Dictionary of Greek and Roman antiquities. Ed. by William Smith. Illustrated by numerous engravings on wood.

1088 SYRINX. SYSSITIA.
SYRINX (av-p~y?), the Pan's Pipe, or Pandean searching for metals, in mining at the siege of a
Pipe, was the appropriate musical instrument of city (Polyaen. v. 17), or in forming catacombs for
the Arcadian and other Grecian shepherds, and was the dead. (Aelian, H. A. vi. 43, xvi. 15.) [J. Y.]
regarded by them as the invention of Pan, their SYRMA (ayppa), which properly means that
tutelary god (Virg. Bic. ii. 32, viii. 24), who was which is drawn or dragged (from oupw), is applied
sometimes heard playing upon it (avpiovmros: see to a dress with a train. The long Peplos worn by
Theocrit. i. 3. 14, 16; Schol. in loc.; Longus, iv. the Trojan matrons was consequently a dress some27), as they imagined, on mount Maenalus. (Paus. what of this kind. (II. vi. 442.) The Syrma, howviii. 36. ~ 5.) It was of course attributed to Fau- ever, was more especially the name of the dress
nus, who was the same with Pan. (Hor. Casont. i. worn by the tragic actors, which had a train to it
17. 10.) When the Roman poets had occasion to trailing upon the ground; whence the word is exmention it, they called it fistula (Virg. Buc. ii. 36, plained by Pollux (vii. 67), as a -payurcbv rpdplua
iii. 22, 25; Hor. Carm. iv. 12. 10; Ovid. Met. E'rnovpd01Evov, and is alluded to by Horace (Ar.
viii. 192, xiii. 784; Mart. xiv. 63; Tibull. i. 5. Poet. 215), in the words,
20.) It was also variously denominated according - traxitque vagus per pulpita vestem.
to the materials of which it was constructed,
whether of cane (tenid arendine, Virg. Buc. vi. 8; (Compare Juv. viii. 229.) Hence we find Syrima
Hom. Hymn. in Pana, 15; TroleEviTq aOVdaKC, Brunck, used metaphorically for tragedy itself. (Juv. xv.
Anal. i. 489), reed (calamo, Virg. Buc. i. 10, ii. 30; Mart. iv. 49.)
34, v. 2; KicXAa/or, Theocrit. viii. 24; Longus, SYSSI'TIA (ovofSrta). The custom of taking
i. 4), or hemlock (cicuta, Virg. Buc. v. 85). In the principal meal of the day in public prevailed
general seven hollow stems of these plants were extensively amongst the Greeks from very early
fitted together by means of wax, having'ben pre- ages. It existed not only with the Spartans and
viously cut to the proper lengths, and adjusted so Cretans, amongst both of whom it was kept up till
as to form an octave (Virg. Buc. ii. 32, 36); but comparatively recent times, but also at Megara in
sometimes nine were admitted, giving an equal the age of Theognis (v. 305), and at Corinth in
number of notes. (Theocrit. viii. 18-22.) Another the time of Periander, who it seems abolished the
refinement in the construction of this instrument, practice as being favourable to aristocracy. (Arist.
which, however, was rarely practised, was to ar- Pol. v. 9. ~ 2.) Nor was it confined to the Hellenic
range the pipes in a curve so as to fit the form of nation: for according to Aristotle (Pol. vii. 9), it
the lip, instead of arranging them in a plane. prevailed still earlier amongst the Oenotrians in
(Theocrit. i. 129.) A syrinx of eight reeds is the south of Italy, and also at Carthage, the poshown in the gem figured on page 846. The an- litical and social institutions of which state resemnexed woodcut is taken from a bas-relief in the bled those of Sparta and Crete. (Pot. ii. 8.) The
collection at Appledurcombe in the Isle of Wight. origin of the usage cannot be historically estab(Mus. Worsleyanum, pl. 9.) It represents Pan lished; but it seems reasonable to refer it to infant
reclining at the entrance of the cave, which was or patriarchal communities, the members of which
dedicated to him in the Acropolis at Athens. He being intimately connected by the ties of a close
holds in his right hand a drinking-horn [RHYTON] political union and kindred, may naturally be supand in his left a syrinx, which is strengthened by posed to have lived together almost as members of
two transverse bands. the same family. But however and wherever it
originated, the natural tendency of such a practice
was to bind the citizens of a state in the closest
union; and accordingly we find that at Sparta,
{ X~~~~' >hansLycurgus availed himself of it for this purpose,
though we cannot determine with any certainty
whether he introduced it there, or merely perpetuated and regulated an institution, which the
U)1 / / Spartans brought with them from their mother> t /\ Ad Aidg S country and retained at Sparta as being suitable to
i their position and agreeable to their national habits.
The Cretan usage Aristotle (Pol. vii. 9) attributes
to Minos; this, however, may be considered rather
the philosopher's opinion than as an historical,-,'vm,r, Jztradition:" but the institution was confessedly of
so high antiquity, that the Peloponnesian colonists
-Z-j~..j%.. _/k__.. may well be supposed to have found it already
existing in Crete, even if there had been no Dorian
The ancients always considered the Pan's Pipe settlers in the island before them. (Thirlwall,
as a rustic instrument, chiefly used by those who Hist. of Greece, vol. i. p. 287.)
tended flocks and herds (Hom. 11. xviii. 526; The Cretan name for the Syssitia was'Apspe-a
Apoll. Rhod. i. 577; Dionys. Perieg. 996; Longus, (Arist. Pol. ii. 7), the singular of which is used to
i. 2, i. 14-16, ii. 24-26); but also admitted to denote the building or public hall where they were
regulate the dance. (Hes. Sett. 278.) The Ly- given. This title affords of itself a sufficient indidians, whose troops marched to military music, cation that they were confined to men and youths
employed this together with other instruments for only: a conclusion justified and supported by all
the purpose. (Herod. i. 17.) This instrument was the authorities on the subject. (Plat. Leg. vi. p.
the origin of the organ [HYDRAVLA]. 780, d.) It is not however improbable, as Hoeck
The term Trbplsy was also applied to levels, or (Creta, vol. iii. p. 123) suggests, that in some of
narrow subterranean passages, made either in the Dorian states there were syssitia of the young