admirable harmony with
the merry Dionysia. The goat, as an animal espe-
cially injurious to the vines, and, therefore, peculiarly
obnoxious to the god of the vineyard, was the appro-
priate offering in the Bacchic sacrifices. In the horns
and hide of the victim, all that was requisite to furnish
aatyric guise was at hand ; and thus a baud of mum-
mers was easily formed, whose wit, waggery, and gri-
mace would prove no insignificant addition to the
amusements of the village carnival. --In these rude
festivities the splendid drama of the Greeks found its
origin. The lofty poetry of the Dithyramb, combined
with the lively exhibition of the Satyric chorus, was at
length wrought out into the majestic tragedy of Soph-
ocles. The Phallic song was expanded and improved
into the wonderful comedy of Aristophanes--<<In the
first rise of the Bacchic festivals, the rustic singers
used to pour forth their own unpolished and extempo-
raneous strains. By degrees, these rude choruses as-
sumed a more artificial form. Emulation was excited,
and contests between neighbouring districts led to the
successive introduction of such improvements as might
tend to add interest and effect to the rival exhibitions.
It was probably now that a distinction in prizes was
made. Heretofore a goat appears to have been the
ordinary reward of the victorious choristers; and the
term Tpayydia (rpuyov uiij), or goat-song, to have
comprehended the several choral chaniings in the Di-
snysia. To the Dithyramb a bull was now assigned,
as a nobler meed for its sacred ode; the successful
singers of the Phallic received a basket of figs and a
vessel of wine; while the goat wss left to the Satyric
chorus. Subsequently, when the Dithyramb and the
drama had become established in all their perfection
? . hrouglioiit the cities of Greece, the general prize was
? tripod, which was commonly dedicated by the victor
tj Bacchus, with a tablet, bearing the names of the
successful composer, choragus, and tribe. --The Dithy-
ramb was at a very early period admitted into the
Doric cities, and there cherished will peculiar atten-
tion by a succession of poets; among whom Archilo-
? ? ehus of Paros, Arion of Methylene, Simonidea of
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? THEA1 HUM.
tHEATKCM.
tetor wr. n his episodic recitations was so important
an advance, as leading directly to the formation of
dramatic plot and dialogue; and the other improve-
ments, which imparted skill, regularity, and unity to
the movements of the chorus, were of so influential a
description, that Thespis is generally considered the
inventor of the drama. Of tragedy, properly so call-
ed, he does not appear to have had any idea. ' Stories,
more or less ludicrous, generally turning upon Bac-
chus and his followers, interwoven with the dance and
the song of a well-trained chorus, formed the drama
of Thespis. --The Satyric chorus had by this time
been admitted into Athens; contests were set on foot;
and the aucccss which attended the novelties of Thes-
pis sharpened, no doubt, the talents of his competi-
tors. This emulation would naturally produce im-
firovement upon improvement: but we discover no
cading change in the line of the incipient drama until
the appearance of Phrynichus, the son of Polyphrad-
inon and the pupil of Thespis. At the close of the
sixth century before Christ, the elements of tragedy,
though still in a separate state, were individually so
fitted and prepared as to require nothing but a master
hand to unite them into one whole of life and beauty.
The Dithyramb presented in its sok'nn tone and lofty
strains a rich mine of choral poetry; the regular nar-
rative and mimetic character of the Thespian chorus
furnished the form and materials of dramatic exhibi-
tion. To Phrynichus belongs the chief merit of this
combination. Dropping the light and farcical cast of
the Thespian drama, and dismissing altogether Bac-
chus with his satyrs, he sought for the subjects of his
pieces in the grave and striking events registered in the
mythology or history of his country. This, however,
was not a practice altogether original or unexampled.
The fact, casually mentioned by Herodotus (5, 67),
that the tragic choruses at Sicyon sung, not the adven-
tures of Bacchus, but the woes of Adrastus, shows
that, in the Cyclic chorus at least, melancholy incident
tnd mortal personages had long before been intro-
duced. There is also some reason for supposing that
the young tragedian was deeply indebted to Homer in
the formation of his drama. Aristotle distinctly at-
tributes to the author of the Iliad and Odyssey the
primary suggestion of tragedy, as in his Margites was
given the first idea of comedy. (Poet. , 4, 12. ) Now
it is an historical fact, that, a few years before Phryn-
ichus began to exhibit, the Homeric poems had been
collected, revised, arranged, and published by the care
of Pisistratus. (Cic. , de Oral. , 3, 34. ) Such an
event would naturally attract attention, and add a
deeper interest to the study of this mighty master;
and it is easy to conceive how his /n/tf/neir Spa/tan-
Kai, as Aristotle terms them, would strike and operate
upon a mind acute, ready, and ingenious, as that of
Phrynichus must have been. At any rate, these two
facts stand in close chronological connexion--the first
edition of Homer, and the hirth of tragedy properly so
called --Taking, then, the ode and the tone of the
Dithyramb, the mimetic personifications of Homer and
the themes which additional tradition or even recent
events supplied, Phrynichus combined these several
materials together, and so brought them forward under
the dramatic form of the Thespian exhibition. Thus,
at length, docs tragedy dawn upon us. --These changes
in the character of the drama necessarily produced
corresponding alterations in its form and manner. The
? ? recitative was no longer a set of disjointed, rambling
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? THEATRJM
THEATl'. UM
H*rmeas and Proclus, the commentators on Plato,
the loss is not very great. -- Pratinas was a native of
Phhus, and a poet of higher talent He too attempt-
ed the new style of dramatic composition, and once
obtained a tragic victory. But the manifest pre-emi-
nence of the youthful iEschylus probably deterred the
Phliasian from continuing to cultivate the graver form
o the art, and led hint to contrive a novel and mixed
kind of play. Borrowing from tragedy its external
. "brut and mythological materials, Pratinas added a
chorus of Satyrs, << th their lively songs, gestures, and
movements. This new composition was called the
Satyric Drama. The novelty was exceedingly well-
timed. The innovations of Thespis and PhrynichuB
had banished the Satyric chorus, with its wild pranks
and merriment, to the great displeasure of the com-
monalty, who retained a strong regret for their old
amusement amid the new and more refined exhibitions.
