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

20 AEGINETARUMI FERIAE. AEGIS.
within Rome. The curatores operunt publicoruz acted themselves as attendants, though not withand the curatores alvei Tiberis, also appointed by out rejoicings. [L. S.]
Augustus, stripped the aediles of the remaining AEGIS (aoiyfs), the shield of Zeus, signifies
few duties that might be called honourable. They literally a goat-skin, and is formed on the same
lost also the superintendence of wells, or springs, analogy with y'Epis, a fawn-skin. (Herod. iv. 189.)
and of the aquaeducts. (Frontinus ii. De Aquae- According to ancient mythology, the aegis worn by
ductibus.) They retained, under the early em- Zeus was the hide of the goat Amraltheia, which
perors, a kind of police, for the purpose of repress- had suckled him in his infancy. Hyginus relates
ing open licentiousness and disorder: thus the (Astron. Poet. 13), that, when he was preparing
baths, eating-houses, and brothels were still sub- to resist the Titans, he was directed, if he wished
ject to their inspection, and the registration of to conquer, to wear a goat-skin with the head of
prostitutes was still within their duties. (Tacit. the Gorgon. To this particular goat-skin the term
dAnnal. ii. 85.) We read of the aediles under aegis was afterwards confined. Homer always reAugustus making search after libellous books, in presents it as part of the armour of Zeus, whom on
order that they might be burnt; and also under this account'he distinguishes by the epithet aegqisTiberius (Tacit. Ann. iv. 35.) bearing (aiyioXos). He, however, asserts, that it
The coloniae, and the municipia of the later vwas borrowed on different occasions both by Apollo
period, had also their aediles, whose numbers and (Ii. xv. 229, 307-318, 360, xxiv. 20), and by
functions varied in different places. They seem, Athena (Il. ii. 447 —449, xviii. 204, xxi. 400).
however, as to their powers and duties, to have re- The skins of various quadrupeds having been
sembled the aediles of Rome. They were chosen used by the most ancient inhabitants of Greece
annually. (De Aedil. Col., &c. Otto. Lips. 1732.) for clothing and defence, we cannot wonder that
The history, powers, and duties of the aediles the goat-skin was employed in the same manner.
are stated with great minuteness by Schubert, De It must also be borne in mind that the heavy
Romasnorum nAedilibus, lib. iv. Regimontii, 1828. shields of the ancient Greeks were in part supSee also Wunder, De Romanrorums Comitiis Aedi- ported by a belt or strap (reXapamv, balteus) passing
linu Cuzrulium, in his edition of Cicero's Oration over the right shoulder, and, when not elevated
Pro Cn. Plancio, Leipzig, 1830. [G. L.] with the shield, descending transversely to the left
AEDI'TUI, AEDI'TUMI, AEDI'TIMI hip. In order that a goat-skin might serve this
(vzecKdpot, (dKcopos), persons who took care of the purpose, two of its legs would probably be tied
temples, and attended to the cleaning of them. over the right shoulder of the wearer, the other
Notwithstanding this menial service, they partook extremity being fastened to the inside of the shield.
of the priestly character, and are sometimes even In combat the left arm would be passed under the
called priests by the Greek grammarians. (Suid. hide, and would raise it together with the shield,
Hesych. Etym. M. s.v. c(diopos; Pollux, i. 14.) as is shown in a marble statue of Athena, preIn many cases they were women, as Timo in served in the museum at Naples, which, from its
Ilerodotus (vi. 134), who also speaks of her as style of art,'may be reckoned among the most anV;ro(dKopos, from which it is clear that in some cient in existence.
lplaces several of these priests min t have been attached to one and the same temple, and that they
differed among themselves in rank. Subsequently
the menial services connected with the office of the
~Neoco'ri were left to slaves, and the latter became a
title given to priestly officers of high rank, of whom an
account is given in a separate article. [NxocoaI.] \ t
The aeditui lived in the temples, or near them,
and acted as ciceroni to those persons who
wished to see them. (Plin. H. N. xxxvi. 4. ~ 10;
Cic. Veor. iv. 44; Liv. xxx. 17; Schlol. ad Hor.
Ep. ii. 1. 230.) In ancient times the aeditui were
citizens, but under the emperors freedmen. (Serv.
ad Virg. Aen. ix. 648.)
AEGINETA'RUM FERITAE (Aytlvij-7 ll.EopPT), a festival in honour of Poseidon, which
lasted sixteen days, during which time every
family took its meals quietly and alone, no slave
being allowed to wait, and no stranger invited to
partake of them. From the circumstance of each
family being closely confined to itself, those who
soleonnised this festival were called juovopa'yof.
Plutarch (Quaest. Graec. 44) traces its origin to the
Trojan war, and says that,as many of the Aeginetans
had lost their lives, partly in the siege of Troy and
partly on their return home, those who reached
their native island were received indeed with joy
by their kinsmen; but in order to avoid hurting Other statues of Athena represent her in a state
the feelings of those families who had to lament of repose, and with the goat-skin falling obliquely
the loss of their friends, they thought it proper from its loose fastening over her right shoulder, so
neither to show their joy nor to offer any sacrifices as to pass round the body under the left annrm. The
in public. Every family, therefore, entertained annexed figure is taken from a colossal statue of
privately their friends who had returned, and Athena at Dresden.