ENTĂSIS (ἔντασις). The most ancient columns now existing, diminish
immediately and regularly from the base to the neck, so that the
edge forms a straight line--a mode of construction which is wanting
in grace and apparent solidity. To correct this, a swelling outline,
called _entasis_, was given to the shaft, which seems to have been
the first step towards combining grace and grandeur in the Doric
column.
EPANGĔLĬA (ἐπαγγελία). If a citizen of Athens had incurred _atimia_,
the privilege of taking part or speaking in the public assembly was
forfeited. But as it sometimes might happen that a person, though not
formally declared _atimus_, had committed such crimes as would, on
accusation, draw upon him this punishment, it was of course desirable
that such individuals, like real _atimi_, should be excluded from
the exercise of the rights of citizens. Whenever, therefore, such
a person ventured to speak in the assembly, any Athenian citizen
had the right to come forward in the assembly itself and demand of
him to establish his right to speak by a trial or examination of
his conduct (δοκιμασία τοῦ βίου), and this demand, denouncement, or
threat, was called _epangelia_, or _epangelia docimasias_ (ἐπαγγελία
δοκιμασίας). The impeached individual was then compelled to desist
from speaking, and to submit to a scrutiny into his conduct, and, if
he was convicted, a formal declaration of _atimia_ followed.
EPARITI (ἐπάριτοι), the name of the standing army in Arcadia, which
was formed to preserve the independence of the Arcadian towns, when
they became united as one state after the defeat of the Spartans at
Leuctra. They were 5000 in number, and were paid by the state.
EPHĒBUS (ἔφηβος), the name of Athenian youths after they had
attained the age of 18. The state of _ephebeia_ (ἐφηβεία) lasted for
two years, till the youths had attained the age of 20, when they
became men, and were admitted to share all the rights and duties of
citizens, for which the law did not prescribe a more advanced age.
Before a youth was enrolled among the ephebi, he had to undergo a
_docimasia_ (δοκιμασία), the object of which was partly to ascertain
whether he was the son of Athenian citizens, or adopted by a citizen,
and partly whether his body was sufficiently developed and strong
to undertake the duties which now devolved upon him. After the
_docimasia_ the young men received in the assembly a shield and a
lance; but those whose fathers had fallen in the defence of their
country received a complete suit of armour in the theatre. It seems
to have been on this occasion that the ephebi took an oath in the
temple of Artemis Aglauros, by which they pledged themselves never
to disgrace their arms or to desert their comrades; to fight to
the last in the defence of their country, its altars and hearths;
to leave their country not in a worse but in a better state than
they found it; to obey the magistrates and the laws; to resist
all attempts to subvert the institutions of Attica; and finally,
to respect the religion of their forefathers. This solemnity took
place towards the close of the year, and the festive season bore the
name of _ephebia_ (ἐφήβια). The external distinction of the ephebi
consisted in the chlamys and the petasus. During the two years of
the ephebeia, which may be considered as a kind of apprenticeship in
arms, and in which the young men prepared themselves for the higher
duties of full citizens, they were generally sent into the country,
under the name of _peripoli_ (περίπολοι), to keep watch in the towns
and fortresses, on the coast and frontier, and to perform other
duties which might be necessary for the protection of Attica.
ĔPHĒGĒSIS (ἐφήγησις), denotes the method of proceeding against such
criminals as were liable to be summarily arrested by a private
citizen [APAGOGE] when the prosecutor was unwilling to expose
himself to personal risk in apprehending the offender. Under these
circumstances he made an application to the proper magistrate, and
conducted him and his officers to the spot where the capture was to
be effected.
ĔPHĔTAE (ἐφέται), the name of certain judges at Athens, who tried
cases of homicide. They were fifty-one in number, selected from noble
families, and more than fifty years of age. They formed a tribunal
of great antiquity, and were in existence before the legislation of
Solon, but, as the state became more and more democratical, their
duties became unimportant and almost antiquated. The Ephetae once sat
in one or other of the five courts, according to the nature of the
causes they had to try. In historical times, however, they sat in
_four_ only, called respectively the court by the Palladium (τὸ ἐπὶ
Παλλαδίῳ), by the Delphinium (τὸ ἐπὶ Δελφινίῳ), by the Prytaneium (τὸ
ἐπὶ Πρυτανείῳ), and the court at Phreatto or Zea (τὸ ἐν Φρεαττοῖ). At
the first of these courts they tried cases of unintentional, at the
second, of intentional but justifiable homicide. At the Prytaneium,
by a strange custom, somewhat analogous to the imposition of a
deodand, they passed sentence upon the instrument of murder when
the perpetrator of the act was not known. In the court at Phreatto,
on the sea shore at the Peiraeeus, they tried such persons as were
charged with wilful murder during a temporary exile for unintentional
homicide.
[Illustration: Ephippium, Saddle. (Coin of Labienus.)]