The Satyric drama gave them back, under an improved
form, the favourite diversion of former limes; and was
received with such universal applause, that the tragic
poets, in compliance with the humour of their auditors,
deemed it advisable to combine this ludicrous exhibi-
tion with their graver pieces. One Satyric drama was
added to each tragic trilogy, as long as the custom
of contending with a series of plays, and not with sin-
gle pieces, continued. . (Eschylus, Sophocles, and Eu-
ripides were all distinguished Satyric composers; and
in the Cyclops of the latter we possess the only extant
specimen of this singular composition. As regards
the changes produced by -Eschylus in the drama, rid.
jEscliylus.
2. Dramatic Contests.
The precise time at which the contests of the dra-
ma commenced is uncertain. The Arundel Marble
would make them coeval with the first inventions of
Thespis. On the other hand, Plutarch assures us that
no scenic contests were established until some years
after the early Thespian exhibitions. (Vit. Sol. , 29. )
The true account appears to be this :? The contests of
the Dithyrambic and Satyric choruses were almost con-
temporaneous with their origin. Those of the Dithy-
ramb continued without interruption to the latest pe-
riod of theatric spectacle in ancient Greece: and al-
though the great improvements of Thespis might, for
the moment, excite admiration rather than competi-
tion, yet doubtless his distinguished success soon
stimulated others to attempt this new and popular
kind of entertainment, and rival the originator. Un-
der . ?
Esi-liylus and his immediate successors the the-
atrical contests advanced to a high degree of impor-
tance. They were placed under the superintendence
of the magistracy; the representations were given
with every advantage of stage decoration, and the ex-
penses defrayed as a public concern. These contests
were maintained at Athens with more or less splen-
dour and talent for several centuries, long surviving
her independence and grandeur. --In accordance with
the origin of the drama, its contests were confined to
the Dionysia, or festivals of Bacchus, the patron deity
of scenic entertainments. These festivals were four
in number, and occurred in the 6th, 7th, eth, and 9th
months respectively of the Attic year. (Donaldson,
Theatre of the Greeks, p. 132, and the authorities quo-
ted by him, in notis. )--I. The " Country-Dicmysia"
(To iror* dypovc biovvoia) were held in all the coun-
try towns and villages throughout Attica, in Posei-
? ? deon, the aixth Athenian month, corresponding to the
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? THEATRUM.
THEATRUM
Lnt. , 1, p. 54) The Choragia, the Gymnasiarchy,
the Feasting of lae Tribes, and the Archilheoria, be-
longed to the class of regularly-recurring state burdens
(iynvufaoi 'keirovpyiai), to which all persons whose
property exceeded three talents were liable. It was
the business of the Choragus to provide the chorus in
all plays, whether tragic or comic, and also for the
lyric choruses of men and boys, Pyrrhichists, Cyclian
dancers, and others. His first duty, after collecting
his chorus, was to provide and pay a teacher (xopoit-
ddaKaXoc), who instructed them in the songs and dan-
ces which they had to perform; and it appears that Clio-
ragi drew lots for the first ci. oice of teachers. The
Choragus had also to pay the musicians and singers
who composed the chorus, and was allowed to press
children, if their parents did not give them up of their
own accord. He was obliged to lodge and maintain
the chorus till the time of performance, and to supply
the singers with such aliments as conduce to strength-
en thq voice. In the laws of Solon, the age prescribed
for the Choragus was forty years; but this law does
not appear to have been long in force. The relative
expense of the different choruses in the time of Lysias
is given in a speech of that orator. ('AttoX. dupoS. ,
p. 698. ) We learn from this that the tragic chorus
cost nearly twice as much as the comic, though nei-
ther of the dramatic choruses was so expensive as the
-chorus of men or the chorus of rlute-players. (Dc-
moslh. in Mid. , p. 565. ) No foreigner was allowed
to dance in the choruses of the great Dionysia. (Pe-
tit, p. 353. ) If any Choragus was convicted of em-
ploying one in his chorus, he was liable to a fine of
a thousand drachms. This law did not extend to the
Lenten (Petit, p. 353); there the Meroixot also might
be Choragi. The'rival Choragi were termed avTixbpn-
yoi \ the contending dramatic poets, and the compo-
sers for the Cyclian or other choruses, uvnAiiaoKaXoi;
the performers, airlrexvot. (Alcifhron, 3, 48 )--Du-
ring one period in the history of the Athenian stage,
the tragic candidates were each to produce three seri-
ous and one Satyric drama, together entitled a rerpa-
toy La; otherwise, omitting the Satyric drama, the three
tragedies, taken by themselves, were called a rpiXnyia.
The earliest Terpa\oyia on record is that one of ^Es-
chylus which contained the Versa, and was exhibited
B. C. 472. From that dale down to B. C. 415, a space
of fifty-seven years, we have frequent notices of tetral-
ogies. In B. C. 415, Euripides represented a tetralo-
gy, one of the dramas in which was the Troades. Af-
ter this time it does not appear from any ancient testi-
mony whether the custom was continued or not. In-
deed, it is matter of great doubt whether the practice
was at any time regular and indispensable. Some-
times, as in tho Oresteind of /Eschylus, and the Pan-
dionid of Philocles, the three tragedies were on a com-
mon and connected subject; in general we find the
case otherwise. (Aristoph. , Ran. , 1122. -- Id. , Av. ,
280. )--The prize of tragedy was, as has already been
noticed, originally a goat; of comedy, a jar of wine
and a basket of figs: but of these we have no intima-
tion after the first stage in the history of the drama.
In later times the successful poet was simply reward-
ed with a wreath of ivy. (Alhen. , 5, p. 217 ) His
name was also proclaimed before the audience. His
Choragus and performers were adorned in like manner.
