ARMĬLUSTRĬUM, a Roman festival for the purification of arms. It was
celebrated every year on the 19th of October, when the citizens
assembled in arms, and offered sacrifices in the place called
Armilustrum, or Vicus Armilustri.
ARRA, ARRĂBO, or ARRHA, ARRHABO, was the thing which purchasers
and vendors gave to one another, whether it was a sum of money or
anything else, as an evidence of the contract being made: it was
no essential part of the contract of buying and selling, but only
evidence of agreement as to price. The term arrha, in its general
sense of an evidence of agreement, was also used on other occasions,
as in the case of betrothment (_sponsalia_). Sometimes the word
arrha is used as synonymous with _pignus_, but this is not the legal
meaning of the term.
ARRHĒPHŎRĬA (ἀῤῥηφόρια), a festival celebrated at Athens in honour
of Athena (Minerva). Four girls, of between seven and eleven years
(ἀῤῥηφόροι, ἐρσηφόροι, ἐῤῥηφόροι), were selected every year by
the king archon from the most distinguished families, two of whom
superintended the weaving of the sacred peplus of Athena; the two
others had to carry the mysterious and sacred vessels of the goddess.
These latter remained a whole year on the Acropolis; and when the
festival commenced, the priestess of the goddess placed vessels upon
their heads, the contents of which were neither known to them nor to
the priestess. With these they descended to a natural grotto within
the district of Aphrodite in the gardens. Here they deposited the
sacred vessels, and carried back something else, which was covered
and likewise unknown to them. After this the girls were dismissed
and others were chosen to supply their place in the acropolis.