ĔPHIPPĬUM (ἀστράβη, ἐφίππιον, ἐφίππειον), a saddle. Although the
Greeks occasionally rode without any saddle, yet they commonly used
one, and from them the name, together with the thing, was borrowed by
the Romans. The ancient saddles appear, indeed, to have been thus far
different from ours, that the cover stretched upon the hard frame was
probably of stuffed or padded cloth rather than leather, and that the
saddle was, as it were, a cushion fitted to the horse’s back. Pendent
cloths (στρώματα, _strata_) were always attached to it so as to cover
the sides of the animal; but it was not provided with stirrups. The
saddle with the pendent cloths is exhibited in the annexed coin. The
term “Ephippium” was in later times in part supplanted by the word
“sella,” and the more specific expression “sella equestris.”
ĔPHŎRI (ἔφοροι). Magistrates called _Ephori_ or overseers were common
to many Dorian constitutions in times of remote antiquity; but the
Ephori of Sparta are the most celebrated of them all. The origin
of the Spartan ephori is quite uncertain, but their office in the
historical times was a kind of counterpoise to the kings and council,
and in that respect peculiar to Sparta alone of the Dorian states.
Their number, five, appears to have been always the same, and was
probably connected with the five divisions of the town of Sparta,
namely, the four κῶμαι, Limnae, Mesoa, Pitana, Cynosura, and the
Πόλις or city properly so called, around which the κῶμαι lay. They
were elected from and by the people, without any qualification of age
or property, and without undergoing any scrutiny; so that the people
enjoyed through them a participation in the highest magistracy of
the state. They entered upon office at the autumnal solstice, and
the first in rank of the five gave his name to the year, which was
called after him in all civil transactions. They possessed judicial
authority in civil suits, and also a general superintendence over
the morals and domestic economy of the nation, which in the hands
of able men would soon prove an instrument of unlimited power.
Their jurisdiction and power were still further increased by the
privilege of instituting scrutinies (εὔθυναι) into the conduct of all
the magistrates. Even the kings themselves could be brought before
their tribunal (as Cleomenes was for bribery). In extreme cases, the
ephors were also competent to lay an accusation against the kings
as well as the other magistrates, and bring them to a capital trial
before the great court of justice. In later times the power of the
ephors was greatly increased; and this increase appears to have been
principally owing to the fact, that they put themselves in connection
with the assembly of the people, convened its meetings, laid measures
before it, and were constituted its agents and representatives.
When this connection arose is matter of conjecture. The power which
such a connection gave would, more than anything else, enable them
to encroach on the royal authority, and make themselves virtually
supreme in the state. Accordingly, we find that they transacted
business with foreign ambassadors; dismissed them from the state;
decided upon the government of dependent cities; subscribed in the
presence of other persons to treaties of peace; and in time of war
sent out troops when they thought necessary. In all these capacities
the ephors acted as the representatives of the nation, and the agents
of the public assembly, being in fact the executive of the state. In
course of time the kings became completely under their control. For
example, they fined Agesilaus on the vague charge of trying to make
himself popular, and interfered even with the domestic arrangements
of other kings. In the field the kings were followed by two ephors,
who belonged to the council of war; the three who remained at home
received the booty in charge, and paid it into the treasury, which
was under the superintendence of the whole College of Five. But
the ephors had still another prerogative, based on a religious
foundation, which enabled them to effect a temporary deposition of
the kings. Once in eight years, as we are told, they chose a calm
and cloudless night to observe the heavens, and if there was any
appearance of a falling meteor, it was believed to be a sign that the
gods were displeased with the kings, who were accordingly suspended
from their functions until an oracle allowed of their restoration.
The outward symbols of supreme authority also were assumed by the
ephors; and they alone kept their seats while the kings passed;
whereas it was not considered below the dignity of the kings to rise
in honour of the ephors. When Agis and Cleomenes undertook to restore
the old constitution, it was necessary for them to overthrow the
ephoralty, and accordingly Cleomenes murdered the ephors for the time
being, and abolished the office (B.C. 225); it was, however, restored
under the Romans.
ĔPĬBĂTAE (ἐπιβάται), were soldiers or marines appointed to defend the
vessels in the Athenian navy, and were entirely distinct from the
rowers, and also from the land soldiers, such as hoplitae, peltasts,
and cavalry. It appears that the ordinary number of epibatae on
board a trireme was ten. The epibatae were usually taken from the
thetes, or fourth class of Athenian citizens. The term is sometimes
also applied by the Roman writers to the marines, but they are more
usually called _classiarii milites_. The latter term, however, is
also applied to the rowers or sailors as well as the marines.