The poet used also, with his actors, to sacrifice the
tiriviKia, and provide an entertainment, to which bis
? ? friends were invited. The victorious Choragus in a
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? THEATRUM
1'HEATRUM.
of Berlin, nas drawn up a atalement, in the main satisfac-
tory. (Gcnel(i, Daa Theater zuAthen, Berlin, 1818. )
--The theatre of Bacchus at Athens stood on the south-
eastern side of the eminence crowned by the noble
buildings of the Acropolis. From the level of the plain
a semicircular excavation gradually ascended up the
slope of a hill to a considerable height. Hound the
concavity, seats for an audience of thirty thousand per-
sons arose range above range; and the whole was top-
ped >nd enclosed by a lofty portico, adorned with s'al-
ues ind surmounted by a balustraded terrace. The
tieis of benches were divided into two or three broad
belts, by passages termed ita^ufiara (called in the
Roman theatres praeinctiones), and again transverse-
ly into wedge-like masses, called xepKide; (in Latin
cunei), by several flights of steps, radiating upward
from the level below to the portico above. The lower
seats, as being the better adapted for hearing and see-
ing, were considered the most honourable, and there-
fore appropriated to the high magistrates, the priests,
and the senate. This space was named Bov? . cvrtK<>v.
(Ariitoph. , Av. , 29i. --Eq. , 669 ) The body of the
citizens were probably arranged according to their
tribes. The young men sat apart in a division, en-
titled 'F. QifiLMiv. The sojourners anil strangers had
also their places allotted them. --Twelve feet beneath
the lowest range of seats lay a level space, partly en-
closed by the sweep of the excavation, and partly ex-
tending outward right and left in a long parallelo-
giam. This was the 'Opxyorpa. In the middle of
this open flat stood a small platform, square and slightly
elevated, called Ovin'/J/, which served both as an altar
for the sacrifices, that preceded the exhibition, and as
the central point to which the choral movements were
all referred. That part of the orchestra which lay
without the concavity of the seats, and ran along on
either hand to the boundary wall of the theatre, was
called Apo/iof (the Roman Iter). The wings, as they
might be termed, of this Aoo/jnc, were named Itaoodot,
ana the entrances which led into them through the
boundary wall, were entitled Eiootioi (the Roman
Adttux). -- On the side of the orchestra opposite the
amphitheatre of benches, and exactly on a level with
the lowest range, stood the platform of the 2k//i? *) or
stage, in breadth nearly equal to the diameter of the
semicircular part of the orchestra, and communicating
with tht Afio/jor/ by a double flight of steps. The
stage was cut breadthwise into two divisions. The
one in front, called Aoyciw (the Latin pulpilum), was
a narrow parallelogram projecting into the orchestra.
<<. This was generally the station of the actors when
speaking, and therefore was constructed of wood, the
better to reverberate the voice. The front and sides
of the Aoyelov, twelve feet in height, adorned with
columns and statues between them, were called ra
bzooKr/via. --The part of the platform behind the Ac-
veiov was called the Upooitrjviov, and was built of
stone, in order to support the heavy scenery and dec-
orations, which there were placed. The proscenium
was backed and flanked by lofty buildings of stone-
work, representing externally a palace-like mansion,
and containing within, withdrawing-rooms for the ac-
tors and receptacles for the stage machinery. In the
central edifice were three entrances upon the prosceni-
um, which, by established practice, were made to desig-
nate the rank of the characters as they came on; the
highly ornamented portal in the middle, with the altar
? ? of Apollo on the right, being assigned to royalty, the
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? THEATRUM.
THEATRUM.
eaitb, and rapidly whirl them within the circle of scen-
ic clouds; Aurora was thus made to carry off the
dead body of her son Memnon. --There was, more-
over, the Bfiovreiov, a contrivance in the 'Y-ookj/vwv,
or room beneath the Aoyelov, where bladders full of
pebbles were rolled over sheets of copper, to produce
a noise like the rumbling of thunder. The Kepavvo-
oxoirciov was a place on the top of the stage buildings,
whence the artificial lightning was made to play through
? he clouds, which concealed the operator. --When the
action was simply on earth, there were certain pieces
of framework, the 2/(07r>j, Tetxof, Iltlpj-Of, and $pvn-
rupwv, representing, as their names import, a look-
out, a fortress-wall, a tower, and a beacon. These
were either set apart from the stationary erections of
the proscenium, or connected so as to give them, with
the assistance of the canvass scene, the proper aspect.
Here a sentinel was introduced, or a spectator, sup-
posed to be viewing some distant object. The 'H/u-
KVK/jnv was a semicircular machine, placed, when
wanted, on the country side of the stage, which en-
closed a representation of the sea or a city in the dis-
tance, towards which the eye looked through a pas-
sage between cliffs or an opening among trees. What
the Srpo^cfov and 'HfiiaTpoQeiov were, it is difficult
to make out. It would seem that they were con-
structed something like the 'il/iinvKAiuv, but moved
on a pivot, so that, by a sudden whirl, the object they
presented might be shown or withdrawn in an instant.
1'hey were employed to exhibit heroes transported to
the company of deities, and men perishing in the waves
of. the sea or the tumult of battle. --In some cases one
or more stories of the front wall in a temporary house
were made to turn upon binges, so that when this
front was drawn back, the interior of a room could be
wheeled out and exposed to view, as in the Acharni-
ans, where Euripides is so brought forward. This
contrivance was called 'EKKVKAn/ia. {Pollux, 4, 19. )
--Such were some of I he devices lor the scenes of
heaven and earth; but as ihe anciert dramatists fetch-
ed their personages not unfrequently from Tartarus,
other provisions were required for their due appear-
ance. --Benealh tho lowest range of seats, under the
stairs, which led up to them from the orchestra, was
fixed a door, which opened into the orchestra from a
vault beneath it by a flight of steps called Xapuviou
HAt/iaxce. Through this passage entered and disap-
peared the shades of the departed. Somewhat in
front of this door and steps was another communica-
tion by a trap-door with the vault below, called 'Ara-
meaua; by means of which, any sudden appearance,
like that of the Furies, was effected. A second 'Ava-
nitoua was contained in the floor of the Aoyelov on
the right or country side, whence particularly marine
or river-gods ascended, whra occasion required. --In
tragedy the scene was rarely changed. In comedy,
however, this was frequently done. To conceal the
stage during this operation, a curtain, called av/. ata,
wound round a roller benealh the floor, was drawn up
through a slit between the Aoyciov and proscenium.
4. Audience.
Originally no admission money was demanded.
