Smith, William: A smaller dictionary of Greek and Roman antiquities (London, 1871)

CORONA.

110

CO KYI'S.

were profusely distributed, amongst the
Athenians at least, for every trifling feat,
whether civil, naval, or military, which,
though lavished without much discrimination
as far as regards the character of the re-
ceiving parties, were still subjected to certain
legal restrictions in respect of the time, place,
and mode in which they were conferred.
They could not be presented but in the public
assemblies, and with the consent, that is by
suffrage, of the people, or by the senators in
their council, or by the tribes to their own
members, or by the Scotch to members of
their own 6>)p.o5. According to the statement
of Aeschines, the people could not lawfully
present crowns in any place except in their
assembly, nor the senators except in the se-
nate-house ; nor, according to the same au-
thority, in the theatre, which is, however,
denied by Demosthenes ; nor at the public
games, and if any crier there proclaimed the
crowns he was subject to atimia. Neither
could any person holding an office receive a
crown whilst he was vureuOvi/o?, that is, be-
fore he had passed his accounts.—The second
class of crowns were emblematical and not
honorary, and the adoption of them was not
regulated by law, but custom. Of these there
were also several kinds.—I. Corona Sacer-
dotaeis, was worn by the priests I sacerdotes),
with the exception of the pontifex maximus
and his minister (camillus), as well as the
bystanders, when officiating at the sacrifice.
It does not appear to have been confined to
an}' one material.—II. Corona Funebris and
Sepulchrai.is. The Greeks first set the ex-
ample of crowning the dead with chaplets of
leaves and flowers, which was imitated by
the Romans. Garlands of flowers were also
placed upon the bier, or scattered from the
windows under which the procession passed,

females with Crowns. (From an ancient Painting.)

or entwined about the cinerary urn, or as a
decoration to the tomb. In Greece these
crowns were commonly made of parsley.—
III. Corona Convivialis. The use of chap-
lets at festive entertainments sprung likewise
from Greece. They were of various shrubs
and flowers, such as roses (which were the
choicest), violets, myrtle, ivy, philyra, and
even parsley.-—IV. Corona Nuptialis. The
bridal wreath was also of Greek origin, among
whom it was made of flowers plucked by the
bride herself, and not bought, which was of iil
omen. Amongst the Komans it was made of
verbena, also gathered by the bride herself,
and worn under the flammeum, with which
the bride was always enveloped. The bride-
groom also wore a chaplet. The doors of
his house were likewise decorated with gar-
lands, and also the bridal couch.—Y. Corona
Natalitia, the chaplet suspended over the door
of the vestibule, both in the houses of Athens
and Home, in which a child was born. At
Athens, when the infar.t was male, the crown
was made of olive ; when female, of wool. At
Rome it was of laurel, ivy, or parsley.

CORONIS (icopuWs), the cornice of an en-
tablature, is properly a Greek word signify-
ing anything curved. It is also used by
Latin writers, but the genuine Latin word for
a cornice is corona or coronix.

CORTINA, the name of the table or hollow
slab, supported by a tripod, upon which the
priestess at Delphi sat to deliver her re-
sponses ; and hence the word is used for the
oracle itself. The Romans made tables of
marble or bronze after the pattern of the
Delphian tripod, which they used as we do
our sideboards, for the purpose of displaying
their plate at an entertainment. These were
termed cortinae Delph icae, ovDelph icac simply.

CORYBANTICA (KopvPavriKti), a festival
and mysteries celebrated at Cnossus in Crete, by
the Corybantes. {SeeG'lass. U('cc.,Corvbantes.)

CORYMBUS (>6pup./3os). [Coma.]

CORYUS, a sort of crane, used by C. Dui-
lius against the Carthaginian fleet in the
battle fought off Mylae, in Sicily (b. c. 260).
The Romans, we are told, being unused to
the sea, saw that their only chance of vic-
tory was by bringing a sea-fight to resemble
one on land. For this purpose they invented
a machine, of whieh 1'olybius has left a mi-
nute description. In the fore part of the
ship a round pole was fixed perpendicularly,
twenty-four feet in height and about nine
inches in diameter ; at the top of this was a
pivot, upon which a ladder was set, thirty-
six feet in length and four in breadth. The
ladder was guarded by cross-beams, fastened
to the upright pole by a ring of wood, which
turned with the pivot above. Along the