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

166 ATELETr A. ATHLETAE.
~ 12). This constitutio of Antoninus is quoted Aristocr. p. 691), and some were even exempted
in Justinian's Institutes (1. tit. 8. s. 2), with a from custom duties, and the property tax or ela'slight alteration; the words ad aedemn sacraim are ceopd, from which an Athenian citizen could never
substituted for ad fanas deoram, since the jus asyli be exempted. The ateleia enjoyed by Athenian
was in his time extended to churches. Those citizens was either a general immunity (a&re'AFa
slaves who took refuge at the statue of an em- airdvorwv), such as was granted to persons who had
peror were considered to inflict disgrace on their done some great service to their country, and even
master, as it was reasonably supposed that no to their descendants, as in the case of Harmodius
slave would take such a step, unless he had re- and Aristogeiton; or it was a partial one exempting
ceived very bad usage from his master. If it a person from all or certain liturgies, from certain
could be proved that any individual had instigated custom duties, or from service in the army. The
the slave of another to flee to the statue of an em- last of these immunities was legally enjoyed by all
peror, he was liable to an action corrupti servi. members of the council of the Five Hundred (Ly(Dig. 47. tit. 11. s. 5.) The right of asylum curg. c. Leocr. 11), and the archons for the time
seems to have been generally, but not entirely, being, by the farmers of the custom duties (Dem.
confined to slaves. (Dig. 48. tit. 19. s. 28. ~ 7. c. Neaer. 1353), and by those who traded by sea,
Comp. Osiander, De Asylis Gentilium, in Gronov. although with them the exemption must have been
Tlsesaur. vol. vi.; Simon, Sur les A syles, in 1/am. limited. (Schol. ad Arist. Plut. 905, Aclsan. 399;
de l'Acad. des Inscript. vol. iii.; Bringer, De Asy- Suid. s. v. et7eropds ei/il.) Most information relourn Origine, Use, et Aliusu, Lugd. Bat. 1828; C. specting the ateleia is derived from Demosthenes'
Neu, De Asylis, Gott. 1837; respecting the right speech against Leptines. But compare also Wolf's
of asylum in the churches under the Christiarl Prolegoom. ad Lept. p. lxxi. &c.; Bdckh,Paubl. Econ.
emperors, see Rein, Das Criminalrecht der Roiner, p. 85, &c.; TWestermann, De pzblicis Atlieniensiznaa
p. 896.) Honoribus et Praemeiis, p. 6, &c. [L. S.]
The term &a'vXta was also applied to the secu- ATELLA'NAE FA'BULAE. [COMO.EDIA.]
rity from plunder (aruvhea ieal Kaia' yriy Kal Kcans ATHENAEUM (&0,Salov), a school (ludus)
&Aaao-aav), which was sometimes granted by one founded by the Emperor Hadrian at Rome, for the
state to another, or even to single individuals. (See promotion of literary and scientific studies (ingezauBkckb, Co[p. Inscrip. i. p. 725.) aruaz artium), and called Athenaeum from the
ATELEIA (&rEXefa), is generally immunity or town of Athens, which was still regarded as the
exemption from solme or all the duties which a seat of intellectual refinement. The Athenaeum
person has to perform towards the state. Im- was situated on the Capitoline hill. It was a kind
inunities may be granted either as a privilege to of university; and a staff of professors, for the
the citizens of a state, exempting them from certain various branches of study, was regularly engaged.
duties which would otherwise be incumbent on Undee Theodosius II., for example, there were
them, or they are given as honorary distinctions to three orators, ten grammarians, five sophists, one
foreign kings, states, communities or even private philosopher, two lawyers, or jurisconsults. Besides
individuals. With regard to the latter the ate- the instruction given by these magistri, poets, oraleia was usually an exemption from custom duties tors, and critics were accustomed to recite their
on the importation or exportation of goods, and compositions there, and these prelections were somewas given as a reward for certain good services. times honoured with the presence of the emperors
Thus Croesus received the ateleia at Delphi themselves. There were other places where such
(Herod. i. 54), the Deceleans at Sparta (Herod. recitations were made, as the Library of Trajan
ix. 73), and Leucon, the ruler of' Bosporus, at [BIBLIOTHECA]; sometimes also a room was hired,
Athens. (Dem. c. Lept. p. 466, &c.) It appears and made into an auditorium, seats erected, &c.
that if a person thus distinguished, or a citizen of a The Athenaeum seems to have continued in high
foreign community possessing the ateleia, took up his repute till the fifth century. Little is known of
residenc3 in the state which had granted it, he also the details of study or discipline ih the Athenaeum,
enjoyed other privileges, such as the exemption but in the constitution of the year 370, there are
from the protection money, or tax which resident some regulations respecting students in Rome, from
aliens had to pay at Athens. (Harpocrat. s. v. which it would appear that it must have been a
icoreTe1s) Nay this ateleia might even become very extensive and important institution. And
equivalent to the full franchise, as, e. g. the Byzan- this is confirmed by other statements contained in
tines gave the exemption from liturgies, and the some of the Fathers and other ancient authors,
franchise to all Athenians that might go to Byzan- from which we learn that young men from all
tium. (Dem. De Coron. p. 256.) In many in- parts, after finishing their usual school and college
stances a partial ateleia, or an exemption from studies in their owmn town or province, used to recustom duties, was granted for the purpose of en- sort to Rome as a sort of higher university, for the
couraging commerce. (Theophr. Cizar. 23; Schol. purpose of completing their education. (Aur. Vict.
ad Aristoph. Plut. 905, with Biickh's remarks,Publ. Caees. 14; Dion Cass. lxxiii. 17; Capitolin. Peltin.
Eton. p. 87.) With regard to the inhabitants of a 11, Gordian. Sen. 3; Lamprid. Alex. Sever. 35;
state, we must, as in the case of Athens, again dis- Cod. Theod. 14. tit. 9. s. 1.) [A. A.]
tinguish between two classes, viz. the resident ATHLE/TAE (aOXwrai, &OX'Arr pes), were peraliens and real citizens. At Athens all resident sons who contended in the public games of the
aliens had to pay a tax (IerEoiKcos) which we may Greeks and Romans for the prizes (aOha, whence
term protection-tax, because it was the price for the name of &dA71r'aI), which were given to those
the protection they enjoyed at Athens; but as it who conquered in contests of agility and strength.
was the interest of the state to increase commerce, This name was, in the later period of Grecian hisand for that purpose to attract strangers to settle at tory and among the Romans, properly confined to
Athens, many of them were exempted fronm this those persons who entirely devoted themselves to
tax, i. e. enjoyed the &i'reXela Ue'oE01uoV (Dem. c. a course of training which might fit them to excel