(llcytr. h , Suid. et Harpocr. , a v. OeuptKa,--Liban. . ,
Arg. m Olynth. , I. ) The theatre was built at the
public expense, and, therefore, was open to every in-
dividual. The consequent crowding and quarrelling
for places among so vast a multitude was the cause of
? ? a law being passed, which fixed the entrance price at
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? THEATRUM.
TllEATRCM.
cturn as the fourth personage. The poet, however,
might introduce any number of mure*, as guards, at-
tendants, &. c. The actors were called vnokptrai or
ayuiiorai. 'XiroKpiveadai was originally to answer
[Hcrodot. , 1, 78, et passim); hence, when a locutor
was introduced who answered the chorus, he was call-
ad 6 in iKpiTTjc, or the answerer; a came which de-
scended to the more numerous and refined actors in
after days. Subsequently imoKpirrjc, from its being
the name of a perlormcr assuming a feigned character
OB the stage, came to signify a man who assumes a
feigned character in his intercourse with others, a
hypocrite. --The three actors were termed KpwTayuv-
ion/f, devrepayuiurriic, Tptrayuvtarqe, respectively,
according as each performed the principal or one of
the twi inferior characters. They took every pains to
attain perfection in their art: to acquire muscular en-
ergy and pliancy they frequented the palaestra, and to
give strength and clearness to their voice they ob-
served a rigid diet. An eminent performer was ea-
gerly sought after and liberally rewarded. The cele-
brated Polus would sometimes gain a talent (or nearly
81060) in the course of two days. The other sta'es
o( Greece were always anxious to secure the best At-
tic performers for their own festivals. They engaged
them long beforehand, and the agreement was gener-
ally accompanied by a stipulation, that the actor, in
case he failed to fulfil the contract, should pay a cer-
tain sum. The Athenian government, on the other
hand, punished their performers with a heavy fine if
they absented themselves during the city's festivals.
Eminence in the histrionic profession seems to have
been held in considerable estimation in Athena at
least. Players were not unfrequenlly sent, as the
representatives of the republic, on embassies and dep-
utations. Hence they became in old, as not unfre-
quently in modern times, self-conceited and domineer-
ing, utl&v iwavrai, says Aristotle, tuv ltotnruv ol
KKuspiTai. (Rhet. ,3,]. ) They were, however, as a
body, men of loose and dissipated character, and, as
sx. ch, were regarded with an unfavourable eye by the
ncralists and philosophers of that age.
6. Chorus.
The chorus, once the sole matter of exhibition,
though successively diminished by Thespis and JEm-
chyIns, was yet a very essential part of the drama du-
ring tho best days of the Greek theatre. The splen-
doui of the dresses, the music, the dancing, combined
with the loftiest poetry, formed a spectacle peculiarly
gratifying to the eye, ear, and intellect of an Attic au-
dience. The number of tho tragic chorus for the
whole trilogy appears to have been 50; the comic
chorus consisted of 34. The chorus of the tetralogy
was bioken into four sub-choruses, two of 15, one of
12, and a Satyric chorus of 8. When the chorus of
15 entered in ranks three abreast, it was said to be
divided nard Jvyd; when it was distributed into three
files or five, it was said to be Kara aroixovc. The
rituation assigned to the chorus was the orchestra,
whence it always took a part in the action of the dra-
ma, joining in the dialogue through the medium of
its mopvfaloc, or leader. The choristers entered the
orchestra preceded by a player on the flute, who reg-
alatcd their steps, sometimes in single file, more fre-
quently three in front and five in depth (Kara aroi-
jrovc), or vice versa (noro (yyu), in tragedy; and four
in front by sL in depth, or inversely, in comedy. Its
? ? first entrance was called rrapoioe; its occasional de-
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p. 230. )
Thala, a city of Africa, in the dominions of Ju-
eurtha. It is supposed by some to be the same with
f elepte, now Ferrcanach, though this seems doubtful.
Mannert, however, inclines to this opinion. (Consult
? ? Shaw's Travels in Barbary, vol. 1, pt. 2, c. 5. )
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? THA
THE
bvpi nearli opposite to the modem Racca. Geogra-
pners are wrong in removing it to Ul-Dcer (Wil-
uams, Giogr. of Asia, p. 129, ser/q ) This ford was
passed by Cyrus the Younger in his expedition against
Artaxerxe*' afterward by Darius after his defeat by
Alexander at Issus; and near three years after by Al-
exander in pursuit of Darius, previous to the battle of
Arbela. (Xen. , Anab. , 1, 4. --Plin. , 5, 24 --Stepk.
Byz. ,i. r)
Thapsus, I. now Demsas, a town of Africa Propria,
on the coast, southeast of Hadrumctum, where Scipio
and Juba wero defeated by Coisar. It was otherwise
a place of little consequence. (Manner! , Gcogr. , vol.
10, pt. 2, p. 241. )--II. A town of Sicily, on the east-
ern coast, not far to the north of Syracuse. It was
situate on a peninsula, which was sometimes called an
island, and which now bears the name of Macromsi.
The place probably obtained its name from the penin-
sula producing the ^tixfioc, a sort of plant or shrub
used for dyeing yellow. (Thucyd. , 6,4. --Bloomfield,
ad Thucyd. , I. e. )
Thasus, an island in the -Etrcan, off the coast of
Thrace, and opposite the mouth of the Nestus. It
received, at a very remote period, a colony of Phoeni-
cians, under the conduct of Thasus (Herod. , 6, 47.
-- Scymn. , Ch. , v. 660), that enterprising people having
already formed settlements in several islands of the
^Egean. (Thucyd. , 1, 8. ) They were induced to
possess themselves of Thasus, from the valuable sil-
ver-mines which it contained, and which, it appears,
they afterward worked with unremitting assiduity.
