Offerings consisted either of gifts to the temple or of sacrifices, blood less or sanguinary. Figure 2 represents an example of the former. The latter, as in the case of hecatombs, consisted at times of entire herds. The victims were required to be free front blemish and never to have borne the yoke of man's service. A part of the flesh only was given to the flames; the remainder was consumed by the participants in the ceremony, who were crowned with garlands as a sign of their consecration.
Besides the above-described method of appealing to the gods, there was the proper service in honor of them, which was almost always prac tised by larger numbers, especially as a thanksgiving for any happy occurrence that had befallen the state or some considerable community. Splendid processions, like that of the Panathenfea which Phidias has immortalized on the Parthenon, were the usual form of expressing the feelings thus awakened. Athletic contests, chariot- and horse-races, and gymnastic and musical exercises were also employed for the same purpose, as indeed many institutions were transplanted by the Greeks into the domain of religion which serve us for pleasure or utility only. Chief among these was the theatre.
Greek drama seems to have been developed out of two distinct elements. One of these relates to the famous car of Thespis, to trace the remote origin of which would lead us beyond the Jimits of the present task. The other consisted of those festive diode dances which generally formed a part of religions worship, especially that of Dionysus. Just as games of rivalry in general were enthusiastically employed by the Greeks in their religious services, so they appeared with their acute intel • ligence early to have discovered what important material for that purpose lay in the ancient mimic amusements of the people; nor were men of talent lacking who knew how to combine these with the choric dances in a symmetrical whole. Greek drama long retained the character of a con test, for several pieces, as is well known, were wont to be performed in succession in competition for prizes.
construction of the theatre was as simple as it was appropriate. A suitable plot of ground at the foot of a hillock was selected. The seats for the spectators were built upon a slope naturally concave, or rendered so by art, in a semicircle of considerable diameter. In front was the orchestra, originally the place for the presentation of the choric dances, with an altar in the centre. The stage developed itself out of the wall which was at first erected back of the orchestra in order to throw the sound toward the audience. It consisted of an elevated frame work, usually ornamented in front with pillars and statues, and afforded an open space for the performance, with a projection at each end for the use of the chorus when it took a direct part in the action. At other
times the chorus remained in the orchestra below and in front of the stage, the approach to the latter being by two flights of steps. Just behind the stage were situated the dressing-rooms, the anterior walls of which, prop erly decorated, served the purpose of scenery, and from which the actors stepped upon the stage. Ghosts, spirits, divinities of the nether world and of the sea, ascended from the hollow space beneath the stage. The only roof was the bright sky. However, the theatre was not wholly with out side-scenes, as we understand the term. Erect prisms stood at each side of the stage, the three sides of which, painted differently, furnished the needed change of scenery. The actors wore masks (fl. 22, figs. 77, 78) and, to elevate their stature, the cothurnzts or buskin. The author (pl. 26, fig 8) superintended the preparation of the performance.
arrangements for the other public spectacles were similar: the most famous of these were the renowned Olympic Gaines, which were celebrated every four years, and by which the Greeks reck oned their chronology. The horse- and chariot-races were performed in the hippodrome; the foot-races, boxing, and wrestling, in the stadium. Both were large oblong spaces rounded off at one end and surrounded by tiers of raised seats. In the hippodrome the starting-place for the horses was at one of the narrow sides, and at the other stood a post which served as the goal around which they had to pass in the race. Plate 25 (fig. 8) shows one of the vehicles used on such occasions.
These festivals, at the principal of which representatives of the dif ferent Greek nationalities from the remotest regions assembled, attained, together with Hellenic culture, the most widespread diffusion, and belong to the most striking phenomena presented in the history of human devel opment, not only from their external form, but also because of their intrinsic objects. We find in them the true characteristic of the Aryan race—namely, the appreciation of individuality. Nowhere previously had this been valued to the same extent; and though the Greeks did not comprehend this principle as fully as other peoples of the same race have since clone, yet their appreciation of it was so marked that without duly considering it we cannot understand the significance of Greek life or its later influence. As insignificant as the prize of victory was, a wreath, a vase, a tripod, etc., so great was the honor, and the mention of it was even deemed worthy a place in history.