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

1862 PANTOMIMUS. PANTOMIMUS.
religious worship was not the only object for which! the cause of their spreading not only in Italy but
they assembled at the Panionium; on certain emer- also in the provinces, and Tiberius found it necesgencies, especially in case of any danger threaten- sary to put a check upon the great partiality foe
ing their country, the Ionicans discussed at these them: he forbade all senators to frequent the
meetings political questions, and passed resolutions houses of such pantomimes, and the equites were
which were binding upon all. (Herod. i. 141, 170.) not allowed to be seen.walking with them in the
But the political union among the Ionians appears streets of Rome, or to attend their performances in
nevertheless to have been very loose, and their any other place than the public theatres, for wealthy
confederacy to have been without any regular in- Romans frequently engaged male and female panternal organization, for the Lydians conquered one tomimes to amuse their guests at their repasts.
Ionian town after another, without there appearing (Tacit. Annal. i. 77.) But Caligula was so fond of
anything like the spirit of a political confederacy; pantomimes that one of them, MI. Lepidus Mnester,
and we also find that single cities concluded sepa- became his favourite; and through his influence
rate treaties for themselves, and abandoned their the whole class of pantomimes again r7:covered
confederates to their fate. (Herod. i. 169.) their ascendancy. (Suet. Calig. 36, 55, 57; Tacit.
Diodorus (xv. 49) says that in later times the Annal. xiv. 21.) Nero not only patronised them,
Ionians used to hold their meeting in the neigh- but acted himself as pantomime (Suet. Nero, 1G,
hourhood of Ephesus instead of at Mycale. Strabo, 26), and from this time they retained the highest
on the other hand, who speaks of the Panionic degree of popularity at Rome down to the latest
panegyris as still held in his own time, does not period of the empire.
only not mention any such change, but appears to As regards their mode of acting, we must first
imply that the panegyris was at all times held on state that all pantomimes wore masks, so that the
the sanme spot, viz. on mount 3Mycale. Diodorus features of the countenance were lost in their acttherefore seems to consider the Ephesian panegyris ing. All the other parts of their body, however,
[EPHESIA] as having been instituted instead of were called into action, and especially the arnls
the Panionia. But both panegyreis existed simnul- and hands, whence the expressions manus lqeulcistaneously, and were connected with the worship of simae, di/iti clamosi, XEpes 7raejcYivor, &c. Nottwo distinct divinities, as is clear from a com- withstanding their acting with masks, the ancients
parison of two passages of Strabo, viii. p. 384, xiv. agree that the pantomimes expressed actions, feel
p. 639. ings, passions, &c., more beautifully, c.rrectly,
(Compare Tittmann's Gr'iech. Staatsv. p. 668, and intelligibly than it would be possible to doi
&c.; ThirIwall, Hist. of Greece, ii. p. 102; C. by speaking or writing. They were, however, asF. Hermann, Lehrb. der Gottesd. Alterth. ~ 66. n. sisted in their acting by the circumstance that theo
3, 3.) [L. S.] only represented mythological characters, which
PANO'PLIA. [ARnrA.] were known to every spectator. (.Juv. vi. 63, v.
PANTOMI'MUS is the name of a kind of 121; Horat. Epist. ii. 2. 125; Sueton. Nero, 54;
actors peculiar to the Romans, who very nearly re- Vell. Pat. ii. 83.) There were, moreover, celrtainl
sembled in their mode of acting the modern dancers conventional gestures and movements which every
in the ballet. They did not speak on the stage, body understood. Their costume appears to have
but merely acted by gestures, movements, and atti- been like that of the dancers in a ballet, so as to
tudes. All movements, however, were rhythmical show the beauty of the human form to the greatest
like those in the ballet. whence the general term advantage; though the costume of course variel
for them is saltatio, saltare; the whole art was according to the various characters which were recalled musica zmuta (Cassiodor. ar. i. 20); and to presented. See the manner in which Plancus -is
represent Niobe or Leda was expressed by saltare described by Velleius (ii. 83) to have danced the
NAioben and saltoare Lednms. character of Glaucus. In the time of A ugustus
Mimic dancers of this kind are common to all there was never more than one dan:er at a tilme
nations, and hence we find them in Greece and on the stage, and he represented all the characters
Italy; in the former country they acquired a degree of the story, both male and female, ii succession.
of perfection of which we can scarcely form an idea. (Lucian, de Saltat. c. 67; Jacobs, ad A nthol. ii. i,
But pantomimes in a narrower sense were peculiar p. 308.) This remained the custom till towards
to the Romans, to whom we shall therefore confine the end of the second century of our aera, when
ourselves. During the time of the republic the the several parts of a story began to be acted by
name pantomimus does not occur, though the art several pantomimes dancing together. Women,
itself was known to the Romans at an early period; during the earlier period of the empire, never apfor the first histriones said to have been introduced peared as pantomimes on the stage, though they
from Etruria were in fact nothing but pantomimic did not scruple to act as such at the private parties
dancers [HISTRIO, p. 612], whence we find that of the great. Duringr the latter time of the empire
under the empire the names histrio and pantomimus women acted as pantomimes in public, and in some
were used as synonymous. The pantomimic art, cases they threw aside all regard to decency, and
however, was not carried to any degree of perfec- appeared naked before the public. The Christian
tion until the time of Augustus; whence some writers therefore represent the pantomimic exhibiwriters ascribe its invention to Augustus himself, tions as the school of every vice and licentiousness.
or to the great artists who flourished in his reign. (Tertull. de Spect. p. 269, ed. Paris; see also Senec.
(Suidas, s..'OpX-flaos 7ravrodlleos.) The greatest Quaest. Nat. vii. 32; Plin. Epist. v. 24; Ammian.
pantonimes of this time were Bathyllus, a freedman Marc. xiv. 6; Procop. Anecdot. 9.)
and favourite of Maecenas, and Pylades and Hylas. Mythological love stories were from the first the
(Jayv. vi. 63; Suet. Aug. 45; Macrob. Sat. ii. 7; favourite subjects of the pantomimes (Ovid. Remed.
Athen. i. p. 70.) The great popularity which Am. 753), and the evil effects of such sensual retile pantomimes acquired at Rome in the time of presentations upon women are described in strong
Algustus throulgh these distinllguished actors, was colomls by Juvenal (vi. 63, &c.). Every represent