Herodotus, who visited this island, reports that a large
mountain on the side of Samothrace had been turned
upside down (uvrarpa/ifievov) in search of the precious
uir-tal. Thasus, at a later period, was recolonized by
a party of Parians, pursuant to the command of an or-
acle to the father of the poet Archilochus. From this
document, quoted by Stephanas, we learn that the
ancient name of the island was iEria. (Pliny, 4,
IS. ) It is said by others to have been also named
Cbxyse. (Eustath. , ad Dion. Ptrieg. , p. 97. ) His-
? iseus the Milesian,during the disturbances occasioned
by the Ionian revolt, fruitlessly endeavoured to make
himself master of this island, which was subsequently
conquered by Mardonius, when the Thasians were
commanded to pull down their fortifications, and re-
move their ships to Abdera. (Herod. , 6,44. ) On the
expulsion of the Persians from Greece, Thasus, to-
gether with the other islands on this coast, became
tributary to Athens; disputes, however, having arisen
between the islanders and that po-ver 3n the subject of
the mines on the Thracian coast, a war ensued, and
the Thasians were besieged for three years. On their
surrender their fortifications were destroyed, and their
ships of war removed to Athens. (Thucyd. , I, 101. )
Thasus once more revolted, after the great failure of
the Athenians in Sicily, at which lime a change was
effected in the government of the island from democ-
racy to oligarchy. (Thucyd, 8, 64. ) According to
Herodotus, the revenues of Thasus amounted to two
hundred, and sometimes three hundred, talents annu-
ally. These funds were principally derived from the
mines of Scapte-hyle, in Thrace (6, 48). --The capital
of the island was Thasus. --Thasus furnished, besides
gold and silver, marbles and wine, which were much
esteemed. (Plin. , 35, 6. -- Senee. , Epi. it. , 86. --
Athen. , 1,51. ) The soil was excellent. (Dion. Pe-
? ? rieg. , v. 623 ) The modern name of the island is
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? THEATRUM.
xHEATKUM.
divtiu worship. In Greece, pre-eminently ihe land of
:he song and the lyre, this practice prevailed from the
moat ancient times. At the periodic festivals of their
several deities, bands of choristers, accompanied by
the pipe, the lute, or the harp, sang the general praisea
of the god. or episodic narrations ol his various achieve-
ments. The leasts of Bacchus had, of course, their
sacred choruses; and these choruses, from the cir-
cumstances of the festival, naturally fell into two
classes of very different character. The hymns ad-
dreascd immediately to the divinity, round the hal-
lowed altar during the solemnity of the service, were
grave, lofty, and restrained. The songs inspired by
the carousals of the banquet, and uttered amid the rev-
elriea of the Phallic procession, were coarse, ludi-
crous, and satirical, interspersed with mutual jeat and
gibe. 1'he hymn which accompanied the opening sac-
rifice was called iiBvpaptot, a term of doubtful ety-
mology and import. Perhaps, like the repulsive sym-
bol ol the Phallic rites, its origin must be referred to
an Eastern clime. --Besides the chanters of the Dithy-
ramb and the singers of the Phallic, there was, proba-
bly from the first introduction of Bacchic worship, a
third class of performers in these annual festivals.
Fauns and Satyrs were, in popular belief, the regular
attendants of the deity; and the received character of
these singular beings was in admirable harmony with
the merry Dionysia. The goat, as an animal espe-
cially injurious to the vines, and, therefore, peculiarly
obnoxious to the god of the vineyard, was the appro-
priate offering in the Bacchic sacrifices. In the horns
and hide of the victim, all that was requisite to furnish
aatyric guise was at hand ; and thus a baud of mum-
mers was easily formed, whose wit, waggery, and gri-
mace would prove no insignificant addition to the
amusements of the village carnival. --In these rude
festivities the splendid drama of the Greeks found its
origin. The lofty poetry of the Dithyramb, combined
with the lively exhibition of the Satyric chorus, was at
length wrought out into the majestic tragedy of Soph-
ocles. The Phallic song was expanded and improved
into the wonderful comedy of Aristophanes--<<In the
first rise of the Bacchic festivals, the rustic singers
used to pour forth their own unpolished and extempo-
raneous strains. By degrees, these rude choruses as-
sumed a more artificial form. Emulation was excited,
and contests between neighbouring districts led to the
successive introduction of such improvements as might
tend to add interest and effect to the rival exhibitions.
It was probably now that a distinction in prizes was
made. Heretofore a goat appears to have been the
ordinary reward of the victorious choristers; and the
term Tpayydia (rpuyov uiij), or goat-song, to have
comprehended the several choral chaniings in the Di-
snysia. To the Dithyramb a bull was now assigned,
as a nobler meed for its sacred ode; the successful
singers of the Phallic received a basket of figs and a
vessel of wine; while the goat wss left to the Satyric
chorus. Subsequently, when the Dithyramb and the
drama had become established in all their perfection
? . hrouglioiit the cities of Greece, the general prize was
? tripod, which was commonly dedicated by the victor
tj Bacchus, with a tablet, bearing the names of the
successful composer, choragus, and tribe. --The Dithy-
ramb was at a very early period admitted into the
Doric cities, and there cherished will peculiar atten-
tion by a succession of poets; among whom Archilo-
? ? ehus of Paros, Arion of Methylene, Simonidea of
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? THEA1 HUM.
tHEATKCM.
tetor wr. n his episodic recitations was so important
an advance, as leading directly to the formation of
dramatic plot and dialogue; and the other improve-
ments, which imparted skill, regularity, and unity to
the movements of the chorus, were of so influential a
description, that Thespis is generally considered the
inventor of the drama. Of tragedy, properly so call-
ed, he does not appear to have had any idea. ' Stories,
more or less ludicrous, generally turning upon Bac-
chus and his followers, interwoven with the dance and
the song of a well-trained chorus, formed the drama
of Thespis. --The Satyric chorus had by this time
been admitted into Athens; contests were set on foot;
and the aucccss which attended the novelties of Thes-
pis sharpened, no doubt, the talents of his competi-
tors. This emulation would naturally produce im-
firovement upon improvement: but we discover no
cading change in the line of the incipient drama until
the appearance of Phrynichus, the son of Polyphrad-
inon and the pupil of Thespis. At the close of the
sixth century before Christ, the elements of tragedy,
though still in a separate state, were individually so
fitted and prepared as to require nothing but a master
hand to unite them into one whole of life and beauty.
The Dithyramb presented in its sok'nn tone and lofty
strains a rich mine of choral poetry; the regular nar-
rative and mimetic character of the Thespian chorus
furnished the form and materials of dramatic exhibi-
tion. To Phrynichus belongs the chief merit of this
combination. Dropping the light and farcical cast of
the Thespian drama, and dismissing altogether Bac-
chus with his satyrs, he sought for the subjects of his
pieces in the grave and striking events registered in the
mythology or history of his country. This, however,
was not a practice altogether original or unexampled.
