THE TRAGIC CHORUS. — ARION. 33 in those countries where the worship of Bacchus was cultivated along with that of Apollo, and after the time when the charac- teristic Dionysian hjmn was raised to the dignity of lyric poetry. From the Dorian Pcean three styles of choral dancing developed themselves at a very early period, and most probably received their cliief improvements under Thaletas in Crete. These were the Gymnopcedic, the Pyrrhic, and the Hyporchematic dances. The jufivoiraLSia, or "festival of naked youths," was held in great esteem at Sparta ^ The immediate object was the worship of Leto and her children, and the music was that of the Pcean. But an heroic and tragic character was given to the solemnity by its formal reference to the victory at Thyrea. The praises of the valiant Spartans, who fell on that occasion, were always sung at the Gym- nopcedia^ and the Exarchus wore the Thyreatic crown^. The ges- ticulations and steps of the boys amounted to a rhythmical imitation of the wrestling match and pancration, which is partly implied by the absence of clothing^. The Gymnopcedic dance was considered as a sort of introduction to the Pyrrhic, just as the exercises of the Palcestra in general were a preparation for military discipline. To be able to move rapidly in armour was a leading accomplishment of the Greek hoplite, and we are expressly told that the Pyrrhic, which was danced by boys in armour, was a rapid dance*. Beyond this rapidity of motion, it had no characteristic steps ; the distinc- tive movements were those of the hands, whence it was called a
- ' manual gesticulation" (%ei/5oi/o/x/a) , and might be performed by
"Evrt fih xpi^O'ttXa/cdroi^ AaroOs reK^uv aoidal 'l7jt[ot] wacdvLdes' "EvTi [5^ avjKu'jfj.ou TLcri Kicrcrov <jTi(pavov ^ 'EopTTj 5^ el'rts dWri Kal al yv/MvoTraidiai, dia arovS^s AaKe5aijj.ovl.ois dab. Pausan. III. ir, 9. ^ Athen. xv. p. 678 b: QvpeariKol' ovtw KaXovvrai crricpavoi rives irapa Aa/ce- daifiovlois, uii (f>r](Xi Hcjai^ios kv ry irepl OvcriCov, xpCkivovs avrovs (pdaKOJU vvv ovoixd^eadat, 6uTas e/c (pOLviKcoV (pepeiv §' avrovs, VTrbp.vriij.a rrjs iv Qvp^g. yevoixevrjs vUrjs, rovs irpoard- ras rwv dyo/mevcoy xopwi' ii^ r-§ eoprfj ravry, ore Kal rds TvfxvoTraLbias eiriTeXovcn. Xopol 5' elal rb fxev evirpocrwTrbiv Traiduv, to 8' i^ dplcrrojv dvbpCJv, yvfxuwv opxovfjiivuv, Kal g.d6vro}v QoXt^tov Kal ^AK/j.duos q^afiaTa, Kal rovs Aiovvaodorou rod Ad/cw;/os vaidvas. See Visconti, Mus. Pio- Clement. Tom. Hi. p. 74, n. 4. 2 Athen. xiv. p. 631 B.
- Athen. xrv. p. 630 d. The same is indicated by the Pyrrhic {^ ^ ) and Proccleus-
matic (^^^^) feet, which are attributed to this dance. The latter, to which the ivoirXios pv9/j.6s refers, is tantamount to the anapaest, which is the proper rhythm for embateria. D. T. G. 3
