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https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.4265#0108
CHAPTER VII.
OF THE ODEUM OF REGILLA*
This ruin is too respectable, on account of its extent, to be passed over unnoticed} but it is so
far demolished, that nothing more than the general form of its plan can possibly be ascertained ; the
present Athenians call it the Areopagus, and Spon has adopted this opinion, but Wheler has some
doubts whether it be really the ruin of that famous tribunal, or the Odeum. Dr. Chandler3 has sup-
posed it to have been the Pnyx. To this opinion I can have little objection, except that I do not
see how the account which Plutarch has given of this place, in his life of Themistocles, can be here
verified, that is, how the Suggestum, or pulpit, could be said to look towards the sea, until it was by
the Thirty Tyrants turned so that it looked towards the country', or how Justice, " as described by
Lucian", when seated on that part of the hill Areopagus which faced the ruin, should have seen Pan
coming towards her from his grotto under the Acropolis, since her back would have been turned to
himc. I, however, think it is the Odeum built by Atticus Herodes in honour of his wife Regilla.
It appears to me that Pausaniasd speaks of it, where, describing the buildings of Patrass, he says, "on
* The Description of this Theatre is in Vol. II. Chap. III.
[>.]
a See Chandler's Travels in Greece, Vol. II. C. XIII.
* v.a,L to firipa. to tv TIvVav irnroiYiy.zvov war3 aTroGXiirziv Trpuf
t*iv ■zu.hcto-cav, vcrrtpoy ol Tpiay.ovTct ttpoi; twv ^wpccv ot-Tria-Tpi-^av. Pint.
in Themist.
..." and the pulpit which was made in the Pnyx to look
towards the sea, afterwards the Thirty Tyrants turned towards
the country."
Colonel Leake suggests, regarding.thc doubts as to this being
the Pnyx, on the ground of the still conspicuous Boma not facing
the sea that " the existing monument is anterior to the time of
Themistocles, and was built, as we now see it, to face the Agora;
that Themistocles, by some temporary alteration, which has not
lasted to the present time, turned the place of assembly to face
the sea, in order to promote his design of giving the Athenians a
taste for maritime affairs, contrary to their ancient prejudices;
and that the Thirty Tyrants restored it to its former state. This
accommodation of the passage of Plutarch, with the present
aspect of the ruin, though very hypothetical, is the best that can
be offeree in answer to the objection which immediately presents
itself on viewing the Pulpitum. Sir W. Cell terms this monu-
ment « the Pnyx of the Pisistratid* ", and he observes" in
the rock above this, with a view of the sea, the vestoges of an-
other building, erected for a similar purpose, are visible ; but
we know not on what authority he states, " this was the an-
cient Pnyx ", since it appears to have belonged to the same
design. This appropriation is however evidently proposed with
a view to reconcile the above passage of Plutarch with the position
of the existing Oratorv- It is certain, that long previous to the
time of Themistocles," popular assemblies were held at a struc-
ture named Pnyx. The circular wall in front of the ruin under
consideration, (and consequently the present bema as well, being
evidently part of the same plan,) is of very remote construction,
long antecedent to the rule of the Thirty Tyrants, ^ or perhaps,
to that of Pisistratus, being apparently the most ancient masonry
in Attica, and of Pelasgic execution. See Leake's Topography
of Athens, p. 42. Gell's Itin. of Greece, p. 35. [ed.]
c The following are the passages from Lucian, illustrative of
the locality of this structure.
'EPM. . . . airr, fj.it hraZSa mv M rovXli.yov [sc ' Apmu Triyw'}
Kuvyjcro, tvv Tlvuyc. oputra,---------
AIK. Mn wportpov as-EASy;, a 'Ep^, Keh tbtfit oVtk outo; o irpotr-
ivy Isttm, o xtpa-ctpopos, o ttiv avptvyce, o Xaatoi; etc ro7v ctxiaoTv.
