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

DEMUS.

130

DIAPSEPHI8IS.

Their number was at tirst 300, purchased
soon after the battle of Salaniis, but was after-
wards increased to 1200.

DEMUS (Stjjuos), originally indicated a dis-
trict or tract of land ; and in this meaning of
a country district, inhabited and under culti-
vation, it is contrasted with ttoAis. "When
Cleisthenes, at Athens, broke up the four
tribes of the old constitution, he substituted
in their place ten local tribes (<f>uAai Ton-i/cat),
each of which he subdivided into ten demi or
country parishes, possessing each its princi-
pal town ; and in some one of these demi
were enrolled all the Athenian citizens resi-
dent in Attica, with the exception, perhaps,
of those who were natives of Athens itself.
These subdivisions corresponded in some de-
gree to the naucrariae (yavicpaptcu) of the old
tribes, and were originally one hundred in
number. These demi formed independent
corporations, and had each their several ma-
gistrates, landed and other property, with a
common treasury. They had likewise their
respective convocations or "parish meetings,"
convened by the demarchi, in which was
transacted the public business of the demos,
such as the leasing of its estates, the elections
of officers, the revision of the registers or
lists of Sijuoxai, and the admission of new
members. Independent of these bonds of
union, each demus seems to have had its
peculiar temples and religious worship.
There were likewise judges, called &iKama\
Kdia Sijp.ovs, who decided cases where the mat-
ter in dispute was of less value than ten
drachmae. Admission into a demus was neces-
sary before any individual could enter upon
his full rights and privileges as an Attic citizen.
The register of enrolment was called Arjf tapxi-

DENARIUS, the principal silver coin among
the Romans, was so called because it was
originally equal to ten asses ; but on the re-
duction of the weight of the as [As], it was
made equal to sixteen asses, except in mili-
tary pay, in which it was still reckoned as
equal to ten asses. The denarius was first
coined five years before the first Punic war,
b. c. 269. [Argf.ntum.] The average value
of the denarii coined at the end of the com-
monwealth is about Sjrf., and those under
the empire about 1\d. If the denarius be
reckoned in value §\d., the other Roman
coins of silver will be of the following value :

Pence. Farth.

Teruncius - - - - -53125

Sembella - - - - 1-0625

Libella - - - - 2-125

Sestertius - - 2 -5

Quinarius or Victoriatus - 4 1

Denarius - - -812

Some denarii were called scrrati, because
their edges were notched like a saw, which

Denarius, (British Museum.)

appears to have been done to prove that they
were solid silver, and not plated ; and others
bigati and quadriyati, because on their re-
verse were represented chariots drawn by two
and four horses respectively.

DESIGNATOR. [Ftjitob.]

DESULTOR, a rider in the Roman games,
who generally rode two horses at the same
time, sitting on them without a saddle, and
vaulting upon either of them at his pleasure.

DEUNX. [As, Libra.]

DEXTANS. [As, Libra.]

DIADEJIA, originally a white fillet, used to
encircle the head. It is represented on the
head of Dionysus, and was, in an ornamented
form, assumed by kings as an emblem of so-
vereignty.

DIAETETAE (Smmrrai), 0r arbitrators, at
Athens, were of two kinds ; the one public
and appointed by lot (xAijpwTot), the other
private, and chosen (aiperoi) by the parties
who referred to them the decision of a dis-
puted point, instead of trying it before a court
of justice; the judgments of both, according
to Aristotle, being founded on equity rather
than law. The number of public arbi-
trators seems to have been 40, four for each
tribe. Their jurisdiction was confined to civil
cases.

DIALIS FLAMEN. [Flamex.]
DIAMASTlGOSIS (8u«ftooTty«i)<r«), a so-
lemnity performed at Sparta at the festival
of Artemis Orthia. Spartan youths were
scourged on the occasion at the altar of Ar-
temis, by persons appointed for the purpose,
until their blood gushed forth and covered
the altar. Many anecdotes are related of the
courage and intrepidity with which young
Spartans bore the lashes of the scourge ; some
even died without uttering a murmur at their
sufferings, for to die under the strokes was
considered as honourable a death as that on
the field of battle.

DIAPSEPH1SIS (Stai/^oVo-ts), a politica'
institution at Athens, the object of which was
to prevent aliens, or such as were the off-
spring of an unlawful marriage, from as-
suming the rights of citizens. Bv this me-