ATHLETA 



ATLA 



trivwl a* to covrr both the brwurt and I ck. The outline of the body 

 exhibit* none of the fumssa of woman in the hip* n.l brea*U, while 

 the form of the boom, van, and beck, lueeiabhn thai of nun. Her 

 counttoanoe, at leact in the earlier periods of Greek art, was alwmn 

 marked by a (eritMU, almort earacet expTwitm. A* far a* poaaibk the 

 Or*** artiat endeavoured to impart iblimity of character to the 

 tatuesof Athene. But the an of Phidia* changed oonaiderably the 

 ancient rhantcteriatic marka of the different gods, and from that time 

 Athene waa distinguished by her unclouded forehead, her long and 

 well-formed noae, by the aomewhat firm compression of the mouth and 

 cheek*, the strongly marked and almost angular chin, the half-cloned 

 yea, and by the hair atreaming careleaaly over her neck. There are 

 many representations of the goddess in aculpture, on coins, Ac., still 

 extant, no public collection of any importance probably being without 

 MOM. The Britiah If uaeum contain* many fragment* of statues of 

 Athene, and muneroua representation* on Greek vases, coins, and gems. 

 We gire an engraring of a very early colossal head of the goddess, now 

 in the firat Gneco- Roman Saloon, where are also two other busts of 

 Athene : the aocket* of the eyes of that here engraved were filled with 

 some diflerent material, locks of hair of some metal were probably also 

 fixed under the helmet, and there were pendants in the ear*. A 

 fragment, auppoaed to belong to the statue of Athene, which was in one 

 of the pediment* of the Parthenon, is in the Klgin collection of the 

 Britiah Museum. Numerous examples of all the kinds of statues of 

 Athene are pointed out by Muller in his 'Archiiologie der Kunst,' 

 where the subject will be found fully treated. 



Jtfi'MTra, or .Wnrrra, was the ancient Italian divinity, known to 

 the Greeks as Pallas Athene. Her attributes corresponded in most 

 respecU to those of the Grecian goddess. She was the patroness of 

 art* and industry, such as spinning, weaving, Ac., and was the goddess 

 of all the mental powers. Her statue was usually placed in schools ; 

 and the pupils were accustomed every year to present their masters 

 with a present called Miturral. (Varro, ' De Re Rust,' iii. 2 ; com- 

 pare TertulL, 'D Idol,' c. 10.) Minerva also presided over olive 

 grounds (Varro, ' De Re Rust,' i. 1) ; and goats were not sacrificed to 

 her, according to Varro, because that animal was considered to do 

 peculiar injury to the olive (' De Re Rust,' i. 2). 



There was an annual festival of Minerva celebrated in Rome in the 

 month of March, which was called Quingualrtu, because it lasted five 

 days, (Varro, ' De Ling. Lat.,' v. 3 ; Ovid, ' Fast,' iii. 809 ; GelL, ii. 

 21.) On the first day sacrifices were offered to the goddess, and on the 

 other four there were gladiatorial combats, Ac. There was also 

 another festival of Minerva celebrated in June, which was called Quin- 

 qmatrtu Miaora. (Ovid, ' Fast.,' vi. 651.) There were several temples 

 in Rome sacred to Minerva. Ovid mentions one on the CVliaii Hill, 

 in which she wa* worshipped under the name of Minerva Capta, but 

 the origin of the name is unknown. (' Kat.,' iii. 835-839.) It also 

 appears trom several inscriptions, in which she is called Minerva 

 Medica, that this goddess was thought to preside over the healing art. 



The 'etymology of the name of Minerva is doubtful. The first 

 part probably contains the same root min, men, or man, that we have 

 in the Latin me-min-i, mcn-s, Ac., the Greek niv-ot, fu-iu^i-ffxu, Ac., 

 an<l the Sanskrit man-as. Cicero (' De Nat. Depr.,' iii. 24) gives a very 

 curi>iiu etymology, " Minerva, quia ininuit aiit quia minatur; " but 

 ome of the ancient grammarians appear to have been nearer the truth 

 in considering it a shortened form of Utminerra, since she was the 

 goddess of memory. Festu* connects it with the verb moncrt. 

 Muller (' Etr.,' ii. p. 48) supposes that the word is of Etrurian or 

 - 



ATHLETJS (WXirro/), were men who contended for the prizes 

 (o*Aa) given to the victors at the public games of the Greeks and 

 Roman*. These games were divided into the light (icov^a). which 

 included running, leaping, and throwing the disc ; and the heavy or 

 severe (flajwa), Which consisted of boxing and wrestling, either sepa- 

 rately or in combination. In the early periods of Greek history there 

 wa* little distinction between the agonistic, or those who practised 

 gymnastic exerci*e* for the sake of improving their health, or for 

 pleasure, and the athlete, since the public games were open to all 

 But in course of time the value of the prizes induced men to piepare 

 themselves for the contort* by a severe course of training, and it 

 WM found that those who did not in fact devote themselves entirely 

 to the practice stood little chance of becoming victors. In the later 

 period* of Greek history the athlete became, therefore, a distinct class, 

 and private individuals ceased to contend. 



The public game* formed an important feature in Greek civic polity. 

