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

DELIA. DEMARCHIT.L 89
not be raised frorm the property of the deceased. who sailed to the island, ewpoI; and before they
(Dig. 29. tit. 5. s. 25.) In the senatus consulturn set sail a solemn sacrifice was offered in the Delion,
quoted by Frontinus (De Aqzcaeduct.), the informer at Marathon, in order to obtain a happy voyage.
received half of the penalty in which the person (Miiller, Dor. ii. 2. ~ 14.) During the absence of
was fined who transgressed the decree of the senate. the vessel, which on one occasion lasted 30 days
There seems also to have been a fixed sum given (Plat. Phlaedon, p. 58; Xen. Mefenorab. iv. 8. ~ 2),
to informers by the lex Papia, since we are toid the city of Athens was purified, and no criminal
that Nero reduced it to a fourth. (Suet. Ler. 10.) was allowed to be executed. The lesser Delia
The number of informers, however, increased so were said to have been instituted by Theseus,
rapidly under the early emperors, and occasioned though in some lenends they are mentioned at a
so much mischief in society, that many of them much earlier period, and Plutarch (TIzes. 23) rewere frequently banished, and punished in other lates that the ancient vessel used by the founder
ways, by various emperors. (Suet. Tit. 8, Dom. himself, though often repaired, was preserved and
9; Mart. i. 4; Plin. Paneg. 34; Brissonius, Ant. used by the Athenians down to the time of DemeSelect. iii. 17.) trius Phalereus. (Bdckh, Publ. Econ. of Afth. p.
DELECTUS. [ExERCITus.] 214, &c. 2d edit.; Thirlwall, Iist. of Greece, vol.
DE'LIA (8;iAt,), the name of festivals and iii. p. 217.) [L. S.]
games celebrated at the great panegyris in the DELICTUMI. [CaIsIEN.]
island of Delos, the centre of an amphictyony, to DELPHI'NIA (8eAhpiva), a festival of the
which the Cyclades and the neighbouring Ionians same expiatory character as the Apollonia, which
on the coasts belonged. (IIom. HyLmnz. in 4Apoll. was celebrated in various towns of Greece, in147, &c.) This amphictyony seems originally to honour of Apollo, surnamed Dephinius, who was
have been instituted simply for the purpose of re- considered by the lonians as their aebs 7ra'rpos.
ligious worship in the common sanctuary of Apollo, The name of the god, as well as that of his festhe Sebs 7raTprios of the Ionians, who was believed tival, must be derived from the belief of the an.
to have been born at Delos. The Delia, as ap- cients that in the beginning of the month of Munypears from the Hymn on Apollo (compare Thucyd. chion (probably identical with the Aeginetan
iii. 104; Pollux, ix. 61), had existed from very Delphinius) Apollo came through the defile of
early times, and were celebrated every fifth year Parnassus to Delphi, and began the battle with
(Pollux, viii. 104), and as Bickh supposes, with Delphyne. As he thus assumed the character of a
great probability, on the sixth and seventh days of wrathful god, it was thought necessary to appease
Thargelion, the birthdays of Apollo and Artemis. him, and the Delphinia, accordingly, were celeThe members of the amphictyony assembled on brated at Athens, as well as at other places where
these occasions (ie'fo pove) in Delos, in long gar- his worship had been adopted, on the 6th of Munyments, with their wives and children, to worship chion. At Athens seven boys and girls carried
the god with. gymnastic and musical contests, olive-branches, bound with white wool (called the
choruses, and dances. That the Athenians took KerET7pIa), into the Delphinium. (Plut. Thies. 18.)
part in these solemnities at a very early period, The Delphinia of Aegina are mentioned by the
is evident from the Deliastae (afterwards called scholiast an Pindar (Pylth. viii. 88), and from his
dveapos) mentioned in the laws of Solon (Athen. vi. remark on another passage (Olymp. vii. 151), it is
p. 234); the sacred vessel (aewpis), moreover, clear that they were celebrated with contests.
which they sent to Delos every year, was said to (Compare Diog. Lairt. Vit. Thtal. c. 7; Muller,
be the same which Theseus had sent after his re- Do. ii. 8. ~ 4.) Concerning the celebration of the
turn from Crete. (See the commentators on Plato, Delphinia in other places nothing is known; bnlt
C7ito, p. 43, c.) The Delians, during the celebra- we have reason to suppose that the rites observed
tion of these solemnities, performed the office of at Athens and in Aegina were common to all
cooks for those who visited their island, whence festivals of the same name. See MUiiller, Aeginet.
they were called'EAeoLvr'at (Athen. iv. p. 173). p. 152. [L. S.]
In the course of time the celebration of this DELPHIS (8eqpLts), an instrument of naval
ancient panegyris in Delos had ceased, and it was warfare. It consisted of a large mass of iron or
not revived until 01. 88. 3, when the Athenians, lead suspended on a beam, which projected from
after having purified the island in the winter of the mast of the ship like a yard-arm. It was used
that year, restored the ancient solemnities, and to sink, or make a hole in, an enemy's vessel, by
added horse-races which had never before taken being dropped upon it when alongside. (Aristoph.
place at the Delia. (Thucyd. I. c.) After this re- E7rlit. 759; Thuc. vii. 41; Schol. ad loc.;
storation, Athens being at the head of the Ionian Hesych. s. v.) There seems no necessity for supconfederacy took the most prominent part in the posing that it was made in the shape of a dolphin.
celebration of the Delia; and though the islanders, Bars of iron used for ballast are at the present day
in common with Athens, provided the choruses and called "pigs," though they bear no resemblance to
victims, the leader (p3yXOdwpos), who conducted that animal. Probably the &esAqpes were hoisted
the whole solemnity, was an Athenian (Puint. Niec. aloft only when going into action. We may also
3; Wolf. Introd. ad Demostlh. Lelt. p. xc.), and conjecture that they were fitted, not so much to
the Athenians had the superintendence of the com- the swift (TarXEIae) triremes, as to the military
mon salmmtuary. [AMIPHICTYONS.] transports (eorpartm&r8EsE, 7'rALTr'YTyom), for the
From these solemnities, belonging to the great sailing of the former would be much impeded by
Delian panegyris, we must distinguish the lesser so large a weight of metal. At any rate, those
Delia, which were celebrated every year, probably that Thucydides speaks of were not on the tri.
on the 6th of Thargelion. The Athenians on this oc- remes, but on the 6Aicd.Es.
casion sent the sacred vessel (aewpts), which the DELUBRUM. [TEMPLUM.]
priest of Apollo adorned with laurel branches, to DEMARCHI (8AiuapXo,), the chief magdstrates
Delos. The embassy was called aeCpiLa: and those of the demi (8iUoo) in Attica, and said to have
cc 3