ĔPĬBŎLĒ (ἐπιβολή), a fine imposed by a magistrate, or other official
person or body, for a misdemeanour. The various magistrates at Athens
had (each in his own department) a summary penal jurisdiction;
_i.e._ for certain offences they might inflict a pecuniary mulct
or fine, not exceeding a fixed amount; if the offender deserved
further punishment, it was their duty to bring him before a judicial
tribunal. These _epibolae_ are to be distinguished from the
penalties awarded by a jury or court of law (τιμήματα) upon a formal
prosecution.
ĔPĬCLĒRUS (ἐπίκληρος, heiress), the name given to the daughter of
an Athenian citizen, who had no son to inherit his estate. It was
deemed an object of importance at Athens to preserve the family
name and property of every citizen. This was effected, where a man
had no child, by adoption (εἰσποίησις); if he had a daughter, the
inheritance was transmitted through her to a grandson, who would take
the name of the maternal ancestor. If the father died intestate,
the heiress had not the choice of a husband, but was bound to marry
her nearest relation, not in the ascending line. When there was but
one daughter, she was called ἐπίκληρος ἐπὶ παντὶ τῷ οἴκῳ. If there
were more, they inherited equally, like our co-parceners; and were
severally married to relatives, the nearest having the first choice.
ĔPĬDŎSEIS (ἐπιδόσεις), voluntary contributions, either in money,
arms, or ships, which were made by the Athenian citizens in order
to meet the extraordinary demands of the state. When the expenses
of the state were greater than its revenue, it was usual for the
prytaneis to summon an assembly of the people, and after explaining
the necessities of the state, to call upon the citizens to contribute
according to their means. Those who were willing to contribute then
rose and mentioned what they would give; while those who were
unwilling to give any thing remained silent, or retired privately
from the assembly.
ĔPĬMĔLĒTAE (ἐπιμεληταί), the names of various magistrates and
functionaries at Athens.--(1) Ἐπιμελητὴς τῆς κοινῆς προσόδου, more
usually called ταμίας, the treasurer or manager of the public
revenue. [TAMIAS.]--(2) Ἐπιμεληταὶ τῶν μοριῶν Ἐλαιῶν, were persons
chosen from among the Areopagites to take care of the sacred olive
trees.--(3) Ἐπιμεληταὶ τοῦ Ἐμπορίου, were the overseers of the
emporium. [EMPORIUM.] They were ten in number, and were elected
yearly by lot. They had the entire management of the emporium,
and had jurisdiction in all breaches of the commercial laws.--(4)
Ἐπιμεληταὶ τῶν Μυστηρίων, were, in connection with the king archon,
the managers of the Eleusinian mysteries. They were elected by open
vote, and were four in number.--(5) Ἐπιμεληταὶ τῶν νεωρίων, the
inspectors of the dockyards, were ten in number.--(6) Ἐπιμεληταὶ τῶν
φυλῶν, the inspectors of the φυλαὶ or tribes. [TRIBUS.]
ĔPISCŎPI (ἐπίσκοποι), inspectors, who were sometimes sent by the
Athenians to subject states. They were also called φύλακες. It
appears that these Episcopi received a salary at the cost of the
cities over which they presided.
ĔPISTĂTĒS (ἐπιστάτης).--(1) The chairman of the senate and assembly
of the people, respecting whose duties see BOULÉ and ECCLESIA.--(2)
The name of the directors of the public works. (Ἐπισταταὶ τῶν
δημοσίων ἔργων).
ĔPISTŎLEUS (ἐπιστολεύς), the officer second in rank in the Spartan
fleet, who succeeded to the command if any thing happened to the
_navarchus_ (ναυάρχος) or admiral. When the Chians and the other
allies of Sparta on the Asiatic coast sent to Sparta to request that
Lysander might be again appointed to the command of the navy, he was
sent with the title of epistoleus, because the laws of Sparta did not
permit the same person to hold the office of navarchus twice.
ĔPISTȲLĬUM (ἐπιστύλιον), properly, as the name implies, the
architrave, or lower member of an entablature, which lies immediately
over the columns. The word is sometimes also used for the whole of
the entablature.
ĔPĬTRŎPUS (ἐπίτροπος), the name at Athens of a guardian of orphan
children. Of such guardians there were at Athens three kinds: first,
those appointed in the will of the deceased father; secondly, the
next of kin, whom the law designated as tutores legitimi in default
of such appointment, and who required the authorization of the
archon to enable them to act; and lastly, such persons as the archon
selected if there were no next of kin living to undertake the office.
The duties of the guardian comprehended the education, maintenance,
and protection of the ward, the assertion of his rights, and the
safe custody and profitable disposition of his inheritance during
his minority, besides making a proper provision for the widow if she
remained in the house of her late husband.
ĔPŌBĔLIA (ἐπωβελία), as its etymology implies, at the rate of one
obolus for a drachma, or one in six, was payable on the assessment
(τίμημα) of several private causes, and sometimes in a case of
phasis, by the litigant that failed to obtain the votes of one-fifth
of the dicasts.