 Prise* of great value were awarded to the victors, and the victorious 

 athlete were treated with great honour. A victor at the Olympian, 

 Isthmian, Nemean, and Pythian games, the four great fentu.il-> of the 

 Greek*, wa* honoured by the state to which he belonged with a puMie 

 triumph. A breach waa made in the city walls, through which he 

 entered in a chariot drawn by four white horses, and he was con- 

 ducted to the temple of the guardian deity, where hymns of victory 

 were chanter). At the public spectacles a scat of honour was assigned 

 to him ; he wa* relieved from the payment of taxes ; occasionally his 

 i erected in a public place, and in battle he occupied a privi- 



;: 



i training of the athlete became in courae of time a matter of 

 gnat care, and wa* conducted with exceeding strictnes*. Their tier- 



cue* were conducted by a public officer (the gymnasiarch), in a 

 gymnaaiiiin appropriated to the purpose, and known a> the /.nlmtra; 

 and their diet, to which great importance wa* attached, was directed 

 by nli/.tir. Their exercise was prolonged, severe, and continued from 

 day to day; their food, though strictly regulated, wa* en. in 

 quantity, and they slept for a long time. In the earlier time* the 

 athlete wore a girdle round the loin* (' Iliad,' b. xiii. ; Th . \.l i. ''>>; 

 but later they contended naked. Before the contest they were anointed 

 with oil by the alipte ; in wrestling they were covered with sand, to 

 allow the combatants to hold each other firmly. Boxing and wrestling 

 were the games which required most strength, and were most admired 

 for the display of manly beauty in the various positions induced during 

 the contest Wrestling and boxing in combination were known as the 

 /utHfrnlnim (wtCfKfJtTar), the combatants being called paucratiste. The 

 lighter game* were known as the pentathlon (vim8\on, quiii<|iiertimu 

 among the Roman*), and consisted of the five games of running, leap- 

 ing, throwing the disc, throwing the spear, and wrestling. These were 

 generally played on the same occasion, but sometimes only three of 

 the games were played: the prize of the pentathlon seem* to have 

 been adjudged to the victor in the larger number of the game*. 



Athlete were very favourite subjects with Greek artists; indeed, 

 there can be little doubt that it wa< owing to the facilities afforded l<y 

 the performances of the athlete for studying the well >le > 

 human form in every variety of position, and exerting itself in 

 getic action, that the wonderful mastery of the ancient Greek sculptors 

 is largely due. As Muller observes, the statues of athlete, and the 

 representations of them on rilievi, vases, and gems, enable us to form a 

 tolerably clear idea of the ancient corporeal exercises. From these 

 statues and representations we see that the athlete were, as a class, 

 remarkable for their well-shaped, robust forms, immense muscular 

 development, powerful limbs, and small head* with crisp cxirling hair. 

 They are represented in action, in repose, anointing themselves, and 

 indeed in almost every variety of way in which they could be shown 

 in accordance with the conventions of the several branches of art 



Among the Romans, public games were regarded with no less t 

 than among the Greeks. Athlete are, however, said to have be. 

 introduced into Rome by M. Fulvius, at the termination of the ^Gtolian 

 war, D.c. 186. The passion for athletic performances rapidly increased 

 under the emperors, and in the time of Nero large numbers of Greek 

 athlete were living in Rome. As in Greece, the athlete enjoyed many 

 privileges, though in Rome they were hirelings. They formed an 

 entirely separate body ; were allowed to deliberate on matters con- 

 nected with their calling; were presided over by one of their own 

 number; lived together, and possessed a common hall. The Unman 

 athlete must not be confounded with the gladiators, who fought itli 

 swords, and whose performances were altogether of a less refined 

 character. There were no gladiators in Greece. [GLADIATORS.] 



(Krause, Gi/mHattit tint! A;innitik dtr Hdltntn ; Muller, Ibiritint, iii. 

 3, and Archaulogie <fcr Kutut, 423; Philipp, Dt Pcutatli! 

 Qnht'fi'tfti'> ( '''iniiu itfctt'i, Berlin, 1827.) 



ATLANTES (ArXoTi), so called by the Greeks, probably, from 

 the well known fable of Atlas supporting the heavens. This is a term 

 applied to figures or half figures of men used in the place of columns 

 or pilasters, to sustain an entablature ; they are called als< 

 a won! of doubtful derivation. Female figures used for the name. 

 purpose are called Caryatides. [CARYATIDES.] Though the Egyptian* did 





rig. 1. From the Temple of Jupiter at Agrigentum. 



not use human figures in the place of column 



figures attached to the pillars in front of K of their temples, as at 



Medinet Aboii. where the figures arc each 24 feet high. Similar figure- 

 pillars occur at Hadjah-Sclseleh, and clsewh, , . \t Denderah, cylin- 

 drical columns are surmounted with square capital.;, on each side of 

 which i an Isis' head (Fuj. 2>. 



There can Iw little doubt that the Greeks derived the idea of Atl 



yutide* from Kgypt, but thej ad them s]irini/ly. 1" 



the tvinplc of Jupiter Olympic. .;t. Agrigentum, restored l>y Mr. 

 Cockerel], and described in the fourth volume .it Stuart'* ' Athens,' 

 Ail. nit. i an- represented standing upon a plinth placed the entabla- 

 ture above the pilasters of the cclla of the temple, and supporting with 



