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

TUTOR.

403

TYK.ANNUS.

windows, of which there were several to each
story. The use of the stories was to receive
the engines of war (tormenta). They con-
tained balistae and catapults, and slingers and
archers were stationed in them and on the
tops of the towers. In the lowest story was
a battering-ram [Aries] ; and in the middle
one or more bridges (pontes) made of beams
and planks, and protected at the sides by
hurdles. Scaling-ladders (scalae) were also
carried in the towers, and when the missiles
had cleared the walls, these bridges and lad-
ders enabled the besiegers to rush upon them.
These towers were placed upon wheels (gene-
rally 6 or 8), that they might be brought up
to the walls. These wheels were placed for
security inside of the tower.
TUTOR. [Curator.]

TYMPANUM (Tu'fiTravov), a small drum
carried in the hand. Of these, some resem-
bled in all respects a modern tambourine
with bells. Others presented a flat circular
disk on the upper surface and swelled out
beneath, like a kettle-drum. Both forms are
represented in the cuts below. Tympana

Tympsno. (Frum tincient Paintings.)

were covered with the hides of oxen, or of
asses ; were beaten with a stick, or with the
hand, and were much employed in all wild
enthusiastic religious rites, especially the
orgies of Bacchus and Cybele.—(2) A solid
wheel without spokes, for heavy waggons,
such as is shown in the cut on p. 298.

TYRANNUS (jvpawos). In the heroic
age all the governments in Greece were mon-
archical, the king uniting in himself the
functions of the priest, the judge, and mili-
tary chief. In the first two or three cen-
turies following the Trojan war various
causes were at work, which led to the aboli-
tion, or at least to the limitation, of the
kingly power. Emigrations, extinctions of
families, disasters in war, civil dissensions,
may be reckoned among these causes. Here-
ditary monarchies became elective; the dif-
ferent functions of the king were distributed ;
he was called Archon (apywiO, Oosmus (koo--

n.o;), or Prytanis (n-pvTayis), instead of Ba-
sileus (/3<xcriAevs), and his character was
changed no less than his name. Noble and
wealthy families began to be considered on a
footing of equality with royalty ; and thus in
process of time sprang up oligarchies or aris-
tocracies, which most of the governments that
succeeded the ancient monarchies were in
point of fact, though not as yet called by
such names. These oligarchies did not pos-
sess the elements of social happiness or
stability. The principal families contended
with each other for the greatest share of
power, and were only unanimous in disre-
garding the rights of those whose station
was beneath their own. The people, on-
pressed by the privileged classes, began to/
regret the loss of their old paternal form of
government ; and were ready to assist any
one who would attempt to restore it. Thus
were opportunities offered to ambitious and
designing men to raise themselves, by start-
ing up as the champions of popular right.
Discontented nobles were soon found to pro-
secute schemes of this sort, and they had a
greater chance of success, if descended from
the ancient royal family. Pisistratus is an
example ; he was the more acceptable to the
people of Athens, as being a descendant of
the family of Codrus. Thus in many cities
arose that species of monarchy which the
Greeks called tyrannis (jvpawis), which
meant only a despotism, or irresponsible
dominion of one man ; and which frequently
was nothing more than a revival of the an-
cient government, and, though unaccom-
panied with any recognised hereditary title,
or the reverence attached to old name and
long prescription, was hailed by the lower
orders of people as a good exchange, after suf-
fering under the domination of the oligarchy.
All tyrannies, however, were not so accept-
able to the majority; and sometimes we find
the nobles concurring in the elevation of a
despot, to further their own interests. Thus
the Syracusan Gamori, who had been ex-
pelled by the populace, on receiving the
protection of Gelon, sovereign of Gela and
Camarilla, enabled him to take possession of
Syracuse, and establish his kingdom there.
Sometimes the conflicting parties in the
state, by mutual consent, chose some emi-
nent man, in whom they had confidence, to
reconcile their dissensions; investing him
with a sort of dictatorial power for that pur-
pose, either for a limited period or otherwise.
Such a person they called Aesymnetcs (ai<ru/oi-
yjjnjs). The tyrannus must be distinguished,
on the one hand, from the aesymnetcs, inas-
much as he was not elected by general eon-
sent, but commonly owed his elevation tu

2 D 2