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

1128 THESMOPHORIA. THOLUS,
from Egypt by the daughters of Danaus, who made atonement for any excess or error which might
the Pelasgian women of Peloponnesus acquainted have been committed during the sacred days, and
with the mysteries, that after the Dorian conquest this sacrifice was probably offered at the close of
they fell into disuse, and were only preserved by the third day.
the Arcadians, who remained undisturbed in their There are several other particulars mentioned
ancient seats. Thus much appears certain from by ancient writers as forming part of. the Thesmothe name of the festival itself, that it was intended phoria, but we are not able to ascertain in what
to commemorate the introduction of the laws and manner they were connected with the festival, or
regulations of civilized life, which was universally on what day they took place.
ascribed to Demeter. (Diodor. v. 5.) Respecting Thesmophoria were also celebrated in many other
the duration of the Attic Thesmophoria, various parts of Greece, as stated above. The principal
opinions are entertained both by ancient and mo- places where they are mentioned by ancient authors
dern writers. According to Hesychius (s. v. TpTr7 are the following:-Sparta, where the festival lasted
OEO'lopOp['v) it lasted four days: it has been in- for three days (Hesych. s. v. Tpr/cepos); Drymaea
ferred from Aristophanes (Thesmoph. 80) that it in Phocis (Paus. x. 33. ~ 6; Steph. Byz. s.v.
lasted for five days. Such discrepancies have un- Apuvufa); Thebes in Boeotia (Plut. Pelop. p. 280;
doubtedly arisen from the circumstance that the Xenoph. Hellen. v. 2. ~ 29); Miletus (Steph. Byz.
women spent several days before the commence- s.v. MI'Xl7Tos: Diog. Lalrt. ix. ~ 43), Syracuse
ment of the real festival in preparations and puri- (Athen. xiv. p. 647), Eretria in Euboea (Plut.
fications, during which they were especially bound Qaest. Gr. p. 298, b. &c.), Delos (Athen. iii.
to abstain from sexual intercourse, and for this pur- p. 109), -Ephesus (Strab. xiv. p. 633; Herod. vi.
pose they slept and sat upon particular kinds of 16), Agrigentum (Polyaen. v. 1. 1), and other
herbs which were believed to have a purifying ef- places. But of their celebration in these towns we
fect. (Ilesych. s. v. Kv'ipopv Etymol. M. s. v. know no more than a few isolated particulars which
Zc6poaos,: Aelian. Nat. An. ix. 26; Schol. ad are mentioned in the passages referred to.
Theocrit. iv. 25; Dioscorid. i. 135; Plin. H. N. (Metrsius, Grcaecia Feazta, s.v. O~e0eocl6pia:
xxiv. 19; Stephan. Byz. s. v. MItrTos.) During Wellauer, de Tlhesmophor7iis, Wratislaviae 1820,
this time the women of each demos appointed two 8vo.; Creuzer, Symsbol. iv. p. 440, &c.; Preller ins
married women from among themselves to con- Zimmermasnn's Zeitschrift, 1835, n. 98; and in
duct the preliminary solemnities (4pxelv e'r ha' general Wachsmuth, Icelez. Alt. ii. p. 574, 2d ed.
ealuoqdp6a, Isaeus, de Ciron. he.red. p. 208, ed. &c.; K. F. Hermamnn, Haadb. der Gottesd. Alterth.
Reisk.), and their husbands who had received a ~ 56. n. 15, &c.) [L. S.]
dowry amounting to three talents, had to pay the THESMOPHY/LACES (eertorpuXAa1ces).
expenses for the solemnity in the form of a liturgy. [HENDECA.]
(Isaeus, de Pyrrh. hered. p. 66.) The festival THESMOS (aeo'fxs). [NomIos.]
itself, which according to the most probable sup- THESMO'THETAE (aeoyuoOE'Tai). [Art
position, also adopted by WVellauer (de Tlhesmo- CHON.]
phoriis, p. 6), lasted only for three days, began on THESSA (;iacaa). [HEREs, p. 597, b.]
the 11th of Pyanepsion, which day was called THETES (a;Tres). In earlier times this name
&robos or iK0Oo8os (Hesych. s. v. "Avo3os) from the denoted any.freemen who worked for hire (ol
circumstance that the solemnities were opened by gveca T'rpoJps aovxeus'vres, Photius, s. v.;?AevOepcv
the women with a-procession from Athens to Eleusis. 6rolua aih 7rerrv av r' appyvpigp ouXev6vTrcov, Pollux,
In this procession they carried on their heads sacred iii. 32). Homer (Od. iv. 644, xviii. 356) speaks
laws (v6,zqu,)o fLO X ot or;erlzoi), the introduction of of 5?,eS TIe Keis re, the latter properly signify.which was ascribed to Demeter (POE-uoqsppos, and ing those who became slaves by captivity. They
other symbols of civilised life. (Schol. at Thleocrit. are to be distinguished not only from all common
xiv. 23.) The women spent the night at Eleusis in slaves, but also from those persons who were in the
celebrating the mysteries of the goddess. (Aen. condition of the Penestae or Helots. (Wachsmuth,
Tact. Poliocre. 4.) Hell. Alt. vol. i. pt. i. pp. 235, 255, 322, 1st ed.;
The second day, called VrTrTeia (Athen. vii. Schbmann, Asnt. Jar. pub. Gr. p. 70.) The persons
p. 307), was a day of mourning, during which the best known by the name of ir'es are the members
women sat on the ground around the statue of of the fourth or lowest class at Athens, according
Demeter, and took no other food than cakes made to the political division of Solon. They are spoken
of sesame and honey (rsoaeauois, Aristoph. Thes- of under CENsvs. [C. R. K.]
moph. 535, Pax, 820). On this day no meetings THIASOS (ilanos). [DIoNYSIA, p. 411, a;
either of the senate or the people were held. ERANI, p. 475, b.]
(Aristoph. Thesm.' 79.) It was probably in the THOLIA (oxia). [UanBRACULUM.]
afternoon of this day that the women held a pro- THOLUS (eo'Aos, S and a, also called acids)
cession at Athens, in which they walked barefooted is a name which was given to any round building
behind a waggon, upon which baskets with mys- which terminated at the top in a point, whatever
tical symbols were conveyed totheThesmophorion. might be the purpose for which it was used.
(Aristoph. Tloeszs. 276, &c.) The third day, called (flesych. and Suidas. s v. v. oos: Od. xxii. 442,
KahXydverEa from the circumstance that Demeter 459, 466.) At Athens the name was in particular
was invoked under this name (Aristoph. T/sesma. applied to the new round prytaneum near the
296), was a day of merriment and raillery among senate-house, which should not be confounded with
the women themselves, in commemoration of Iambe the old prytaneum at the foot of the acropolis.
who was said to have made the goddess smile (Paus. i. 5. ~ 1, 18. ~ 13.) It was therefore the
during her grief. (Aristoph. Tlesrm. 792, Ran. 390; place in which the prytanes took their conmmon
Tlesych. s. v.:r7WYsa: Phot. Lex. p. 397; Apollod. meals and offered their sacrifices. It was adorned
i. 5. ~ 1.) Hesychius mentions a sacrifice called with some small silver statues (Pollux, viii. 1355
g/itra, which was offered to the goddess as an Demosth. de Feals. Legy. p. 419), and near it stood