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

TIHESAURUS.'THESMOPIIORIA. 1127
In the earlier times there was no person, or perty (iKFceLxAa). Such are the treasury of Miboard of persons, expressly appointed to manage nyas, at Orchomenus, described by Pausanias (ix.
the Theoric fund. The money thus appropriated 38), and of which some remains still exist (Dodwas disbursed by the Hellenotanliae. After the well, vol. i. p. 227), and those of Atreus and his
anarchy, the largess system having been restored sons at Mycenae (Paus. ii. 16), the chief one of
by Agyrrhius, a board of managers was appointed, which, the so-called Treasury of Atreus, still exists
who are called apx/ e7rl ArP rSeWpLKo, ol E7rl TIb almost in a perfect state. The preceding woodcut,eWptIKCb TrETWayUeVoL or CEXelpoTov7O7ErVOL, (ewptcvK shows a ground-plan of the building, and a section
iPX%, &c. They were elected by show of hands of the principal chamber, which is about 48 feet in
at the period of the great Dionysia, one from each diameter, and 50 high, and is vaulted over in the
tribe. In the time of Eubulus many other branches manner described under Aucus, p. 128, a. The
of the administration were placed under the control remains of similar structures have been found at
of this board; as the management of the civil ex- various places in Greece and Italy.
penditure, the office of the Apodectae, the building It is, however, very questionable whether these
of docks, arsenals, streets, &c. This was dictated edifices were treasuries at all: some of the best
by an anxiety on the part of'the people that no, archaeologists maintain that they were tombs.
part of the revenue should be improperly diverted The question cannot be entered into here: a full
from the Theoric fund, which they thought would discussion of it, with a description of the buildings
be prevented by increasing the powers of its mana- themselves wi'll be found in the works now quoted.
gers. But these extraordinary powers. appear not (MilIee, Archeiol. d. Kmzst, ~~ 48, 291, Welcker's,
to have been of long continuance. (Aeschin. c. edition.; Welcker's review of MUller'sArchiologie,
Ctesiph. 57, ed. Steph.; Bickh, p. 170, &c.; Schi- in the lltein. Aigus. for 1834, vol. ii. pp. 469, foell.;
mann, Id. 320; Wachhsmth, Hellcn. Alt. vol. ii. Col. Mure, Ueber die Kaiaqlichlen Grabmiiler des
pt. i. pp. 124-127, 1st ed.) [C. R. K.] hevoisceen Zeitalters, in the Rhein. Muss. for 1838,
THEOXE'NIA. [THEOPHANIA.] vol. vi. pp. 240, foell.; we are not aware whether
THERAPON (epdrcewv). [H;Los s.] this Essay has been published in English; Abeken,
THERMAE. [BALN:AE, p. 193, b.] Mittelitalien, pp. 234, foll.)
THERMOPO'LIUM. [CALIDA;, CAUPONA.] In the historical times, the public treasury was
THESAURUS (,roaavpds), a treasure-house. either in a building attached to the ayora, or in
That buildings of this description were required, the opisthodoneus of some temple. (Hirt, Lehlre d.
especially by kings and states, in the earliest period Gebliude, pp. 189, 190.)
of civilization, is self-evident; and tradition points Respecting the public treasury at Rome, see
to subterranean buildings in Gxeece, of unknown AERARIUIM. [P. S.]
antiquity and of peculiar formation, as having been THESEIA (faeiE7a), a festival celebrated by the
erected during the heroic period, for the purpose of Athenians in honour of their national hero Theseus
preserving precious metals, arms, and other pro- (Aristoph. Plht. 622, &c. with the Schol. Thes..
moph. 841; Suidas, s. sn. ~VerILoLs), 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 thus was:___ -~. for them a feast at which they felt no want and
might fancy themselves equal to the wealthiest
-itizens. We learn from Gellius (xv. 20. ~ 3), /;I~i~; ~z6 that a contest also was held on this occasion, but
a_____i_;____ wle are not informed in what it consisted. The
- F /..;' S.: \. 1. r Iday on which this festival was held was the eighth
of every month ('oysda), but more especially the
eighth of Pyanepsion, because it was believed that
Theseus returned firom Crete on that day. (Schol.
SECTION. ad Aristop&... G.; Plut. Thes. 36.) Hence the festival was sometimes called y3o'd1tov. (Hesych. s. v.)
From the passages above referred to, compared
o......... with Diodorus (v. 52), it appears highly probable
s.. c that the festival of the Theseia was not instituted
till B. C. 469, when Cimon brought the remains of
Theseus from Scyros to Athens.
(Meursius, Grae. Fer. s. v. ~v.Ore-a, Theseus, p.
133; Corsini, Fast. Att. ii. p. 330; Ideler, Histor.
Untersuchoungen aber die Astronom. Beobacltunag. der
l! gA t / Alten, p. 383, &c.) [L.S.]
l.....L.....a..... A- THESMOPHOpRIA(~Oe/oidpma), a great fes~' __- rtival and mysteries celebrated in honour of Demeter
in various parts of Greece, and only by married
women, though some ceremonies also were per..
formed by maidens. The Attic Thesmophoria
were held in the month of Pyanepsion and began
on the eleventh. Its introduction is ascribed by
PLArN. Demosthenes, Diodorus Siculus, and Plutarch (ap.
A, entrance: B, principal chamber: C, small side Tleodoret. Therap. ) to Orpheus, while Herodotus
chamber. (si. 171) states that it was introduced into Greece
4c 4