DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.13851#0144
122 OF THE CIVIL GOVERNMENT OF ATHEN;'.
virtue, Athens seems to have abounded more than any city in the world,
as will evidently appear to any that will be at the pains to peruse Pausa-
nias's accurate description of them.
Srs^avoi, or crowns, were conferred in the public assemblies by the
suffrages of the people, or by the senators in their council, or the tribes
to their own members, or by the ArjjxoVcci in their own {ov^s) borough.
The people were not allowed to present crowns in any place beside their
assembly, nor the senators out of the senate-house; it being the law-
giver's intention that the Athenians should dyunav h u.vrft tj; ttoXsi rtp#y$-
»o» wVo $ii\><x, acquiesce in the honours paid them by their own people, and not
court the favour and esteem of other cities. For this reason, the Athe-
nians never rewarded any man with crowns in the theatre, and at the so-
lemn games, where there was commonly a great concourse of people from
all the parts of Greece : and if any of the criers there proclaimed the
crowns which any man's tribe or borough had presented him with, he
was punished with («r;tai'a) infamy. Nevertheless rttpavei gsttxoi, corona;
hospitales, were sometimes presented by foreign cities to particular citi-
zens of Athens. But that could not be done till the ambassadors of those
cities had first obtained 1 iave from the people of Athens, and the men for
whom that honour was intended had undergone a public examination,
wherein their course of life was inquired into. Lastly, whereas the
crowns presented by the Athenians themselves to any of their own citi-
zens, were kept in the families of those who had obtained them, as monu-
ments of honour ; those which were sent from other cities were dedicat-
ed to Minerva, the protectress of Athens (1). But of these, because they
were for the most part bestowed upon those that had signalized them-
selves by their valour, as also of other military rewards, I shall give you
a farther account in another place.
'Amaa, was an immunity from all public duties, taxes, and contribu-
tions, except such as were required for carrying on the wars, and build-
ing ships, which no man was excused from, except the nine archons.
This honour was very rare ; but yet there want not instances of it, as
particulaily those of Harmodius and Aristogiton's whole families, which
enjoyed it for many generations (2).
2iT/'a, sraPasVna, tilrridig hi n^yravs/w, was an entertainment allowed to
such as deserved well of the commonwealth, in particular to those who
had been ambassadors, in the common hall, called Prytaneum. Solon
made a law that no man should be entertained in this place oftener than
once (3). But this being afterwards abolished, some were isi(fi<roi, con-
stantly maintained in the Prytaneum (4) ; whence Socrates being asked
by the court, what punishment he thought himself to deserve ? replied,
ntei victus qmtidianus in Prytaneo publice pr&beretur, that they should al-
low him a constant maintenance in the Prytaneum ; quihonos apud Grcecos
maximus habetur, which is reputed one of the greatest honours amongst
the Grecians, as we are informed by Cicero (5). And sometimes we
find the privilege granted to whole families, for the service of their an-
cestors, as particularly to those of Hippocrates, Harmodius and Aristogi-
ton. Their common fare was a sort of cakes, or puddings, called Macja.
Upon holidays, they had an allowance of bread (6) ; which Solon appoint-
(1) .ZEschines in Ctesiphontem. (4) Pollux.
(2) Demosthen. Orat. in Leptinem, ejus- (5) Lib. i. de Oratore.
que Interpret. (6) Demosthen. loc. cit. Pollux, lib. is. cap.
(3) Plutarchusin Solone. 5. A thenars, lib. iv. &c.
virtue, Athens seems to have abounded more than any city in the world,
as will evidently appear to any that will be at the pains to peruse Pausa-
nias's accurate description of them.
Srs^avoi, or crowns, were conferred in the public assemblies by the
suffrages of the people, or by the senators in their council, or the tribes
to their own members, or by the ArjjxoVcci in their own {ov^s) borough.
The people were not allowed to present crowns in any place beside their
assembly, nor the senators out of the senate-house; it being the law-
giver's intention that the Athenians should dyunav h u.vrft tj; ttoXsi rtp#y$-
»o» wVo $ii\><x, acquiesce in the honours paid them by their own people, and not
court the favour and esteem of other cities. For this reason, the Athe-
nians never rewarded any man with crowns in the theatre, and at the so-
lemn games, where there was commonly a great concourse of people from
all the parts of Greece : and if any of the criers there proclaimed the
crowns which any man's tribe or borough had presented him with, he
was punished with («r;tai'a) infamy. Nevertheless rttpavei gsttxoi, corona;
hospitales, were sometimes presented by foreign cities to particular citi-
zens of Athens. But that could not be done till the ambassadors of those
cities had first obtained 1 iave from the people of Athens, and the men for
whom that honour was intended had undergone a public examination,
wherein their course of life was inquired into. Lastly, whereas the
crowns presented by the Athenians themselves to any of their own citi-
zens, were kept in the families of those who had obtained them, as monu-
ments of honour ; those which were sent from other cities were dedicat-
ed to Minerva, the protectress of Athens (1). But of these, because they
were for the most part bestowed upon those that had signalized them-
selves by their valour, as also of other military rewards, I shall give you
a farther account in another place.
'Amaa, was an immunity from all public duties, taxes, and contribu-
tions, except such as were required for carrying on the wars, and build-
ing ships, which no man was excused from, except the nine archons.
This honour was very rare ; but yet there want not instances of it, as
particulaily those of Harmodius and Aristogiton's whole families, which
enjoyed it for many generations (2).
2iT/'a, sraPasVna, tilrridig hi n^yravs/w, was an entertainment allowed to
such as deserved well of the commonwealth, in particular to those who
had been ambassadors, in the common hall, called Prytaneum. Solon
made a law that no man should be entertained in this place oftener than
once (3). But this being afterwards abolished, some were isi(fi<roi, con-
stantly maintained in the Prytaneum (4) ; whence Socrates being asked
by the court, what punishment he thought himself to deserve ? replied,
ntei victus qmtidianus in Prytaneo publice pr&beretur, that they should al-
low him a constant maintenance in the Prytaneum ; quihonos apud Grcecos
maximus habetur, which is reputed one of the greatest honours amongst
the Grecians, as we are informed by Cicero (5). And sometimes we
find the privilege granted to whole families, for the service of their an-
cestors, as particularly to those of Hippocrates, Harmodius and Aristogi-
ton. Their common fare was a sort of cakes, or puddings, called Macja.
Upon holidays, they had an allowance of bread (6) ; which Solon appoint-
(1) .ZEschines in Ctesiphontem. (4) Pollux.
(2) Demosthen. Orat. in Leptinem, ejus- (5) Lib. i. de Oratore.
que Interpret. (6) Demosthen. loc. cit. Pollux, lib. is. cap.
(3) Plutarchusin Solone. 5. A thenars, lib. iv. &c.