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

39 0 DEMIOPRATA. DEMOCRATIA.
been first appointed by Cleisthenes. Their duties tophanes (J'esT. 559, with Schol.) mentions {the
were various and important. Thus, they convened &3nd67rpara as a separate branch of the public remeetings of the demus, and took the votes upon venue at Athens. An account of such property
all questions under consideration; they had the was presented to the people in the first assembly
custody of the XqrLapXltKbv ypauJuaTe7o0v, or book of every prytaneia (Pollux, viii. 95); and lists of
in which the members of the demus were enrolled; it were posted upon tablets of stone in different
and they made and kept a register of the landed places, as was the case at Eleusis, with the cataestates (Xrepia) in their districts, whether belong- logue of the articles which accrued to the temple
ing to individuals or the body corporate; so that of Demeter and Persephone, from persons who
whenever an eIoIpopd, or extraordinary property-. had committed any offence against these deities.
tax was imposed, they must have been of great (Pollux, x. 97.) Many monuments of this kind
service in assessing and collecting the quota of were collected by Greek antiquarians, of which an
each estate. Moneys due to the demus for rent, account is given by Bickh (Publ. Econ. of Atenws,
&c. were collected by them (Dem. c. Eub. p. 1318), pp. 197, 392, I2d edit.) and Meier (De Bonis Danand it may safely be allowed that they were em- natorum, p. 160, &c.).
ployed to enforce payment of various debts and DEMIURGI (a71ovpuopI). These magistrates,
dues claimed by the state. For this purpose they whose title is expressive of their doing the service
seem to have had the power of distraining, to which of the people, are by some grammarians stated to
allusion is made by Aristophanes (Nub. 37). In have been peculiar to Dorian states; but, perhaps,
the duties which have been enumerated, they sup- on no authority, except the form ateouvpyoi.
planted the naucrari (vanKpapot) of the old con- MUller (Dorians, vol. ii. p. 145) observes, on the
stitution; their functions, however, were not con- contrary, that " they were not uncommon in the
fined to duties of this class, for they also acted as Peloponnesus, but they do not occur often in the
police magistrates: thus, in conjunction with the Dorian states." They existed among the Eleians
dicasts of the towns (3aicaoTa Katah aic aovs), they and Mantineians, with whom they seem to have
assisted in preserving peace and order, and were been the chief executive magistracy (ol a3,ulouvpyoi
required to bury, or cause to be buried, any dead ical i $ovAX, IC. T. A., Thuc. v. 47). We also read,bodies found in their district: for neglect of this of demiurgi in the Achaean league, who probably
duty they were liable to a fine of 1000 drachmae. ranked next to the strategi. [ACHAICUsM FOEDUS,
(Dem. c. Macar. 1069. 22.) Lastly, they seem to p. 5, b.] Officers named Epidemiur-gi, or upper
have furnished to the proper authorities a list of demiurgi, were sent by the Corinthians to manage
the members of the township who were fit to serve the government of their colony at Potidaea. (Thllc.
in war (KcarTaXyous EroLvavmro, Demosth. c. i. 56.) [R. A.]
Polye. p. 1208; Harpocr. s. v.; Poll. viii. ]118; DE'MIUS (g8qpos). [TORMENTUM.]
K. F. Hermann, Griech. Staatsalterth. ~ 111; DEMOCRATIA (aljxpoecparia), that form of
Blickh, Public Econ. of At/aens, pp. 157, 512; constitution in which the sovereign political power
Schimann, De Cornzitis, p. 376, &c.). Denarcli is in the hands of the demus, or commonalty. In
was the name given by Greek writers to the the article ARISTOCRATIA the reader will find:Roman tribunes of the plebs. [R. Wv.] noticed the rise and nature of the distinction beDEMENS. [CURATOR.] tween the politically privileged class of nobles and
DEMENSUM. [SERVus.] the commonalty, a class personally free, though
DEME'NTIA. [CURATOR.] without any constitutionally recognized political
DEME'TRIA (A1/rncptia), an annual festival power. It was this commonalty which was prowhich the Athenians, in 307 B. C., instituted in ho- perly termed the demus (aT/xos). The natural
nour of Demetrius Poliorcetes, who, together with and inevitable'effect of the progress of society
his father Antigonus, were consecrated under the being to diminish, and finally do away with, those
title of saviour gods. It was celebrated every year distinctions between the two classes, on which the
in the month of Munychion, the name of which, as original difference in point of political power was
well as that of the day on which the festival was founded, when the demus, by their increasing
held, was changed into Demetrion and Demetrias. nmllnbers, wealth, and intelligence, had raised
A priest ministered at their altars, and conducted themselves to a level, or nearly so, in real power
the solemn procession, and the sacrifices and games and importance with the originally privileged class,
with which the festival was celebrated. (Diodor. now degenerated into an oligarchy, a struggle was
Sic. xx. 46; Plit. Desnet-. 10, 46.) To honour sure to ensue, in which the demus, unless overthe new god still more, the Athenians at the same borne by extraneous influences, was certain to gain
time changed the name of the festival of the Dio- the mastery. The sovereign power of the demus
nysia into that of Demetria, as the young prince being thus established, the government was termed
was fond of hearing himself compared to Dionysus. a democracy. There might, however, be two
The demetria mentioned by Athenaeus (xii. p. modifications of the victory of the commonalty. If
536) are probably the Dionysia. Respecting the the struggle between the classes had been proother extravagant flatteries which the Athenians tracted and fierce, the oligarchs were commonly
heaped upon Demetrius and Antigonus, see Athen. expelled. This was frequently the case in the
vi. p. 2.52; Haerm. Polit. Ant. of Greece, ~ 175. n. smaller states. If the victory of the commonalty
6, 7, and 8; and Thirlwall, Hist. of Greece, vol. vii. was achieved more by the force of moral power
p. 331. [L. S.] than by intestine warfare and force of arms,
DEMINIJ'TIO CAPITIS. [CAPUT.] through the gradual concessions of " the few," the
DEMIOPRA'TA (~8Vludrpara, sc. 7rpdy/uaTa result (as at Athens) was simply the entire obor I*CTiYara), was property confiscated at Athens literation of the original distinctions. This form of
and sold by public auction. The confiscation of the constitution was still, in the most literal sense
property was one of the most common sources of of the term, a democracy; for as wealth and birth
revenue in many of the Grecian states; and Aris- no longer formed the title to political power, though