Papers of the American School of Classical Studies at Athens (1.1882-1883)

150

THE THEATRE OF DIONYSUS.

has been found, it will appear that the statues erected by the Aka-
mantis and Oineis stood respectively in the sixth and eighth /cep/ctSes.
It was immediately perceived by the Athenian archaeologists that the
numbers corresponded with the numbers of these tribes in the official
tribal list of the age of Pladrian, and it was plausibly argued that each
of the tribes must have erected a statue to Hadrian in a xcpxts of the
theatre. It was further assumed that the statue which stood in the
middle Kepi's (A.) was the offering of the tribe Hadrianis, named for
Hadrian himself,* since this occupied the seventh place in the tribal
list, although the base which stands in this K-ep/a's does not record the
name of any tribe. Against this it might be argued, that not only
does this omission of the tribal name seem very strange, but it is
almost inconceivable that a tribe, in erecting a statue to its epony-
mous hero, should omit his highest title, and address him as Archon
when he was in reality Emperor. Vischer, however, adduces other
and more conclusive arguments, which prove that the Hadrianis
could have had nothing to do with the erection of any of these
statues. Each base records the fact that the statue which stood on it
was erected bv the Senate of Six Hundred. But when the Hadrianis

J

was established, the number of the Senate was reduced from six hun-
dred to five hundred,f and the basis of representation underwent a
radical change ; moreover, we must suppose that this change was
made as soon as the Hadrianis came into existence, since otherwise
the tribal representation would have become much confused. Hence
we are forced to conclude that the statues of which we now have the
bases must have been erected previous to the establishment of the
Hadrianis. This theory being set aside, the question arises when the
erection of these statues did take place. Hadrian was archon of Athens
in 112 a.d., and we are quite safe in assuming that the statue whose
base now stands in Kep/as A. was set up in his honor at that time, and
was not the offering of any one tribe.\ As to the others, there is more
uncertainty. Dr. Vischer expresses the opinion that the Athenians
would have been most likely to make such an exhibition of flattery

* 'ApxcuoAo-yi/c^ 'E(pT]fx:-p'is, 1862, p. 1S1.

t C. I. G., I. pp. 323 and 902. Cf. also Vischer, N. Schiueiz. Museum, III.
p. 63 ; Hermes, I. 417 ft.; Ilerzberg, Griech. u. d. Rom., II. 344.

J This is now universally accepted. See Wachsmuth, S. A., 694, N. 1 ;
Mommsen, C. I. Lat., III. 550 ; Hermes, I. 418 ; Vischer, Kleiue Schriften, II.
p. 375, N. 2.