'EPM. Ti <p?i;> ccyvoui; nov Tlava, Twv Awvva-ov ^ipo-tzovtuv tov facer.-
XlKUTCiTOV ; O'JTOi; UKii U.\f TO WrpOaQtV CCVCP TO TTpCpQlVlOV' V7TO d= TOV A«TI-
So; ImKAovv, xai Tm MctpocOuivccSe t» @ct?l3dpuv aTpiSccmy, -nxtv axAn-ro;
toT; ?AQr,vaioi$ avpu&xot;' xul to cct txtttov, tyiv vtto tv Axpoir^Xei o-t»j-
Xvyyoc. TUVTyv a.TTOAa.Qoy.ivo:;, olasT {j.lypov vtzo tov YliAccayiKOV, is To jxitoi-
xvkov a"JVTiAavy y.cct vv:'y u; to i\y.o$, iouv iv ytiTovwv TrpoaiiQ-l, oi^icoo^otJ-evoc'
nAN. XatpiTi, u Eppy xat AiKy.
Luciani Bis Accusatus, Tom. II. p. 801. Ed. Reitzii. 1743.
' Mercury. . . . you can sit awhile on this hill (the Areo-
pagus) overlooking the Pnyx,------
' Justice. Do not go, Mercury, before you tell me who that is
with horns coming this way, holding a syrinx, and with hairy legs.
« Mercury. What say you! do not you know Pan, that most
joyous of the attendants of Bacchus ? He formerly lived on Mount
Parthenion, but at the time of the expedition of Datis, and the
descent of the Barbarians at Marathon, uninvoked he fought
on the side of the Athenians; and from that time, having
become possessed of this cave beneath the Acropolis, he occa-
sionally dwells there under the Pelasgic wall, and is considered an
Athenian inmate ; and now it seems, seeing us near, he comes
to salute us.
' Pan. Welcome, Mercury and Justice.'
It here appears, that Justice and Mercury, when on the Areo-
pagus, were within view of the Pnyx, as well as of the grotto of
Pan. The above objection by Stuart is trivial, since an author
like Lucian cannot be supposed to have meant to describe an
animate being sitting like a statue, entirely looking in one
direction. It is enough that the position specified wa°s within
sight of places which other evidence confirms to be those he
speaks of. [ed.]
« Paus. Achaica, C. XX.
OF THE ODEUM OF REGILLA*
This ruin is too respectable, on account of its extent, to be passed over unnoticed} but it is so
far demolished, that nothing more than the general form of its plan can possibly be ascertained ; the
present Athenians call it the Areopagus, and Spon has adopted this opinion, but Wheler has some
doubts whether it be really the ruin of that famous tribunal, or the Odeum. Dr. Chandler3 has sup-
posed it to have been the Pnyx. To this opinion I can have little objection, except that I do not
see how the account which Plutarch has given of this place, in his life of Themistocles, can be here
verified, that is, how the Suggestum, or pulpit, could be said to look towards the sea, until it was by
the Thirty Tyrants turned so that it looked towards the country', or how Justice, " as described by
Lucian", when seated on that part of the hill Areopagus which faced the ruin, should have seen Pan
coming towards her from his grotto under the Acropolis, since her back would have been turned to
himc. I, however, think it is the Odeum built by Atticus Herodes in honour of his wife Regilla.
It appears to me that Pausaniasd speaks of it, where, describing the buildings of Patrass, he says, "on
* The Description of this Theatre is in Vol. II. Chap. III.
[>.]
a See Chandler's Travels in Greece, Vol. II. C. XIII.
* v.a,L to firipa. to tv TIvVav irnroiYiy.zvov war3 aTroGXiirziv Trpuf
t*iv ■zu.hcto-cav, vcrrtpoy ol Tpiay.ovTct ttpoi; twv ^wpccv ot-Tria-Tpi-^av. Pint.
in Themist.
..." and the pulpit which was made in the Pnyx to look
towards the sea, afterwards the Thirty Tyrants turned towards
the country."
