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

THEORI.

b. c. 339, to have succeeded in repealing it.
In the earlier times there was no person, or
board of persons, expressly appointed to
manage the theoric fund. The money thus
appropriated was disbursed by the Helleno-
tamiae. After the anarchy, the largess sys-
tem having been restored by Agyrrhius, a
board of managers was appointed. The}' were
elected by show of hands at the period of the
great Dionysia, one from each tribe.

THEORI (Sewpoi), persons sent on special
missions (fieiapiai) to perform some religious
duty, as to consult an oracle, or to offer a
sacrifice, on behalf of the state. There were
among some of the Dorian states, as the Aegi-
netans, Troezenians, Messenians, and Manti-
neans, official priests callecl Theori, whose
duty it was to consult oracles, interpret the
responses, &c, as among the Spartans there
were men called Pythii, chosen by the kings
to consult the oracle at Delphi. At Athens
there were no official persons called Theori,
but the name was given to those citizens who
were appointed from time to time to conduct
religious embassies to various places; of
which the most important were those that
were sent to the Olympian, Pythian, Nemean,
and Isthmian games, those that went to con-
sult the God at Delphi, and those that led
the solemn procession to Delos, where the
Athenians established a quadriennial festival,
in revival of the ancient Ionian one, of which
Homer speaks. The expense of these embas-
sies was defrayed partly by the state, and
partly by wealthy citizens, to whom the ma-
nagement of them was entrusted, called Ar-
chitheori (apxifewpoi), chiefs of the embassy.
This was a sort of liturgy, and frequently a
very costly one ; as the chief conductor re-
presented the state, and was expected to
appear with a suitable degree of splendour;
for instance, to wear a golden crown, to drive
into the city with a handsome chariot, reti-
nue, &c. The Salaminian, or Delian, ship
was also called Oewpis raOs, and was princi-
pally used for conveying embassies to Delos,
though, like the Paralus, it was employed on
other expeditions besides.

THERMAE. [Balnklm.]

THESAURUS (tfrjo-aupos), a treasure-house.
Tradition points to subterranean buildings in
Greece, of unknown antiquity and of pecu-
liar formation, as having been erected during
the heroic period, for the purpose of pre-
serving precious metals, arms, and other pro-
pert}* . Keip.7)Aia). Such are the treasury of
Minyas, at Orchomenus, of which some re-
mains still exist, and those of Atreus and
his sons at Mycenae, the chief one of which,
the so-called Treasury of Atreus, still exists
almost in a perfect state. It is, however,

THESMOPHOBIA.

very questionable whether these edifices were
treasuries at all: some of the best archae-
ologists maintain that they were tombs. In
the historical times, the public treasury was
either in a building attached to the agora, or in
the opisthodomus of some temple. Respecting
the public treasury at Rome, see Aerarhm.

THESEIA (6rio-e?.a), a festival celebrated by
the Athenians in honour of their national
hero Theseus, whom they believed to have
been the author of their democratical form of
government. In consequence of this belief
donations of bread and meat were given to
the poor people at the Theseia, which was
thus for them a feast at which they felt no
want, and might fancy themselves equal to
the wealthiest citizens. The day on which
this festival was held was the eighth of every
month (676601), but more especially the eighth
of Pyanepsion, whence the festival was some-
times called oyfioSioi'. It is probable that
the festival of the Theseia was not instituted
till b. c. 469, when Cimon brought the re-
mains of Theseus from Scyrus to Athens.

THESMOPIIORIA (8ecrp.o</,6pta), a great
festival and mysteries, celebrated in honour
of Demeter in various parts of Greece, and
only by women, though some ceremonies
were also performed by maidens. It was
intended to commemorate the introduction of
the laws and regulations of civilised life,
which was universally ascribed to Demeter.
The Attic thesmophoria probably lasted only
three days, and began on the 11th of Pya-
nepsion, which day was called aVoi'o; or
KaSoSos, because the solemnities were opened
by the women with a procession from Athens
to Eleusis. In this procession they carried
on their heads sacred laws (rop.1p.01 /3t/3Ao<. or
Secrp.01), the introduction of which was as-
cribed to Demeter (®eo-p.oip6pos), and other
symbols of civilised life. The women spent
the night at Eleusis in celebrating- the mys-
teries of the goddess. The second day, called
^ureia, was a day of mourning, during which
the women sat on the ground around the
statue of Demeter, and took no other food
than cakes made of sesame and honey. On
this day no meetings either of the senate or
the people were held. It was probably in the
afternoon of this day that the women held a
procession at Athens, in which they walked
barefooted behind a waggon, upon which
baskets with mystical symbols were conveyed
to the thesmophorion.. The third day, called
KaAAtyeVeia, from the circumstance that De-
meter was invoked under this name, was a
day of merriment and raillery among the
women themselves, in commemoration of
Iambe, who was said to have made the god-
dess smile during her grief.