DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.13855#0024
AGRIMENSORES. l(j ALABASTER.
los, the daughter of Cecrops. It was perhaps
connected with the solemn oath, which all
Athenians, when they arrived at manhood
(e'4)r)0oi), were obliged to take in the temple
of Agraulos, that they would fig-lit for their
country, and always observe its laws.
AGRIMENSORES, or " land surveyors,"
a college established under the Roman empe-
rors. Like the jui isconsults, they had regular
schools, and were paid handsome salaries by
the state. Their business was to measure
unassigned lands for the state, and ordinary
lands for the proprietors, and to fix and
maintain boundaries. Their writings on the
subject of their art were very numerous;
and we have still scientific treatises on the
law of boundaries, such as those by Frontinus
and Hyginus.
AGRIOXIA (aypiu>i>ia), a festival which
was celebrated at Orchomenus, in Boeotia, in
honour of Dionysus, surnamed Agrionius. A
human being used originally to be sacrificed
at this festival, but this sacrifice seems to have
been avoided in later times. One instance,
however, occurred in the days of Plutarch.
AGROXOMI (aypov6p.oi), the country-
police, probably in Attica, whose duties cor-
responded in most respects to those of the
astynomi in the city, and who appear to
have performed nearly the same duties as the
hylori (vAcupoi).
AGROTERAS THUSIA (iyportpas Ova-la),
a festival celebrated every year at Athens in
honour of Artemis, surnamed Agrotera (from
a-ypa., the chase). It was solemnized on the
sixth of the month of Boodromion, and con-
sisted of a sacrifice of 500 goats, which con-
tinued to be offered in the time of Xenophon.
Its origin is thus related :—When the Per-
sians invaded Attica, the Athenians made a
vow to sacrifice to Artemis Agrotera as many
goats as there should be enemies slain at
Marathon. But as the number of enemies
slain was so great that an equal number of
goats could not be found at once, the Athenians
decreed that 500 should be sacrificed every year.
AGYRTAE (ayuprat), mendicant priests,
who were accustomed to travel through the
different towns of Greece, soliciting alms for
the gods whom they served, and whose
images they carried, either on their shoulders
or on beasts of burthen. They were, gene-
rally speaking, persons of the lowest and
most abandoned character.
AHENUM.^ [Aenum.]
AIKIAS DIKE (atKi'as Sua)), an action
brought at Athens, before the court of the
Forty (o£ Tei-rapa/copra), against any indi-
vidual who had struck a citizen. Any citi-
zen who had been thus insulted might pro-
ceed against the offending party, either by
the ai/a'as SCkt], which was a private action,
or by the vfipew; ypa<f>ri, which was looked
upon in the light of a public prosecution.
AITHOUSA (att)ou<ra), a word only used
by Homer, is probably for aiSovcra oroa, a
portico exposed to the sun. From the pas-
sages in which it occurs, it seems to denote a
covered portico, opening on to the court of
the house, avK-q, in front of the vestibule,
TrpoQvpov.
ALA, part of a Roman house. [Domus.]
ALA, ALARES, ALARII. Ala, which li-
terally means a wing, was from the earliest
epochs employed to denote the wing of an
army, but in process of time was frequently
used in a restricted sense.—(1) When a
Roman army was composed of Roman citi-
zens exclusively, the flanks of the infantry
when drawn up in battle array were covered
on the right and left by the cavalry ; and
hence Ala denoted the body of horse which
was attached to and served along with the
foot-soldiers of the legion.—(2) When, at a
later date, the Roman armies were composed
partly of Roman citizens and partly of Socii,
either Latini or Italici, it became the prac-
tice to marshal the Roman troops in the
centre of the battle line and the Socii upon
the wings. Hence ala and alarii denoted
the contingent furnished by the allies, both
horse and foot, and the two divisions were
distinguished as dextera ala and sinistra ala.
■—(3) When the whole of the inhabitants
of Italy had been admitted to the privileges
of Roman citizens the terms alarii, cohortes
alariae were transferred to the foreign troops
serving along with the Roman armies.—
(4) Lastly, under the empire, the term ala
was applied to regiments of horse, raised it
would seem with very few exceptions in the
provinces, serving apart from the legions and
the cavalry of the legions.
ALABARCHES (iAa|S<ipx>?s), the chief ma-
gistrate of the Jews at Alexandria, whose
duties, as far as the government was con-
cerned, chiefly consisted in raising and pay-
ing the taxes.
ALABASTER or ALABASTRFM, a vessel
or pot used for containing perfumes, or rather
ointments, made of that species of marble
which mineralogists call gypsum, and which
is usually designated by the name of alaba&~
ter. When varieties of colour occur in the
same stone, and are disposed in bands or
horizontal strata, it is often called onyx ala-
baster ; and when dispersed irregularly, as if
in clouds, it is distinguished as agate alabas-
ter. The term seems to have been employed
to denote vessels appropriated to these uses,
even when they were not made of the ma-
terial from which it is supposed they ori-
los, the daughter of Cecrops. It was perhaps
connected with the solemn oath, which all
Athenians, when they arrived at manhood
(e'4)r)0oi), were obliged to take in the temple
of Agraulos, that they would fig-lit for their
country, and always observe its laws.
