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

THENSAE.- THEORI l 125
in Greece paa~op6/poL or PaCoOXotL, and at Rome I of the gods to the circus in a complete chariot
Praeconcs. (Schol. ad Aristoph. Pax, 718.) (&p/ua iAhov, that is, a telnsa, in opposition -to a mere
Respecting the attendance at the Greek theatres, ferculun), and that this chariot should stand in the
and the conduct of the people, see a very good dis- Capitol immediately opposite to that of Jupiter.
sertation of Becker, in his Charikles, ii. pp. 249 — (Dion Cass. xliii. 15, 21, 45, xliv. 6.)
278. [L. S.] Similar homage was paid upon high festivals to
THENSAE or TENSAE (for the orthography the images of their gods by other ancient nations.
and etymology of the word are alike doubtful, al- Thus, in the curious ceremonies performed at
though the oldest MSS. generally omit the aspirate) Papremis connected with the worship of the
were highly ornamented sacred vehicles, which, in Egyptian deity, whom Hierodotus (ii. 63) imagined
the solemn pomp of the Circensian games, conveyed to be identical with Ares, the statue, enshrined in
the statues of certain deities with all their decora- a chapel made of gilded wood, was dragged in a
tions to the pulvinaria, and after the sports were four-wheeled car by a body of priests. So also,
over bore them back to their shrines. (Cic. in Verr., in the account given by Athenaeus (v. c. 27, &c.),
ii. 1, 59, and note of Pseudo-Ascon. iii. 27, v. 72; after Callixenes of Rhodes, of the gorgeous pageant
Serv. ad Virg. Aen.. i. 21; Festus, s.v.; Dlomedes, at Alexandria, during the reign of Ptolemy Philai. p. 372, ed. Putsch.; Dion Cass. xlvii. 40; dielphus, we read of a car of Bacchus of prodigious
Tertull. de Spect. 7.) We are ignorant of their size, most costly materials, and most elaborate
precise form; for although we find several re- workmanship, which was. dragged by 180 men,
presentations upon ancient medals and other works and to such customs we may find a parallel in
of art, of gods seated in cars, and especially of the modern times in the usages which prevail at the
sun-chariot of Elagabalus (Herodian. v. 6; see festivtal of S. Agatha at Catania, and S. Rosolia at
Vaillant, Numismata Imp.. vol. ii. p. 269; Ginzrot, Palermo.
Die MWigen and Fahrwcrke, &c. tab. xlii. fig. 6); (Scheffer de Re vekiculari, c. 24; Ginzrot, Die
yet we have no means of deciding which, if any, Wge zlend Fahsrwerlke der Grieclens and Rnz2er,
of these are tensae. We know tiat they were c. 55; but the latter author, both here and elsedrawn by horses (Plut. Cowiolan. 25, who calls wherei allows his imagination to carry him farther
them rfcrwas), and escorted (deducere) by the than his authorities warrant.) [W. R.]
chief senators in robes of state, who, alang with THEODOSIA'NUS CODEX. [CODEx THEOpueri patrimi [PATRIMI], laid hold of the bridles DOSIANUS.]
and traces, or perhaps assisted to drag the carriage THEOPHA'NIA (irosqxdta), a festival cele(for duceee is used as well as dedzwere, Liv. v. 41), Tarated at Delphi, on the occasion of which the
by means of thongs. attached for the purpose (and Delphians filled the huge silver crater which had
hence the proposed derivation from tendo). So been presented to the Delphic god by Croesus.
sacred was this duty considered, that Augustus, (Herod. i. 51.) Valckenaer on Herodotus (I. c.)
when labouring under sickness, deemed it neces- thought that the reading was corrupt, and that
sary to accompany the tensae in a litter. If one OeeOivna should be read, as this festival is well
of the horses knocked up or the driver- took the known to have been celebrated by the Delphians.
reins in his left hand, it was necessary to recom- (Plut. de his qui sero a maz2. pun. p. 557, f; Polemence the procession, and for one of the attendant meon, ap. A4then. ix. p. 372..) Bu,' both festivals
boys to let go the thong or to stumble was profa- I are mentioned. together by Pollax (i. 34), anad
nation. (Liv. v. 41; Plut. 1. c.; Ascon. 1. c.; Philostratus (Vit, Apollon. iv. 31). The TheoArnob. adv. geet. iv. 31; compared with the ora- phania were intended as a celebration of the retion de tlictp. resp. e 11; Tertull. de con'. mil. 13, turn of Apollo to Delphi fiom nwhich he was beand de Specac. 7; Suet. Octav. 43.) lieved to be absent during the winter months. An
The only gods distinctly named as carried in agon called theoxenia was also celebrated at Pellene
tensae are Jupiter and Minerva (Suet.. Vespas. 5; is Achaia in honour of Hermes and Apollo. (Schol.
Dion Cass. xlvii. 40, 1. 8, lxvi. 1), to which ad Pind. 0l. vii. 156, ix. 146.) Butnoparticulars
number Mars is usually added on the autho- of any of these festivals are known. [L.S.]
rity of Dion Cassius (lxxviii. 8), but, in the pas- THEO'RI (asewpol), were persons sent on spesage referred to, he merely states, that at the Cir- cial missions (ecepiai) to perform some religious
censinn games celebrated A. D. 216, the statue of duty, as to consult an oracle, or to offer a sacrifice,
Mars, which was in the procession (7ro7resov), fell on behalf of the state. It is thus explained by the
down, and it is very remarkable that Dionysius grammarians: aEoerpo7rl, A orelc ae/tY'ol, e 05 pov(vii. 72), in his. minute description of the Pompa'i'oE' repl -e Aea' at ens ofav iriA7rf E'cot Ica,
Circensis, takes no notice whatever of the Tensae, iopTrs Kail 7rasrvypers iced XpW rpla. (Haipocr.
but represents the statues of the gods as carried on Suidas and Hesych. s. v. ~easpoe: compare Pollux,
men's shoulders, i. e. on fercula. That a consider- ii. 55; Sophocl. Oedip.s Tyr. 114.) There were in
able number of deities however received this some of the Dorian states, as the Aeginetans, Troehonour seems probable from the expression of zenians, Messenians, and Mantineans, official priests
Cicero, in his solemn appeal at the close of the called aSEwpoi, whose duty it was to consult oracles,
last Verrine oration, " omnesque dii, qui vehiculit interpret the responses, &c., as among the Spartans
tensarum solemnes coetus ludorum initis;" though there were men called Pythii, chosen by the kings
we cannot determine who these gods-were. We to consult the oracle at Delphi. (Schmann, Ant.
frequently hear indeed of the chariot of Juno Jur publ. CG; pp. 130, 395.) At Athens there were
(Virg. Georg. iii. 531), of Cybele (Aen. vi. 784), no official persons called;ecpof, but the name was
and many others, but as these are not mentioned given to those citizens who were appointed from
in connexion with the Pompa Circensis, there is time to time to conduct religious embassies to
no evidence that they were tensae. Among the various places; of which the most important
impious flatteries heaped on Caesar, it was decreed were those that were sent to the Olympian,
that his ivory statue should accompany the images I Pythian, Nemean, and Isthmian games, those
4c 3