P Y T 



P Y T 



" Pcriplus.of the World;" and he is fiippofed to have 

 written a treatifc " De Oceano :" none of tliefe pieces 

 have reached modern times, thoujrh fome of them were ex- 

 tant in the fourth century. From fragments collected out 

 of Strabo, it appears that Pytheas introduced into them, 

 as the teftimony of others, a number of marvellous and in- 

 credible circumllances, wliich drew on him the cenfure of 

 that author and Polybius. The latl named author main- 

 tained it to be utterly impofTible for a private perfon, who 

 was even in want, to have travelled fo far as he pretended 

 to have done by fea and land. He, however, probably 

 vifited all the countries of Europe that are fitualed upon 

 the ocean, difcovered the ifland of Thule, or Iceland, and 

 penetrated a confiderable diilance into the Baltic. This 

 fad has been proved by GaiTendi, who fliews, that Pytheas 

 was well acquainted with the northern countries, and accu- 

 rately marked the dillinftion of chmates, by the diiTerence 

 which he obferved in the length of the days and nights in 

 different latitudes. He alfo attempts to prove that Eratof- 

 thenes and Hipparchus improved their geographical works 

 by availing themfelves of the labours of Pytheas, without 

 due acknowledgments of their obligations. There is no 

 doubt that Pytheas was a ilcilful obferver of the heavens, 

 for he taught that there is no itar in the precife fituation of 

 the pole, and he rendered himfelf famous among aftro- 

 nomers, by being the firil calculator of the meridian alti- 

 tude of the fun at the fummer folftice at Marfeilles. This 

 fatt he afcertained by erefting a gnomon of a given height, 

 and finding the proportion between that height and the 

 length of the meridian fliadow. The refult was found to 

 correfpond exaftly with that of an obfervation made by 

 Gaffendi, at the fame place, in the year 1636. To obviate 

 fuch objections as that advanced by Polybius agaiaft the 

 reality of Pytheas' voyages, it has been faid, that he pro- 

 bably was furnilhed with the means of profecuting them at 

 the public expence. For as the republic of Marfeilles was 

 then powerful at fea, largely engaged in commercial purfuits, 

 and fent Euthymenes to make fuch difcoveries in the 

 fouthern parts of the world, as might lead to the extenfion 

 of its trade, it feems very probable, that Pytheas was dif- 

 patched on the public account into the northern regions for 

 the fame purpofes. 



PYTHEUM, in Ancient Geography, a town of Mace- 

 donia, in the country of the Pelafgioites. Ptolemy places 

 it between Azorium and Gonnus. 



PYTHIA, or Pythian, in Antiquity, the prieltefs of 

 Apollo, by whom he delivered oracles. See Delphos. 



She was thus called from the god himfelf, who was en- 

 titled Apollo Pythhis, from his flaying the ferpent Python ; 

 or, as others will have it, axo in T^vfJuj-ioci, becaufe Apollo, 

 the fun, is the caufe of rottennefs ; or becauie the carcafe 

 of Python was left there to putrefy ; or, according to 

 others, from -otuvOxvo/^iki, / enquire, becaufe people went 

 to hear and confult his oracles. 



This prieftefs was to be a pure virgin. She fat on the 

 covercle, or lid, of a brazen vellel, mounted on a tripod ; 

 before fhe afccnded which, after falling three days, file ufed 

 to wafh her whole body, and efpecially her hair, in Caftalio, 

 a fountain at the foot of Parnaffus, where the poets, men 

 infpired by the fame deity, ufed to wafli, and drink ; and 

 thence, after ihaking the laurel-tree that grew by it, and 

 fometimes eating the leaves, which were fuppofed to con- 

 duce to infpiration, and were fucceeded by a violent enthu- 

 fiafm, flie delivered her oracles, or rather explained thofe 

 of the god ; i. e. (he rehearfed a few ambiguous and ob- 

 fcure verfes, which were taken for oracles. The oracle 

 being pronounced, fhe was taken down from the tripod and 



conduftcd back to her cell, where {he continued for feveral 

 days, to recover herfelf from the violent agitation and con- 

 fiift. Lucan informs us, that fpeedy death was frequenll) 

 tue confequence of her enthuliafm. See Oracle. 



Diodorus Siculus (lib. xvi.) informs us, that thefe 

 priellelles were at firfl virgins, but that after one of them 

 was deflowered by Echecrates, a Theflalian, choice was 

 made of women above fifty years of age ; that fo they 

 might either be fecurcd from the attempts of luft, or if 

 they (hould at any time be forced to the violation of their 

 chaftity, having pafled the time of cliild-bearing, they 

 might remain undifcovered, and not bring the oracles or 

 religion into contempt ; neverthelefs they wore the habit 

 of virgins, thereby to fignify their purity and virginal mo- 

 deity. 



'An the Pythia; did not feem to have had the fame talent 

 at poetry, or to have memory enough to retain their leflon. 



Plutarch and Strabo make mention of poets, who wej • 

 kept in pay, as interpreters of Jupiter, &c. 



PvTHiA, or Pythian Games, were folemn games in- 

 flituted in honour of Apollo, and in memory of his kiUing 

 the ferpent Python with his arrows. 



The Pythia were celebrated in Macedonia, in a place 

 called Pythium. They were next in fame after the Olympic 

 games, but were more ancient than they ; for it is pre- 

 tended they were inilituted immediately after the defeat 

 of the ferpent. The Pythia were alfo celebrated at Delphi; 

 and they were thefe that were the moll renowned. Their 

 firll founder, and the precife time of their inltitution, are 

 not known. 



The Pythian games, according to Paufanias," were firft 

 inftituted by Jafon or Diomedes, king of Etolia, and re- 

 ftored by Eurylochus of ThefTaly, in the third year of the 

 4Sth olympiad, or the year of the world 3364, and 584 

 years before the birth of Chrift ; from which time the 

 Greeks reckoned fometimes by Pythiades, as they had been 

 accuitomed to do by Olympiads. They were at firlt cele- 

 brated every eight years, but afterwards every four years, 

 in the third year of each olympiad ; fo that the pythiade, 

 which was a term of four years, ferved as an epocha for 

 the inhabitants of Delphi. At firll they confilled of poetical 

 and mufical contefls, but in procefs of time they confiftcd 

 of the other exercifcs of the pancratium, which were per- 

 formed in the Olympic games. The vidtors were crowned 

 with branches of laurel ; though, at the firfl inflitution, 

 the crown was of beech-leaves. The Romans are faid to 

 have adopted thefe games in the year U.C. 642, and to 

 have given them the name of Apollinares ludi. 



A part of Pindar's poems was compofed in praife of the 

 viftors in the Pythian games. See Games. 



The critics are divided on the fubjeft of the ferpent Py- 

 thon. The poets fay, that Juno made ufe of it to per- 

 fecute Latona, and prevent her bringing into the world 

 Apollo and Diana, whom fhe had conceived of Jupiter ; 

 and that it was for this reafon that Apollo afterwards 

 killed it. 



Strabo fays, it was no other than a famous villain, one 

 Draco, tlitit Apollo freed the world from. Dickinfon, in 

 his " Delphi Phoenicizantes," maintains the Python of the 

 Greeks to be the Typhon of the Phoenicians ; and the 

 Typhon of the Phoenicians to be the Og of Scripture ; 

 and Apollo, who flew it, he will have to be Jofhua. See 

 Typhon. 



PYTHON, in Ancient Geography, a name anciently 

 given to the city of Delphi. 



PYTHOPOLIS, a town of Afia Minor, in Bithynia, 

 on the river Soloonte, according to Plutarch, founded by 



Thefeus. 



