ASIA MINOR IN THE TIME OE THE SEVEN WISE MEN 



61 



and were employed for public and private 

 religions festivals — to celebrate, perhaps, 

 a victory, a death, a holy day, a birth, or 

 a marriage. We are told that Alkman, 

 who lived as early as 650 B. C, wrote a 

 choir song for girls which was a dramatic 

 part song. 



RHAPSODISTS PRECEDED DRAMATISTS AND 

 ACTORS 



There was, however, no drama strictly 

 speaking ; the place which the drama sub- 

 sequently occupied was filled by the rhap- 

 sodists. A rhapsodist was one who sang 

 professionally or intoned to music the 

 poems of his age and of earlier ages. 

 For this purpose some part of the so- 

 called Homeric poems was usually se- 

 lected, an introduction and some closing 

 words added, and it was presented to 

 companies of people in private houses. 



A professional rhapsodist would nat- 

 urally choose the most popular parts of 

 Homer; but if he were a man of some 

 thought power, he might present his own 

 compositions, although that would hap- 

 pen more rarely. 



Whenever a banquet was given, the 

 best rhapsodist to be procured was en- 

 gaged, one who could recite not only 

 Homeric poems, but those of Hesiod and 

 Archilochus, not neglecting the lyric com- 

 posers of his own time. 



In this way the best of the world's 

 poetry became a part of the familiar 

 thinking of the common people, and it 

 was surely a much easier and pleasanter 

 way of learning than through studying 

 from books. There were so many rhap- 

 sodists in the latter part of the period 

 that they were organized into guilds and 

 schools. 



PREPARATIONS FOR A BANQUET 



The room in the house which was used 

 for entertaining was usually rather large, 

 with an earthen floor, which was care- 

 fully swept before a feast was given. 

 Before the guests arrived, the hosts and 

 hostesses washed their hands and the 

 goblets were all rinsed. In the center of 

 the room stood an altar, which was cov- 

 ered with wreaths of flowers. The large 

 wine bowl was filled to the brim. 



The guests arrived wearing crowns of 



flowers, and the wine-cup, with wine and 

 water, usually mixed half and half, was 

 passed around, but not before libations 

 were poured upon the ground for the 

 gods. 



There was very free use of many kinds 

 of ointments and perfumes, some of 

 which were very costly, made from all 

 kinds of flowers. As a poet of the age 

 writes : 



Erom the slender vase 



A willing youth presents to each in turn 



A sweet and costly perfume. 



Honey and cheese were given the place 

 of honor among the refreshments. The 

 house resounded with music and song. 



Now the rhapsodist enters, wearing his 

 white robe and golden crown. There is a 

 man or woman with him who also wears 

 a crown and who sings or plays a low 

 accompaniment to the poetry which the 

 rhapsodist recites. 



He begins, perhaps, with selections 

 from Homer, whose poems always had 

 first place in the literary life of the day. 

 and then follow some of the lyric poems 

 of Terpander and Archilochos, Sappho, 

 and others. He naturally selects the poet 

 that belongs to the place where the feast 

 is given. 



In Lesbos one would sing of Terpan- 

 der, Alkaios, or Sappho, and in Paros of 

 Archilochos, and in Smyrna or Chios of 

 Homer. 



WOMEN SHARED IN AEE CIVIC ACTIVITIES 



Social life in Ionia and the islands was 

 the life of men and women together, for 

 women were free in that age to share in 

 all the activities, even in public athletic 

 exercises in the gymnasium of the town, 

 as we read of their doing in the Island of 

 Chios. 



There were, to be sure, no suffragettes, 

 for formal voting by citizens of any class 

 was a thing of later times, but the life of 

 all was free and open and natural, and 

 the standards of morality were much 

 higher than in subsequent periods of 

 Greek history. It is to the corruption of 

 later times that we owe the calumnies 

 that injured the fame of Sappho, for the 

 free life of the era of the Seven Wise 

 Men was not appreciated by succeeding 

 a^es. 



