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

EPIBOLE. lEPICLERUS. 467
longs to the earlier state of Greek naval tactics, ceeding (fir any one might prosecute, Kt7clYOpesi),
when victory depended more on the number and was said 0rib/n7u a E7rLyp'arOaeL, as the court or
prowess of the soldiers on board than on the jury were said 7r/zY, "to assess the penalty,"
manceuvres of the seamen (Thnc. i. 49); and it was which always devolved upon them, except whert
in this very point that the Athenians improved the the penalty was one fixed by law (EK'Csv vraawe
system, by decreasing the number of EiaredTal, and E'rrlcLcEVluq eiea), in which case it could not be
relying on the more skilful managemeunt of their aitered. (Aesch. fIepl rIdpaC. 14, Bekk.; Dem.
vessels." c: Thzeocr. p. 1328; Haspocr. s. q.'ATr1urros
The epibatae were usually taken; from, the i&yc6.) [C. R. K.]
Thetes, or fourth class of Athenian citizens EPICHEIROTO'NIA (EirLXElporodia). [CHEI(Thuc. vi. 42); but on one occasion, in a season ROTONIA.]
of extraordinary danger, the citizens of the higher EPICLEIRUS (EtrilcAXlpos, heiress), the name
classes (etc KCa'araXyou) were compelled to serve as given:.to the daughter of an Athenian citizen, who
epibatae. (Thuc. viii. 2.4.) had no son to inherit his estate. It was deemed
The term is sometimes also applied by the Ro- an object of importance at Athens to preserve the
man writers to the marines (Hirt.. de Bell. Alex. family name and property of' every citizen. This
1, lde Bell. Afric. 63);. but they are more usually was effected, where a man had. no child, by acdopcalled classicarii milites. The latter term, however;. tion (eoioroi/omts); if he had- a daughter, the inis also applied to the rowers or sailors as well: as heritance was transmitted through her to a grandthe marines (clcssiariormu? renzmiio ve7i, Tac. Ann. son, who would take the name of the maternal
xiv. 4). ancestor. If the father died intestate, the heiress
EPIBLE'MA (E'7riX/lca). [AMrIcTIrs.] had not the choice of a husband,. but was bound to
EPFIBOLE (&eriAoXj), a fine imposedl by a marry her nearest relation, not in the ascending
magistrate, or other official person or body, for a line. Upon such person: making: his claimr before
misdemeanour. The various magistrates at Athens the archon, whose duty it was 41rlfeEAcoS-aeL'rc'
had (each in his own department) a summary penal i7rlcX1pw' Kaieliy c o0,cwv r-'v etepm/utovkyc o
jurisdiction; i. e. for certain offences they might (Dem. c. Macart. p. 1076), public notice was given
inflict a pecuniary mulct or fine, not exceeding a of the claim; and if no one appeared to dispute it,
fixed amount; if the offender deserved further the archon adjudged;the heiress to him (&ireaitcaaEs
punishment, it was their duty to bring him before aubra-' 7r i'7r/scxXpov). If another claimant apa judicial tribunal. Thus, in case of an injury done peared (a1,U osq'recv avers- T res riK.), a court was
to orphans or heiresses, the archon might fine the held for the decision of the right (tadtcaloeia r-'s
parties, or (if the injury were of a serious nature) Eru.t.), which'was determined according to the
bring them before the court of Heliaea. (Dem. Athenian law of consanguinity (yi'ouvs icar' aye. M/Iacart. p. 10760) Upon any one who made a XLTEreav.) Even where a woman was alread-y
disturbance, or otherwise misbehaved himself in the married, her husband was obliged to give her up
public assembly, the proedri might impose a fine of to a man with a better title.; and men often put
fifty drachms, or else bring him for condign punish- away their former wives in. order to marry heirment before the senate of 500, or the- next as- esses. (Dem. c. Onet. argum., c. Eubul. p. 13.11;
sembly. (Aesch. c. Timar. 35, Bekk.) The senate Isaeus, De Ptyrr. Hered. p. 78.)
of 500 were competent to fine to the extent of 500 A man without male issue might. bequeath his.
drachms. (Dem. c..auerg. and Mhines. p. 1152.; property; but if he had a daughter, the devisee
see also Dem. c. Mid. p. 572.) was obliged to marry her. (iiaeus, De A rist. Hered.
The magistrate who imposed the fine@ (Ensro2viX p. 19.).If the daughter was poor, and the nearest
e7rieaXe) had not the charge of levying-.it, but was relatdie did not choose to marry her, he was bound
obliged to make a, return thereof to the treasury to give her a portion corre ponding to his own forofficers (Esr1ypdciPev or Eyypdcie,/, v ToT7s rpgcbropo', tune. (Dem. e. [aceart. p. 1067.)
or E'yypdaa'-EY ro, nuooTi), whereupon,. like all The husband of an hIiress took her property
other penalties and amerciaments, it became (as we until she had a son of full age (ierl 8LET'rsr)~lshould say) a debt of record, to be demanded or (ravTa), who was usually adopted into his maternal
recovered by the collectors. (Aesch. c. Tiuar. I. c.; grandfather's family, and took possession of the
Denm. c. Nicost. p. 1251.) If it were made pay- estate. He then became his mother's legal proable to the fund of a temple,.it was collected by, tector (Ocpmos), and was bound to find her mainthe functionaries who had the charge of that fund tenance (aeros). If there were more sons, they
('raeias). There might (it seems) be an appeal shared the property equally. (Isael-s, De Pyri'.
from the sentence of the magistrate to a jury or Hered. p. 59, De OCr. Hered. p. 40; Dem. c. Steplc.
superior court. (Meier, Att. Proc. pp. 32, 34, 565; pp..1l34, 1135.)
Schbmann, Ant. Jcur. Pub. Grhae. pp. 242, 293.) When there was but one daugLhter, she was
As under the old Roman law. no magistrate could called ernikXsrpos 7rl raTri T'rp oicK. c. If there were
impose a fine of more than two oxen and thirty more they inherited equally, like our co-parceners;
sheep, so by the laws of Solon fines were of very and were severally married to relatives, the nearest
small amount at Athens. How greatly they in- having the first choice. (Andoc. De M2lyst. p. 117,
creased afterwards (as money became more plentiful, &c.;. Isaeus,.De Ciar. Hered. pp. 57, 58.) Illegitimate
and laws more numerous), and how important a sons did not share with the daughter, the law
branch they formed' of the public revenue, may be being'd0' 1u/ ei'ai ayxai7E-L'av p'O' i'Ep0 y palO'
seen from the examples collected by 13ickh, Pub. o-l'v.. (Den. /lcaGC -t. p. 1067; Aristoph. Avos,
LEcon. of A1tzens, p. 375, &c., 2nd ed. 1652.)
These epibokte are to be distinguished from the The heiress was under the special protection of
penalties awarded by a jury or court of law (7'-q/j- the archon; and if she was injured by her husband
taora) upon a formal prosecution. There the nma- or relatives, or by strangers ejecting her from her
gistrate or other person who instituted the pro- estate, the law.gxave a criminal prosecution against
Hd 2