Colonel Leake suggests, regarding.thc doubts as to this being
the Pnyx, on the ground of the still conspicuous Boma not facing
the sea that " the existing monument is anterior to the time of
Themistocles, and was built, as we now see it, to face the Agora;
that Themistocles, by some temporary alteration, which has not
lasted to the present time, turned the place of assembly to face
the sea, in order to promote his design of giving the Athenians a
taste for maritime affairs, contrary to their ancient prejudices;
and that the Thirty Tyrants restored it to its former state. This
accommodation of the passage of Plutarch, with the present
aspect of the ruin, though very hypothetical, is the best that can
be offeree in answer to the objection which immediately presents
itself on viewing the Pulpitum. Sir W. Cell terms this monu-
ment « the Pnyx of the Pisistratid* ", and he observes" in
the rock above this, with a view of the sea, the vestoges of an-
other building, erected for a similar purpose, are visible ; but
we know not on what authority he states, " this was the an-
cient Pnyx ", since it appears to have belonged to the same
design. This appropriation is however evidently proposed with
a view to reconcile the above passage of Plutarch with the position
of the existing Oratorv- It is certain, that long previous to the
time of Themistocles," popular assemblies were held at a struc-
ture named Pnyx. The circular wall in front of the ruin under
consideration, (and consequently the present bema as well, being
evidently part of the same plan,) is of very remote construction,
long antecedent to the rule of the Thirty Tyrants, ^ or perhaps,
to that of Pisistratus, being apparently the most ancient masonry
in Attica, and of Pelasgic execution. See Leake's Topography
of Athens, p. 42. Gell's Itin. of Greece, p. 35. [ed.]
c The following are the passages from Lucian, illustrative of
the locality of this structure.
'EPM. . . . airr, fj.it hraZSa mv M rovXli.yov [sc ' Apmu Triyw'}
Kuvyjcro, tvv Tlvuyc. oputra,---------
AIK. Mn wportpov as-EASy;, a 'Ep^, Keh tbtfit oVtk outo; o irpotr-
ivy Isttm, o xtpa-ctpopos, o ttiv avptvyce, o Xaatoi; etc ro7v ctxiaoTv.
'EPM. Ti <p?i;> ccyvoui; nov Tlava, Twv Awvva-ov ^ipo-tzovtuv tov facer.-
XlKUTCiTOV ; O'JTOi; UKii U.\f TO WrpOaQtV CCVCP TO TTpCpQlVlOV' V7TO d= TOV A«TI-
So; ImKAovv, xai Tm MctpocOuivccSe t» @ct?l3dpuv aTpiSccmy, -nxtv axAn-ro;
toT; ?AQr,vaioi$ avpu&xot;' xul to cct txtttov, tyiv vtto tv Axpoir^Xei o-t»j-
Xvyyoc. TUVTyv a.TTOAa.Qoy.ivo:;, olasT {j.lypov vtzo tov YliAccayiKOV, is To jxitoi-
xvkov a"JVTiAavy y.cct vv:'y u; to i\y.o$, iouv iv ytiTovwv TrpoaiiQ-l, oi^icoo^otJ-evoc'
nAN. XatpiTi, u Eppy xat AiKy.
Luciani Bis Accusatus, Tom. II. p. 801. Ed. Reitzii. 1743.
' Mercury. . . . you can sit awhile on this hill (the Areo-
pagus) overlooking the Pnyx,------
' Justice. Do not go, Mercury, before you tell me who that is
with horns coming this way, holding a syrinx, and with hairy legs.
« Mercury. What say you! do not you know Pan, that most
joyous of the attendants of Bacchus ? He formerly lived on Mount
Parthenion, but at the time of the expedition of Datis, and the
descent of the Barbarians at Marathon, uninvoked he fought
on the side of the Athenians; and from that time, having
become possessed of this cave beneath the Acropolis, he occa-
sionally dwells there under the Pelasgic wall, and is considered an
Athenian inmate ; and now it seems, seeing us near, he comes
to salute us.
' Pan. Welcome, Mercury and Justice.'
It here appears, that Justice and Mercury, when on the Areo-
pagus, were within view of the Pnyx, as well as of the grotto of
Pan. The above objection by Stuart is trivial, since an author
like Lucian cannot be supposed to have meant to describe an
animate being sitting like a statue, entirely looking in one
direction. It is enough that the position specified wa°s within
sight of places which other evidence confirms to be those he
speaks of. [ed.]
« Paus. Achaica, C. XX.