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

EPIST'L LI UM., E.PIROPUS. 4:69
directors of the public works. ('ErLi:raral a3v Forum at Pompeii. The holes seen at the bacik
8/1qCoolwv [pycwv.) These directors had different of the frieze received the beams which supported
names, as'reto0roti, the repairers of the walls; an upper gallery.
rp~ipoirooi, the builders of the triremes; raqolperoeoi,
the repairers of the trenches, &c.; all of whom
were elected by the tribes, one from each: but the!i liliil'iiil i
most distinguished of these were the TeiXowof._e.
(Aeschin. c. Ctesip. pp. 400, 422, 425.) Over il
other public buildings a manager of public works
had the superintendence; and it wvas in this
capacity that Pericles, and subsequently Lycurgus,
undertook so many works of architecture. In the
inscriptions relating to the building of the temple
of Athena Polias, we find E'irrara-al mentioned._
(BJckh, Publ. Eicon. of A2thens, p. 203, 2nd ed.) ii l
Similar authorities were appointed for the care of
the roads, and of the supply of water (6&;,7rooi,o
Aeschin. c. Ctesiph. p. 419; eiro'T=rarai T'V V&SrToY,
Plut. Thlem,. 31; Schbmanll, An2ti. Juris Publ.
Grae. p. 247).
The directors received the money which was
necessary for these works from the public treasury
(tic T'rT AsLotcecsws, Aeschin. c. Clesiplh. p. 425).
EPI'STOLA. [CONSTITUTIO.]
EPISTOLEUS (E'7rsT0roXAs), was the officer
second in rank in the Spartan fleet, and succeeded The word is sometimes also used for the whole
to the command if any thing happened to the of the entablature. [P. S.]
v:avdpXos or admriral. (Xen. HellU. i. 1. ~ 23, iv. EPITA'PHIUM. [FuNus.]
8. ~ 11, v. 1. ~ 5, 6; Sturtz, Lex. Xenoloh. s. v.) EPlTHALA'MIUXM. [MATRIMoN lUU.]
Thus, when the Chians and theother allies of EPTITMIA (E7strLTLIa). [ATIMIIA.]
Sparta on the Asiatic coast sent to Sparta to re- EPITRIERARCHE'MATOS DIKE (irrpsquest that Lysander might be again appointed to mpapxcaTros 8iK S). [TRIERARCCI-HI.]
the command of the navy, he was sent with the EPITROPES GRAPHE (Eir'TpoMris ypaen).
title of ErsozoO.Aevs, because the laws of Sparta did [EPITROPUS.]
not permit the same person to hold the office of EPIiTROPUS (7rhi-poeros), which signifies
vaudapXos twice. (Xen. Hell. ii. 1. ~ 7.) literally a person to whomn any thing is given in'
EPISTY'LIUM (Qrsrhv'Xov), is properly, as charge (Dem. c Aphob. i. p..819. 18), occurs, howthe name implies, the architrave, or lower member ever, much more frequently in. the sense of a gnarof an entablature, which lies immediately over the dian of orphan children. Of such guardians there
columns. (Plut. Per. 13; Paus. pass.; Varr. R. R. were at Athens three kinds: first, those appointed
iii. 2; Festus, s. v.; comp. COLUMNA, p. 324, a) in the will of the deceased father; secondly, the
The rules for the height of tihe architrave are givem next of kin, whom the law designated as tutores
by Vitruvius (iii. 3. s. 5, ed. Schn.). In the legitimi in default of such appointment, and who
best examples of the Doric order, the front of the required the authorization of the archon to enable
architrave was a plain flat surface, with no carvings, them to act; and lastly, such persons as the archon,
but sometimes ornamented with metal shields af- selected if there were no next of kin living to unfixed to it over each column, as in the Parthenon, dertake the office. The duties of the guardian
where there are also inscriptions between the comprehended the education, maintenance, and
shields. (See Lucas's model.) In the Ionic and protection of the ward, the assertion of his rights,
Corinthian orders it was cut up into two or usually and the safe custody and profitable disposition of
three surfaces (fasciae), projecting beyond one his inheritance during his' minority, besides making
another, the edges of which were afterwards a proper provision for the widow if she remained
decorated with mouldings. (See the woodcuts in the house of hey late husband. In accordance
under CoLUmNNA.) Originally the architrave was with these, the guardian was bound to appear in
the main beam, laid along the top of the columns court in all actions in behalf of or against his ward,
to support the roof. When stone was used, a and give in an account of the taxable capital
natural limit was set to the length of the pieces (T'iyn1na) when an Eirrpopd (the only impost to:
of the architrave, and consequently the distance of which orphans were liable) was levied, and make
the columns, by the impossibility of obtaining the proportionate payment in the minor's name.
blocks of stone or marble beyond a certain size. With reference to the disposition of the property,
In the temple of Artemis at Ephesus. the pieces of two courses were open to the guardian to. pursue,
the architrave were so large that Pliny wonders if the deceased had left no will, or no specific
how they could have been raised to their places. directions as to its management, viz., to: keep it in
(H. N. xxxvi. 14. s. 21.) When an intercolum- his owIn hands and employ it as he best could for
niation was of the kind called araeostyle, that is, the benefit of the minor (1otUcefi'), or let it out to
when the csolumns were more than three diameters farm to the highest bidder (yUisOsov ciy' otcoY).
apart, the epistylium was necessarily made of wood In the former case it seems probable (Dem. c.
instead of stone (Vitruv. iii. 2. s. 3. ~ 5. ed. Schn.); Onetor. i. p. 865. 17) that a constant control of
a construction exemplified by the restoration in the the guardian's proceedings might be exercised by
annexed woodcut (Pompeii, vol. i. p. 14.3) of the the archon; and a special law ordained that all
Doric portico, which surrounds three sides of the money belonging to a minor should be vested' il
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