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

82 AMPHICTYONS. AMPHITHEATRUM.
with the word a&yquiCl TOYes, or neighbours. Very AMPHIDRO'MIA (&Iuqep4dJLa), a family fesfew, if any, modern scholars doubt that the latter tival of the Athenians at which the newly born
view is correct; and that Amphictyon, with Hellen, child was introduced into the family, and received
Dorus, Ion, Xuthus, Thessalus,Larissa the daughter its name. No particular day was fixed for this
of Pelasgus, and others, are not historical,but mythic solemnity; but it did not take place very soon after
personages -the representatives, or poetic personi- the birth of the child, for it was believed that most
fications, of their alleged foundations, or offspring. children died before the seventh day, and the
As for Amphictyon (Thirlwall, Hist. of Greece, solemnity was therefore generally deferred till
vol. i. p. 373), it is too marvellous a coincidence after that period, that there might be at least some
that his name should be significant of the institu- probability of the child remaining alive. According
tion itself; and, as he was the son of Deucalion to Suidas, the festival was held on the fifth day,
and Pyrrha, it is difficult to guess of whom his when the women who had lent their assistance
council consisted. (Philol. lMusezem, vol. ii. p. 359.) at the birth washed their hands, but this purifiBesides, though Herodotus (i. 56) and Thucydides cation preceded the real solemnity. The friends
(i. 3) had the opportunity, they yet make no men- and relations of the parents were invited to the
tion of him. We may conclude therefore, that the festival of the amphidromia, which was held in the
word should be written amphictiony *, from &/Ap- evening, and they generally appeared with preKrloies, or those that dwelt around some particular sents, among which are mentioned the cuttle-fish
locality. and the marine polyp. (Hesych. and Harpocr.
The next question is one of greater difficulty; s. sv.) The house was decorated on the outside with
it is this: — Where did the association originate? olive branches when the child was a boy, or with
- were its meetings first held at Delphi, or at garlands of wool when the child was a girl; and
Thermopylae? There seems a greater amount of a repast was prepared, at which, if we may judge
evidence in favour of the latter. In proof of this, from a fragment of Ephippus in Athenaeus (ix. p.
we may state the preponderance of Thessalian 370; comp. ii. p. 65), the guests must have been
tribes from the neighbourhood of the Maliac bay, rather merry. The child was then carried round
and the comparative insignificance of many of the fire by the nurse, and thus, as it were, prethem; the assigned birthplace and residence of sented to the gods of the house and to the family,
the mythic Amphictyon, the names Pylagorae and and at the same time received its name, to which
Pylaea. Besides, we know that Thessaly was the the guests were witnesses. (Isaeus, De Pyrrhi
theatre and origin of many of the most important THaered. p. 34. s. 30. Bekker.) The carrying of the
events of early Greek history: whereas, it was child round the hearth was the principal part of
only in later times, and after the Dorian conquest the solemnity, from which its name was derived.
of Peloponnesus, that Delphi became important But the Scholiast on Aristophanes (Lysistr. 758)
enough for the meetings of such a body as the derives its name from the fact that the guests,
Amphictyonic; nor if Delphi had been of old whilst the name was given to the child, walked or
the only place of meeting, is it easy to account danced around it. This festival is sometimes
for what must have been a loss of its ancient called from the day on which it took place: if on
dignity. But whatever was the cause, we have the seventh day, it is called E'1~o/am or E'G~o/ay:
still the fact, that there were two places of con- if on the tenth day, &EKlern, &c. (Hesych. and
gress; to account for which, it has been supposed Aristoph. Av. 923; K. F. tIermann, Lehrb. d.
that there were originally two confederations, gottesdienstlichen alterthiiner d. Griechlen, ~ 48.
afterwards united by the growing power of Delphi, n. 6.) [L. S.]
as connected with the Dorians, but still retaining AMPHIMALLUM. [TAPEs.]
the old places of meeting. We must, however, AMPHIO'RCIA or AMPHOMO'SIA (&/tadmit that it is a matter of mere conjecture whether cpLoptcia or &l woploi La), the oath which was taken,
this were the case or not, there being strong reasons both by the plaintiff and defendant, before the
in support of the opinion that the Dorians, on trial of a cause in the Athenian courts, that they
migrating southwards, combined the worship of the would speak the truth. (Hesych. Suid.) AcH-ellenic Apollo with that of the Pelasgian Demeter, cording to Pollux (viii. 10), the aemphiorlia also
as celebrated by the Amphictyons of Thessaly. included the oath which the judges took, that they
Equally doubtful is the question respecting the would decide according to the laws; or, in case
influence of Acrisius, king of Argos (Schol. ad there was no express law on the subject in dispute,
Eurip. Orest. 1094; Callim. Epigf. xli.; Strab. ix. that they would decide according to the principles
p. 420); and how far it is true that he first brought of justice.
the confederacy into order, and determined other AMPHIIPROSTYLOS. [TEMPLUM].
points connected with the institution. We maay AMPHISBETE'SIS (&sLu r~C rn7s. ) [HEhowever remark that his alleged connection with RES.]
it, is significant of a Pelasgic element in its con- AMPHITAPAE. [TAPEs].
formation. (Thirlwall, fist. of Greece, cc. x. xliii.; AMPHITHALAMUS. [DoMus]
HIeeren, Polit. Hist. of Greece, c. 7; St. Croix, AMPHITHEA'TRUM (a/&rpL0EaTrpov) was a
Des Anciens Gosuvere7s zmens F'deratijf; Tittmann, description of building arranged for the exhibition
Ueber den Bund der A 7phlictyonen; Miiller, of combats of gladiators, and wild beasts, and
Dorians, book ii. 3. ~. 5; Phil. iius. vol. i. p. 324; ships, which constituted the ludi a?,mphitheatrales.
Hermann, Macnual of the Polit. Antiq. of Greece, [GLADIATORES; VENATIO; NAcrMACHIA.]
~ 11-14; Waclismuth, lIellenisehe Alterthunms- I. Its History. - Such exhibitions- which
kunde; Niebuhr, Hist. of Rosme, vol. i. p. 31. were peculiar to the Romans, and which were untransl.) [R. W.] known to the Greeks till the Romans introduced
them -originally took place in the FORUM and
* Thus Pindar (Nem. vi. 42),'Ev apiterrlovmw the CIRCUs, the shows of gladiators being given'raupop0dvt, -pIeC7pflsl: see Bbckh ad locum. in the former, and those of wild beasts in the