The fact, casually mentioned by Herodotus (5, 67),
that the tragic choruses at Sicyon sung, not the adven-
tures of Bacchus, but the woes of Adrastus, shows
that, in the Cyclic chorus at least, melancholy incident
tnd mortal personages had long before been intro-
duced. There is also some reason for supposing that
the young tragedian was deeply indebted to Homer in
the formation of his drama. Aristotle distinctly at-
tributes to the author of the Iliad and Odyssey the
primary suggestion of tragedy, as in his Margites was
given the first idea of comedy. (Poet. , 4, 12. ) Now
it is an historical fact, that, a few years before Phryn-
ichus began to exhibit, the Homeric poems had been
collected, revised, arranged, and published by the care
of Pisistratus. (Cic. , de Oral. , 3, 34. ) Such an
event would naturally attract attention, and add a
deeper interest to the study of this mighty master;
and it is easy to conceive how his /n/tf/neir Spa/tan-
Kai, as Aristotle terms them, would strike and operate
upon a mind acute, ready, and ingenious, as that of
Phrynichus must have been. At any rate, these two
facts stand in close chronological connexion--the first
edition of Homer, and the hirth of tragedy properly so
called --Taking, then, the ode and the tone of the
Dithyramb, the mimetic personifications of Homer and
the themes which additional tradition or even recent
events supplied, Phrynichus combined these several
materials together, and so brought them forward under
the dramatic form of the Thespian exhibition. Thus,
at length, docs tragedy dawn upon us. --These changes
in the character of the drama necessarily produced
corresponding alterations in its form and manner. The
? ? recitative was no longer a set of disjointed, rambling
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? THEATRJM
THEATl'. UM
H*rmeas and Proclus, the commentators on Plato,
the loss is not very great. -- Pratinas was a native of
Phhus, and a poet of higher talent He too attempt-
ed the new style of dramatic composition, and once
obtained a tragic victory. But the manifest pre-emi-
nence of the youthful iEschylus probably deterred the
Phliasian from continuing to cultivate the graver form
o the art, and led hint to contrive a novel and mixed
kind of play. Borrowing from tragedy its external
. "brut and mythological materials, Pratinas added a
chorus of Satyrs, << th their lively songs, gestures, and
movements. This new composition was called the
Satyric Drama. The novelty was exceedingly well-
timed. The innovations of Thespis and PhrynichuB
had banished the Satyric chorus, with its wild pranks
and merriment, to the great displeasure of the com-
monalty, who retained a strong regret for their old
amusement amid the new and more refined exhibitions.
The Satyric drama gave them back, under an improved
form, the favourite diversion of former limes; and was
received with such universal applause, that the tragic
poets, in compliance with the humour of their auditors,
deemed it advisable to combine this ludicrous exhibi-
tion with their graver pieces. One Satyric drama was
added to each tragic trilogy, as long as the custom
of contending with a series of plays, and not with sin-
gle pieces, continued. . (Eschylus, Sophocles, and Eu-
ripides were all distinguished Satyric composers; and
in the Cyclops of the latter we possess the only extant
specimen of this singular composition. As regards
the changes produced by -Eschylus in the drama, rid.
jEscliylus.
2. Dramatic Contests.
The precise time at which the contests of the dra-
ma commenced is uncertain. The Arundel Marble
would make them coeval with the first inventions of
Thespis. On the other hand, Plutarch assures us that
no scenic contests were established until some years
after the early Thespian exhibitions. (Vit. Sol. , 29. )
The true account appears to be this :? The contests of
the Dithyrambic and Satyric choruses were almost con-
temporaneous with their origin. Those of the Dithy-
ramb continued without interruption to the latest pe-
riod of theatric spectacle in ancient Greece: and al-
though the great improvements of Thespis might, for
the moment, excite admiration rather than competi-
tion, yet doubtless his distinguished success soon
stimulated others to attempt this new and popular
kind of entertainment, and rival the originator. Un-
der . ?
Esi-liylus and his immediate successors the the-
atrical contests advanced to a high degree of impor-
tance. They were placed under the superintendence
of the magistracy; the representations were given
with every advantage of stage decoration, and the ex-
penses defrayed as a public concern. These contests
were maintained at Athens with more or less splen-
dour and talent for several centuries, long surviving
her independence and grandeur. --In accordance with
the origin of the drama, its contests were confined to
the Dionysia, or festivals of Bacchus, the patron deity
of scenic entertainments. These festivals were four
in number, and occurred in the 6th, 7th, eth, and 9th
months respectively of the Attic year. (Donaldson,
Theatre of the Greeks, p. 132, and the authorities quo-
ted by him, in notis. )--I. The " Country-Dicmysia"
(To iror* dypovc biovvoia) were held in all the coun-
try towns and villages throughout Attica, in Posei-
? ? deon, the aixth Athenian month, corresponding to the
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? THEATRUM.
THEATRUM
Lnt. , 1, p. 54) The Choragia, the Gymnasiarchy,
the Feasting of lae Tribes, and the Archilheoria, be-
longed to the class of regularly-recurring state burdens
(iynvufaoi 'keirovpyiai), to which all persons whose
property exceeded three talents were liable. It was
the business of the Choragus to provide the chorus in
all plays, whether tragic or comic, and also for the
lyric choruses of men and boys, Pyrrhichists, Cyclian
dancers, and others. His first duty, after collecting
his chorus, was to provide and pay a teacher (xopoit-
ddaKaXoc), who instructed them in the songs and dan-
ces which they had to perform; and it appears that Clio-
ragi drew lots for the first ci. oice of teachers. The
Choragus had also to pay the musicians and singers
who composed the chorus, and was allowed to press
children, if their parents did not give them up of their
own accord. He was obliged to lodge and maintain
the chorus till the time of performance, and to supply
the singers with such aliments as conduce to strength-
en thq voice. In the laws of Solon, the age prescribed
for the Choragus was forty years; but this law does
not appear to have been long in force. The relative
expense of the different choruses in the time of Lysias
is given in a speech of that orator. ('AttoX. dupoS. ,
p. 698. ) We learn from this that the tragic chorus
cost nearly twice as much as the comic, though nei-
ther of the dramatic choruses was so expensive as the
-chorus of men or the chorus of rlute-players. (Dc-
moslh. in Mid. , p. 565. ) No foreigner was allowed
to dance in the choruses of the great Dionysia. (Pe-
tit, p. 353. ) If any Choragus was convicted of em-
ploying one in his chorus, he was liable to a fine of
a thousand drachms. This law did not extend to the
Lenten (Petit, p. 353); there the Meroixot also might
be Choragi. The'rival Choragi were termed avTixbpn-
yoi \ the contending dramatic poets, and the compo-
sers for the Cyclian or other choruses, uvnAiiaoKaXoi;
the performers, airlrexvot. (Alcifhron, 3, 48 )--Du-
ring one period in the history of the Athenian stage,
the tragic candidates were each to produce three seri-
ous and one Satyric drama, together entitled a rerpa-
toy La; otherwise, omitting the Satyric drama, the three
tragedies, taken by themselves, were called a rpiXnyia.
