DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.804#0109
102 THE BKITISH MUSEUM.
Plutus of Aristophanes, the god who was then blind
is taken to a temple of iEsculapius in order to receive
his sight; one of his attendants describes in a hu-
morous way the tricks of the place, and how he
spied what was going on through the holes of his
ragged cloak, pretending all the time to be close
wrapped up in it.
Besides the temples, the Greeks seem occasionally
to have deposited the memorials of their gratitude in
votive rocks, of which that of the Pnyx, as will pre-
sently be shown, is not a solitary instance.
The rock of the Pnyx is a colossal fabric, composed
of large quadrilateral stones well united. It was
constructed in early time for the meetings of the
people ; and is situated on a height to the north of
the Museum, and to the west of the Areopagus: its
declivity is supported by a circular wall. In the
upper part, the Bema, or pulpit of stone, is still re-
maining, from which the Athenian orators were
accustomed to harangue the multitude. Pausanias
either takes no notice of the Pnyx, or mentions it
under some other name. Spoil and Wheler and
Stuart, all mistook this building: Spon thought it
was the Areiopagus. It is rather amusing to con-
sider with what different feelings we contemplate
the scene of historical recollections, according to
our opinion of its identity, with this or that antient
monument. "* To the south of the temple of Theseus
are the remains of the Areiopagus; the founda-
tion is of a semicircular form constructed of iffl"
mense blocks cut into diamond forms. They sup-
port an esplanade about 140 paces long, which was
probably the chamber in which this august senate
sat. They gave judgment under the open air that all
* Spon, ii. 152.
Plutus of Aristophanes, the god who was then blind
is taken to a temple of iEsculapius in order to receive
his sight; one of his attendants describes in a hu-
morous way the tricks of the place, and how he
spied what was going on through the holes of his
ragged cloak, pretending all the time to be close
wrapped up in it.
Besides the temples, the Greeks seem occasionally
to have deposited the memorials of their gratitude in
votive rocks, of which that of the Pnyx, as will pre-
sently be shown, is not a solitary instance.
The rock of the Pnyx is a colossal fabric, composed
of large quadrilateral stones well united. It was
constructed in early time for the meetings of the
people ; and is situated on a height to the north of
the Museum, and to the west of the Areopagus: its
declivity is supported by a circular wall. In the
upper part, the Bema, or pulpit of stone, is still re-
maining, from which the Athenian orators were
accustomed to harangue the multitude. Pausanias
either takes no notice of the Pnyx, or mentions it
under some other name. Spoil and Wheler and
Stuart, all mistook this building: Spon thought it
was the Areiopagus. It is rather amusing to con-
sider with what different feelings we contemplate
the scene of historical recollections, according to
our opinion of its identity, with this or that antient
monument. "* To the south of the temple of Theseus
are the remains of the Areiopagus; the founda-
tion is of a semicircular form constructed of iffl"
mense blocks cut into diamond forms. They sup-
port an esplanade about 140 paces long, which was
probably the chamber in which this august senate
sat. They gave judgment under the open air that all
* Spon, ii. 152.