AGRIMENSORES, or " land surveyors,"
a college established under the Roman empe-
rors. Like the jui isconsults, they had regular
schools, and were paid handsome salaries by
the state. Their business was to measure
unassigned lands for the state, and ordinary
lands for the proprietors, and to fix and
maintain boundaries. Their writings on the
subject of their art were very numerous;
and we have still scientific treatises on the
law of boundaries, such as those by Frontinus
and Hyginus.
AGRIOXIA (aypiu>i>ia), a festival which
was celebrated at Orchomenus, in Boeotia, in
honour of Dionysus, surnamed Agrionius. A
human being used originally to be sacrificed
at this festival, but this sacrifice seems to have
been avoided in later times. One instance,
however, occurred in the days of Plutarch.
AGROXOMI (aypov6p.oi), the country-
police, probably in Attica, whose duties cor-
responded in most respects to those of the
astynomi in the city, and who appear to
have performed nearly the same duties as the
hylori (vAcupoi).
AGROTERAS THUSIA (iyportpas Ova-la),
a festival celebrated every year at Athens in
honour of Artemis, surnamed Agrotera (from
a-ypa., the chase). It was solemnized on the
sixth of the month of Boodromion, and con-
sisted of a sacrifice of 500 goats, which con-
tinued to be offered in the time of Xenophon.
Its origin is thus related :—When the Per-
sians invaded Attica, the Athenians made a
vow to sacrifice to Artemis Agrotera as many
goats as there should be enemies slain at
Marathon. But as the number of enemies
slain was so great that an equal number of
goats could not be found at once, the Athenians
decreed that 500 should be sacrificed every year.
AGYRTAE (ayuprat), mendicant priests,
who were accustomed to travel through the
different towns of Greece, soliciting alms for
the gods whom they served, and whose
images they carried, either on their shoulders
or on beasts of burthen. They were, gene-
rally speaking, persons of the lowest and
most abandoned character.
AHENUM.^ [Aenum.]
AIKIAS DIKE (atKi'as Sua)), an action
brought at Athens, before the court of the
Forty (o£ Tei-rapa/copra), against any indi-
vidual who had struck a citizen. Any citi-
zen who had been thus insulted might pro-
ceed against the offending party, either by
the ai/a'as SCkt], which was a private action,
or by the vfipew; ypa<f>ri, which was looked
upon in the light of a public prosecution.
AITHOUSA (att)ou<ra), a word only used
by Homer, is probably for aiSovcra oroa, a
portico exposed to the sun. From the pas-
sages in which it occurs, it seems to denote a
covered portico, opening on to the court of
the house, avK-q, in front of the vestibule,
TrpoQvpov.
ALA, part of a Roman house. [Domus.]
ALA, ALARES, ALARII. Ala, which li-
terally means a wing, was from the earliest
epochs employed to denote the wing of an
army, but in process of time was frequently
used in a restricted sense.—(1) When a
Roman army was composed of Roman citi-
zens exclusively, the flanks of the infantry
when drawn up in battle array were covered
on the right and left by the cavalry ; and
hence Ala denoted the body of horse which
was attached to and served along with the
foot-soldiers of the legion.—(2) When, at a
later date, the Roman armies were composed
partly of Roman citizens and partly of Socii,
either Latini or Italici, it became the prac-
tice to marshal the Roman troops in the
centre of the battle line and the Socii upon
the wings. Hence ala and alarii denoted
the contingent furnished by the allies, both
horse and foot, and the two divisions were
distinguished as dextera ala and sinistra ala.
■—(3) When the whole of the inhabitants
of Italy had been admitted to the privileges
of Roman citizens the terms alarii, cohortes
alariae were transferred to the foreign troops
serving along with the Roman armies.—
(4) Lastly, under the empire, the term ala
was applied to regiments of horse, raised it
would seem with very few exceptions in the
provinces, serving apart from the legions and
the cavalry of the legions.
ALABARCHES (iAa|S<ipx>?s), the chief ma-
gistrate of the Jews at Alexandria, whose
duties, as far as the government was con-
cerned, chiefly consisted in raising and pay-
ing the taxes.
ALABASTER or ALABASTRFM, a vessel
or pot used for containing perfumes, or rather
ointments, made of that species of marble
which mineralogists call gypsum, and which
is usually designated by the name of alaba&~
ter. When varieties of colour occur in the
same stone, and are disposed in bands or
horizontal strata, it is often called onyx ala-
baster ; and when dispersed irregularly, as if
in clouds, it is distinguished as agate alabas-
ter. The term seems to have been employed
to denote vessels appropriated to these uses,
even when they were not made of the ma-
terial from which it is supposed they ori-