The earliest Terpa\oyia on record is that one of ^Es-
chylus which contained the Versa, and was exhibited
B. C. 472. From that dale down to B. C. 415, a space
of fifty-seven years, we have frequent notices of tetral-
ogies. In B. C. 415, Euripides represented a tetralo-
gy, one of the dramas in which was the Troades. Af-
ter this time it does not appear from any ancient testi-
mony whether the custom was continued or not. In-
deed, it is matter of great doubt whether the practice
was at any time regular and indispensable. Some-
times, as in tho Oresteind of /Eschylus, and the Pan-
dionid of Philocles, the three tragedies were on a com-
mon and connected subject; in general we find the
case otherwise. (Aristoph. , Ran. , 1122. -- Id. , Av. ,
280. )--The prize of tragedy was, as has already been
noticed, originally a goat; of comedy, a jar of wine
and a basket of figs: but of these we have no intima-
tion after the first stage in the history of the drama.
In later times the successful poet was simply reward-
ed with a wreath of ivy. (Alhen. , 5, p. 217 ) His
name was also proclaimed before the audience. His
Choragus and performers were adorned in like manner.
The poet used also, with his actors, to sacrifice the
tiriviKia, and provide an entertainment, to which bis
? ? friends were invited. The victorious Choragus in a
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? THEATRUM
1'HEATRUM.
of Berlin, nas drawn up a atalement, in the main satisfac-
tory. (Gcnel(i, Daa Theater zuAthen, Berlin, 1818. )
--The theatre of Bacchus at Athens stood on the south-
eastern side of the eminence crowned by the noble
buildings of the Acropolis. From the level of the plain
a semicircular excavation gradually ascended up the
slope of a hill to a considerable height. Hound the
concavity, seats for an audience of thirty thousand per-
sons arose range above range; and the whole was top-
ped >nd enclosed by a lofty portico, adorned with s'al-
ues ind surmounted by a balustraded terrace. The
tieis of benches were divided into two or three broad
belts, by passages termed ita^ufiara (called in the
Roman theatres praeinctiones), and again transverse-
ly into wedge-like masses, called xepKide; (in Latin
cunei), by several flights of steps, radiating upward
from the level below to the portico above. The lower
seats, as being the better adapted for hearing and see-
ing, were considered the most honourable, and there-
fore appropriated to the high magistrates, the priests,
and the senate. This space was named Bov? . cvrtK<>v.
(Ariitoph. , Av. , 29i. --Eq. , 669 ) The body of the
citizens were probably arranged according to their
tribes. The young men sat apart in a division, en-
titled 'F. QifiLMiv. The sojourners anil strangers had
also their places allotted them. --Twelve feet beneath
the lowest range of seats lay a level space, partly en-
closed by the sweep of the excavation, and partly ex-
tending outward right and left in a long parallelo-
giam. This was the 'Opxyorpa. In the middle of
this open flat stood a small platform, square and slightly
elevated, called Ovin'/J/, which served both as an altar
for the sacrifices, that preceded the exhibition, and as
the central point to which the choral movements were
all referred. That part of the orchestra which lay
without the concavity of the seats, and ran along on
either hand to the boundary wall of the theatre, was
called Apo/iof (the Roman Iter). The wings, as they
might be termed, of this Aoo/jnc, were named Itaoodot,
ana the entrances which led into them through the
boundary wall, were entitled Eiootioi (the Roman
Adttux). -- On the side of the orchestra opposite the
amphitheatre of benches, and exactly on a level with
the lowest range, stood the platform of the 2k//i? *) or
stage, in breadth nearly equal to the diameter of the
semicircular part of the orchestra, and communicating
with tht Afio/jor/ by a double flight of steps. The
stage was cut breadthwise into two divisions. The
one in front, called Aoyciw (the Latin pulpilum), was
a narrow parallelogram projecting into the orchestra.
<<. This was generally the station of the actors when
speaking, and therefore was constructed of wood, the
better to reverberate the voice. The front and sides
of the Aoyelov, twelve feet in height, adorned with
columns and statues between them, were called ra
bzooKr/via. --The part of the platform behind the Ac-
veiov was called the Upooitrjviov, and was built of
stone, in order to support the heavy scenery and dec-
orations, which there were placed. The proscenium
was backed and flanked by lofty buildings of stone-
work, representing externally a palace-like mansion,
and containing within, withdrawing-rooms for the ac-
tors and receptacles for the stage machinery. In the
central edifice were three entrances upon the prosceni-
um, which, by established practice, were made to desig-
nate the rank of the characters as they came on; the
highly ornamented portal in the middle, with the altar
? ? of Apollo on the right, being assigned to royalty, the
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? THEATRUM.
THEATRUM.
eaitb, and rapidly whirl them within the circle of scen-
ic clouds; Aurora was thus made to carry off the
dead body of her son Memnon. --There was, more-
over, the Bfiovreiov, a contrivance in the 'Y-ookj/vwv,
or room beneath the Aoyelov, where bladders full of
pebbles were rolled over sheets of copper, to produce
a noise like the rumbling of thunder. The Kepavvo-
oxoirciov was a place on the top of the stage buildings,
whence the artificial lightning was made to play through
? he clouds, which concealed the operator. --When the
action was simply on earth, there were certain pieces
of framework, the 2/(07r>j, Tetxof, Iltlpj-Of, and $pvn-
rupwv, representing, as their names import, a look-
out, a fortress-wall, a tower, and a beacon. These
were either set apart from the stationary erections of
the proscenium, or connected so as to give them, with
the assistance of the canvass scene, the proper aspect.
