Page:Philological Museum v2.djvu/297

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287
HEADERTEXT.
287

On the Attic Dionysia. 287 Which proves not only that the festivities were distinct from one another, but also that if those of Pirseus belonged to the rural Dionysia, those of Lenoeon were connected with a dif- ferent festival: since it would be incredible that two such spectacles as those described in the law should have been exhibited at the public charge on the same occasion. The order in which the festivals are mentioned in the law of Evagorus raises another question. This order was probably not accidental or arbitrary : on what principle then did it pro- ceed? Manifestly upon the order in which the festivals them- selves took place, and this not in the natural but the civil year : for otherwise the two lastmentioned festivals would have been named first. This is conclusive against Spanheim's supposition (ad Vesp. Ran. p. ^ZQS Kust.) that the Dionysia of Pirseus were the Anthesteria. On the other hand the words of the law determine nothing as to the time of the Lenaea. If it was Gamelion, the Anthesteria, though a more solemn festival, is entirely omitted. So however at all events are the Pana- thenaea : and if we suppose that, at the time when the law was made, there were no dramatic exhibitions at the Anthesteria, both festivals may have been past over for the same reason. The same conclusion is suggested by an inscription first pub- lished by Boeckh in his Public Economy of Athens (Appendix VIII.), containing an account of sums which accrued to the state from the sale of the hides of victims slaughtered on great public occasions (Sep/uLaTLKov), Among the festivals mentioned in this document, the date of which is 01. 11 if, the second is that of Aiovvaia tcl eiri Arjvaicv^ which is immediately followed by the words (according to Boeckh's reading) : Trapd /avaTrjp'Kjou Kal T€A€Twu €K TY}^ OvGia^ TTj ArjjjirjTpl Tfapd iepoTTOLOov : e^ AcTKXrj' 7rL€i(ov Trapa epoiroioov e/c Aiovvaioou twu ev ccaTei wapa pocovwv. The combination of the Lenaean festival with the mysteries (the lesser^ which were celebrated in Anthesterion) shews that they could not have been separated from each other by a very wide interval, as would have been the case if the former was a part of the rural Dionysia. But neither is it necessary to suppose that they fell in the same month. If the mysteries were celebrated early in Anthesterion, and the Lenaea in Gamelion, they will have been near enough to each other to be included in the same article. In this case the Anthesteria Vol. II. No. 5. O o