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

712 MURUS. AMUSICA.
vall, the interior being filled in with mortar and each other, and upon them were fixed little pillars
small tough stones. Vitruvius complains of these five feet high. Their top-ends were joined by
wtalls as being apt to split, on account of their transverse beams, which formed a gentle slope on
having neither horizontal courses nor covered joints. either side of the roof of which they formed the
Another structure of which the Romans made frame-work. The roof was then entirely covered
great use, and which was one of the most durable with pieces of wood, two feet broad, which were
of all, was that composed of courses of flat tiles (H). fastened with metal plates and nails. Around the
Such courses were also introduced in the other edge of this roof square pieces of wood, four cubits
kinds of stone and brick walls, in which they both broad, were fixed for the purpose of keeping toserved as bond-courses, and, in the lower part of gether the bricks and mortar with which the
the wall, kept the damp from rising from the muisculus was then covered. But that these mateground. Brick walls covered with stucco were rials, which were intended to protect the musculus
exceedingly cotrmon with the Routans: even against fire, might not suffer from water, the bricks
columns were made of brick covered with stucco; and mortar were covered with skins; and that
we have an example in the columns of the basilica these skins again might not suffer from the fire or
at Pompeii, the construction of wlfiich is explained stones which the besieged might throw upon the
in Pompeii, vol. i. p. 136. In hot countries, as in musculus, the whole was covered with rags of cloth.
Africa and Spain, walls were built of earth rammed The whole of this machine was constructed under
in between two faces or moulds (tabulae, formzae), the cover of a vinea, and close by the Romnan
which were removed when it hardened; they tower. At a moment when the besieged were least
were called parietesformacei; and Pliny mentions expecting any attack, the musculus was moved on
watch-towers of this construction, built by Han- against the uwall of the town. The men engaged
nibal, on the mountains of Spain, which still stood under it'immediately began to undermine the wall
firm. (H.N. xxxv. 14. s. 48.) Walls of turf and thus to make a breach in it; and while this
were chiefly used in the ramparts of camps work was going onl the besiegers kept up a lively
(AGGER,VAL.LMt) and as embankments for rivers. fight with the besieged in order to prevent themn
With respect to the use of v mlls as fortifications, from directing their attacks against the musculus.
we have not space to say much. The Cyclopean (Compare Caes. de Bell.'Civ. iii. 80, de Bell. Alex.
walls of Tiryns, &c., had no towers; but Homer 1.) The musculus described by Caesar was evirefers to towers on the walls of Troy:; and in the dently designed for different purposes than the one
historical period we find that it was the practice to mentioned by Vegetinls, and the former appears to
futrnish walls with towers at regillar intervals. have been only a smaller but a more indestructible
Some writers on military affairs recommend them kind of vinea than that commonly used. (Lipsius,
to be placed at salient angles of the walls, in order Poliorc. i. 9; Guichard, Ilflieoimes Milit. ii. p. 58.
to command the intervening spaces, whilst others tab. 2.) [L. S.]
object to this position on account of the increased MUISEIA (Movsrta), a festival with contests
exposure of the tower itself to the battering ram. celebrated at Thespiae in Boeotia in honour of the
The account which Thucydides gives, in his se- Muses. (Paus. ix. 31. ~ 3.) It was held every
cond book, of the siege of Plataeae, is an inter- fifth year and with great splendour. (Plut. Amatos.
esting exhibition of the state of the science of p. 748, F.) From Aeschines (c. minzarch.) it apfortification and attack at the period of the Pelo- pears that there was also a festival called Musein,
ponnesian war. Much was done to advance it by which was celebrated in schools. [L. S.]
the architects and engineers of the time of Alex- MUSE'UM (Movoe7iov) signified in general a
ander and his successors. The rules which have place dedicated to the Muses, but was specially
been established by the time of the Roman em-'the name given to an institution:at Alexandria,
perors may be seen'exhibited in detail by Vitruviuts fo-inded by Ptolemy Philadelphuts, about B. c. 280,
(i. 5), and the wrftei's on military affairs, and il- fot the promotion of learning and the support of
lustrated by the imiains of the walls of Pompeii. learned men. (Athen. v. p. 203.) We learn from
(Pompeii, vol. i. pp. 66, &c.) The system may Strabo (xviii. p. 794) that'the museum formed
be described en a: fbw words as a broad teorace of part of the palace, and that it contained cloisters
earth (Agnew),encldsed between two battlemented or porticos (7repl7raros), a public theatre or lecturewalls and furnished with towers, two, three, or room (E'ispa), and a large hall (oeicos ACyas),
more stories high, communicating by arched door- where the learned men dined together. The muways with the agger, and also having a sally-port. seum was supported by a common fund, supplied
These towers were at distances, on the average, apparently from the public treasury; and the
of the cast of a javelin, but varying according to whole institution was under the superintendence
the greater or less exposure of each part of the of a priest, Wiho wVas appointed by the king, and
waill. Respecting tie gates, see PORTA. [P. S.] after Egypt became a province of the Roman emMU'SCULUS'ivas, according to the description pire, by the Caesar. (Straba, 1. c.) Botanical,of Vegetius (de Re Mfilit. iv. 16), one of the and zoological gardens appear to have been at~
smaller military machines, by which soldiers in tached to the museum. (Philostr. Apollonz. vi. 24;
besieging a town werie protected while engaged in Athen. xiv. p. 654.) The emperor Clandius added
filling up the ditches round the besieged place, so another museum to this institution. (Suet. C'Glud.
that the moveable towers (turres amnbilatoriaee) of 42, with Casaubon's note.)
the besiegers might be able to approach the wals MU'SICA (a /uovoL lfc), signified in general
without obstacle. A minute description of a any art over which the Muses presided, but is someunlsculos is given by Caesar (de Bell. Gai. ii. 10, times employed to indicate Misic in the modern
&c.). The one Which he describes was nine feet acceptation of the term. 1. GREEI. In compiling
long, and Yeas Constructed in the following man- the following article little more has beenl attempted
ner: - Two beams of equal length were placed than to give an outline of facts which rest upon posi-' pooh the ground at the distance of four feet from tive evidence, and at the same time to present them