Here a sentinel was introduced, or a spectator, sup-
posed to be viewing some distant object. The 'H/u-
KVK/jnv was a semicircular machine, placed, when
wanted, on the country side of the stage, which en-
closed a representation of the sea or a city in the dis-
tance, towards which the eye looked through a pas-
sage between cliffs or an opening among trees. What
the Srpo^cfov and 'HfiiaTpoQeiov were, it is difficult
to make out. It would seem that they were con-
structed something like the 'il/iinvKAiuv, but moved
on a pivot, so that, by a sudden whirl, the object they
presented might be shown or withdrawn in an instant.
1'hey were employed to exhibit heroes transported to
the company of deities, and men perishing in the waves
of. the sea or the tumult of battle. --In some cases one
or more stories of the front wall in a temporary house
were made to turn upon binges, so that when this
front was drawn back, the interior of a room could be
wheeled out and exposed to view, as in the Acharni-
ans, where Euripides is so brought forward. This
contrivance was called 'EKKVKAn/ia. {Pollux, 4, 19. )
--Such were some of I he devices lor the scenes of
heaven and earth; but as ihe anciert dramatists fetch-
ed their personages not unfrequently from Tartarus,
other provisions were required for their due appear-
ance. --Benealh tho lowest range of seats, under the
stairs, which led up to them from the orchestra, was
fixed a door, which opened into the orchestra from a
vault beneath it by a flight of steps called Xapuviou
HAt/iaxce. Through this passage entered and disap-
peared the shades of the departed. Somewhat in
front of this door and steps was another communica-
tion by a trap-door with the vault below, called 'Ara-
meaua; by means of which, any sudden appearance,
like that of the Furies, was effected. A second 'Ava-
nitoua was contained in the floor of the Aoyelov on
the right or country side, whence particularly marine
or river-gods ascended, whra occasion required. --In
tragedy the scene was rarely changed. In comedy,
however, this was frequently done. To conceal the
stage during this operation, a curtain, called av/. ata,
wound round a roller benealh the floor, was drawn up
through a slit between the Aoyciov and proscenium.
4. Audience.
Originally no admission money was demanded.
(llcytr. h , Suid. et Harpocr. , a v. OeuptKa,--Liban. . ,
Arg. m Olynth. , I. ) The theatre was built at the
public expense, and, therefore, was open to every in-
dividual. The consequent crowding and quarrelling
for places among so vast a multitude was the cause of
? ? a law being passed, which fixed the entrance price at
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? THEATRUM.
TllEATRCM.
cturn as the fourth personage. The poet, however,
might introduce any number of mure*, as guards, at-
tendants, &. c. The actors were called vnokptrai or
ayuiiorai. 'XiroKpiveadai was originally to answer
[Hcrodot. , 1, 78, et passim); hence, when a locutor
was introduced who answered the chorus, he was call-
ad 6 in iKpiTTjc, or the answerer; a came which de-
scended to the more numerous and refined actors in
after days. Subsequently imoKpirrjc, from its being
the name of a perlormcr assuming a feigned character
OB the stage, came to signify a man who assumes a
feigned character in his intercourse with others, a
hypocrite. --The three actors were termed KpwTayuv-
ion/f, devrepayuiurriic, Tptrayuvtarqe, respectively,
according as each performed the principal or one of
the twi inferior characters. They took every pains to
attain perfection in their art: to acquire muscular en-
ergy and pliancy they frequented the palaestra, and to
give strength and clearness to their voice they ob-
served a rigid diet. An eminent performer was ea-
gerly sought after and liberally rewarded. The cele-
brated Polus would sometimes gain a talent (or nearly
81060) in the course of two days. The other sta'es
o( Greece were always anxious to secure the best At-
tic performers for their own festivals. They engaged
them long beforehand, and the agreement was gener-
ally accompanied by a stipulation, that the actor, in
case he failed to fulfil the contract, should pay a cer-
tain sum. The Athenian government, on the other
hand, punished their performers with a heavy fine if
they absented themselves during the city's festivals.
Eminence in the histrionic profession seems to have
been held in considerable estimation in Athena at
least. Players were not unfrequenlly sent, as the
representatives of the republic, on embassies and dep-
utations. Hence they became in old, as not unfre-
quently in modern times, self-conceited and domineer-
ing, utl&v iwavrai, says Aristotle, tuv ltotnruv ol
KKuspiTai. (Rhet. ,3,]. ) They were, however, as a
body, men of loose and dissipated character, and, as
sx. ch, were regarded with an unfavourable eye by the
ncralists and philosophers of that age.
6. Chorus.
The chorus, once the sole matter of exhibition,
though successively diminished by Thespis and JEm-
chyIns, was yet a very essential part of the drama du-
ring tho best days of the Greek theatre. The splen-
doui of the dresses, the music, the dancing, combined
with the loftiest poetry, formed a spectacle peculiarly
gratifying to the eye, ear, and intellect of an Attic au-
dience. The number of tho tragic chorus for the
whole trilogy appears to have been 50; the comic
chorus consisted of 34. The chorus of the tetralogy
was bioken into four sub-choruses, two of 15, one of
12, and a Satyric chorus of 8. When the chorus of
15 entered in ranks three abreast, it was said to be
divided nard Jvyd; when it was distributed into three
files or five, it was said to be Kara aroixovc. The
rituation assigned to the chorus was the orchestra,
whence it always took a part in the action of the dra-
ma, joining in the dialogue through the medium of
its mopvfaloc, or leader. The choristers entered the
orchestra preceded by a player on the flute, who reg-
alatcd their steps, sometimes in single file, more fre-
quently three in front and five in depth (Kara aroi-
jrovc), or vice versa (noro (yyu), in tragedy; and four
in front by sL in depth, or inversely, in comedy. Its
? ? first entrance was called rrapoioe; its occasional de-
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