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

928 PLUMAlRII. POCULUNI.
a Concilium, but not ClllitiaL; and as the Tribunes not be decided with certainty what their exact mccould not summon the Patricii nor refer nmy matter cupation was: their name would lead us to suppose
to them, what was voted ulpon the proposal of the that it had solnething to do with feathers (plinc7ma).
tribunes was not a Lex, but a Scitunl. But in Salmasills (ad fopuisc. Carin. c. 20) supposes thatt
course of time Plebiscita obtained the force of they were persons who wove in garments golden or
leges, properly so called, and accordingly they are purple figures made like feathers. The word, howsometimes included in the term Leges. [LEx.] ever, probably signifies all those who work in fea-.The progress of change as to this matter appears thers, as lanarii those who work in wool, and
from the following passages. A Lex Valeria, acyenztarii those who work ill silver. Seneca (Elj.
passed in the Comitia Centuriata B. c. 449 (Liv. 90) speaks of dresses made of the feathers of birds.
iii. 5.5, 67) enacted that the Populus should be (Becker, G(ollus, vol. i. pp. 44-48.)
bound (tcneretin') by that which the Plebs voted PLU'TEUS, appears to have signified ill general
tributim; and the same thing is expressed in other any kind of protection or shelter, and was hence
words thus: " Scita plebis injuncta patribus." used ill the following special significations:- 1.
A Lex Publilia, 339 B. c. (Liv, viii. 12), was A kind of shed made of hurdles and covered with
passed to the effect that Plebiscita should bind all raw hides, which could be moved forward by small
the Quirites; and a Lex 1-lortensia B. C. 286, to Iwheels attached to it, and under which the besiegers
the effect that Plebiscita should bind all the of a town made their approaches. (Festus, s. v.;
populus (lunivelrss poplus) as Gains (i. 3) ex- Veget. iv. 15; Liv. xxxiv. 17.) 2. A parapet or
presses it; or, " tIt eo jure, quod plebes statuissets breastwork made of boards and similar materials,
omnes Quirites tenerentur," according to Laelius placed on the vallumn of a camp, on moveable
Felix, as quoted by Gellius; and this latter is also towers or other military engines, on rafts, the decks
the expression of Pliny (Ilist. Nat. xv. 10). The of ships, &c. (Festus, s. v.; Caes. Bell. Gall. vii.
Lex Hortensia is referred to as the Lex which 25, 41, 72, Bell. Civ. i. 25,) 3. The board at
put Plebiscita as to their binding force exactly on the side of a bed. The side at which a personl
the sanme footing as Leges. The effect of these entered the bed was open and called spondui: the
Leges is discussed in LEx under the several heads other side, which was protected by a board, was
of VALERI:AE, PUBLILIAE, HORTENSIA. called plutens. (Suet. Ctl. 26; MIartial. iii. 91.)
The principal Plebiscita are mentioned under [LECTUS, p. 674, b.] 4. Cases of some kinid upon
LEx. [G. L.] the walls of houses on ewhich small statues aiid
PLECTRIJUM. [LYRA.] busts were placed. (Dig. 29. tit. 1. s. 17; Jsl.
PLEMO'CHOAE (7rArl,oox'am.) [ELEU- ii. 7.)
S:NIA, p. 4,54, a.] PLYNTE' RIA (7rAvTrrpia), from rAh'enlv, to
PLETHRON (7rAEOpov) was originally a mea- wash, was a festival celebrated at Athens every
sukre of surface, which is the only sense of the word year, oni the 22nd of'Ihargelionl, in honour of
srEepo, in Homer. (II. xxi. 407, Od. xi. 577.) Athena, surnamed Aglturos (Phot. Lae. s. v.; Pltit.
It seems to have been the fundamental land mcea- Alcib. 34; I-larpocrat. Suid. s. v.), whose temple
stre in the Greek systenl, being the square of 100 stood on the Acropolis. (Herod. viii. 53; Iesvych.
feet, that is, 10,000 square feet. The later Greek s. v. AIlhvr'7lpa.) Plutarch states thalt the festivial
writers use it as the translationl of the Rolmanll jte- took place on the 25th, but probably only because,l'Cimi, probably because thle latter was the standard it lasted for several days. (Dodwcell, de Cyclis, p.
land measure in the Romanl system; but, in size, 349; comp. Ph/ilol. 311nls. ii. p. 234.) The day of
the pletlroon answered more nearly to the Romlan this festival wavs ait Athens among the arro, pci3s
actss, or lalf-jugoerumn, which was the older unlit or dlies ozefjisti; for the temple of the goddess wa-s
of land measures. The plethlroa would allswer cx- surrounded by a rope to preclude all commumliaictly to the ctCus, but for the difference caused by i catioIn with it (Pollux, viii. 141); her statute was
the former being decimal (100 x 100), and the stripped of its garments and ornaments for the purother partly duodecimal (120 x 120). The plethlros pose of cleaning them, and was in the mneanwhile
contained 4 araruae of 2500 square feet each. covered over to conceal it froml the siglht of maln.
*2. As frequently happened with the ancient (Plut. 1. c.; Xen. Iiellen. i. 4. ~ 12.) The persons
land measures, the side of the pletlhron was taken w-ho performed this service were called 7rpa~Lepuas a measure of length, with the same name. This?ytta. (Plut. l. c.; Hlesych. s. v.) T'I'e city wa.s.pletllrol was equal to 100 feet (or about 101 therefore, so to speak-, onl this day without its
English feet) = 66i-T rX es- = 10 hcarYai Ol'ls;a- protecting divinity, and anly undertakinlg comltol. It was also introduced into the system of menced on it was believed to be necessarily ilnitinerary measures, being l-6th of the stadium. successful. A procession was also held on the day
(Herod, ii. 124; comap. MiEssvn A, p. p753, b., and of the Plynteria, in which a quantity of dried figs,
the Tables). [P. S.] called 71y1vropia, was carried about. (Etymol.
PLINTHUS (irNAvOos), any rectangular paral- Magn.; Iesych. s. v.'Hymropia; Phot. Lc,x.
lelopiped. 1. A brick or tile. [LArER]. 2, Te s. v.) [L. S.]
quadrangular piece of stone which should properly PNYX. [ECCLEclss, p. 440, a.]
form the lowest member of the base of a colum,i PO'CULU.M was any kind of driniking-cup. It
and which may be supposed to have origrinated in nmust be distisnguished from the Cratest or vessel il
the use of a tile or a fiat piece of wood to prevent |which the wine was mixed [CATS]ER], and friom
thie shaft from sinking into the ground; although the Cyatlats, a kind of ladle or small cup, which
very frequently the plinth is wasting, the highest was used to convey the wine from the Crater to
step or other basement forming a sort of continuous the Pocullumn or drinking-cup. [CYATHUS.] Thus
plinth or podiau11. [SPIRA]. [P. S.] I orace (Chrm.11 iii. 19. 11)PLUMA'RIT, a class of persons, umentioned by I
Vitruvius (vi. 7, p. 77, ed. Bip.), Varro (ap. I " tribus ault novell
Arom:ium, ii. p. 716), and in inscriptions. It cani- M iscentur cyathis pocula commotiis,."