AMPHICTYONIC COUNCIL—AMPHITHEATRE. 
  
  
AMPHIC'TYONIC COUNCIL. This central 
politico-religious court of several Grecian tribes, was 
held twice a year. In spring, the members assembled 
in the Temple of Apollo, at Delphi; in autumn, in 
the Temple of Ceres, at the village of Anthela, near 
Thermopyle. Their purpose was twofold: 1. To 
determine questions of imternational law; 2. To 
preserve the religious institutions of the Greeks. As 
there were many amphictyonies in the early days of 
Greek history—of which, however, by far the most 
important was that which forms the subject of our 
article—it has generally been supposed that they 
originated out of a desire for social union, and were, 
consequently, a result of the national instinct for 
civilisation. Like the Olympic games of a later 
period, their tendency was to develop a spirit of 
brotherhood where it was greatly required. The 
restless Greek intellect, in its application to political 
life, had naturally an excessive and perilous love 
of individualism, out of which rose the numerous 
strifes and animosities of the various states. These 
councils, on the other hand, were calculated to 
exert a wholesome centralising influence. They 
knit together, for a time, the distracted tribes in a 
bond of common interest and piety. ILike the 
Olympic games, too, they became the occasion of 
vast gatherings of the Greek peoples, who crowded 
thither for every variety of purpose, sacred and 
secular; and thusa feeling of unity and pure national 
patriotism was, temporarily at least, excited in the 
popular mind. The special origin of the A. C. or 
league is unknown, though we know that it was com- 
posed of twelve tribes. The ancient writers differ in 
the names of these; but the list given by the orator 
Aischines, though containing only eleven, is perhaps 
the safest to adhere to: the Thessalians, Beeotians, 
Dorians, Tonians, Perrhebians, Magnetes, Locrians, 
(Eteans, Phthiots, Malians, and Phocians. Probably 
the remaining tribe was the Dolopians, who are 
mentioned in other accounts. It has been justly 
concluded that the great preponderance of the 
northern tribes, who were of the old Pelasgic race, 
{,D)roves the antiquity of the Council. It must have 
een older than the descent of the Dorians upon the 
Peloponnesus, or the emigration of the Ionians to the 
coasts of Asia Minor. Hach of the twelve tribes sent 
to the A. C. two members. These twenty-four repre- 
sentatives possessed equal authority, although some 
of the tribes were very small, and hardly independ- 
ent. They bound themselves by an oath that ¢ they 
would destroy no city of the Amphictyons, nor cut 
off their streams in war or peace ; and if any should 
do so, they would march against him and destroy his 
cities; and should any pillage the property of the 
god, or be privy to, or plan anything against what 
was in his temple at Delphi, they would take venge- 
ance on him with hand, and foot, and voice, and 
all their might’ (Alschines). It is onlyright to state, 
what indeed most people would naturally conclude 
for themselves, that so excellent an oath was very 
indifferently kept. In the primitive period of Greek 
history, it, in all likelihood, exerted the beneficial 
and civilising influence of which we have spoken ; 
but it opposed only a feeble check to the passions 
and ambition of a more powerful age. The members 
at times connived and even took part in many 
political crimes, and thus violated their oath. By 
the time of Demosthenes, the A. C. had ceased to 
command respect; in the 2d c. after Christ, it still 
existed, but was then just wavering on the verge of 
extinction. 
AMPHI'POLIS, a city of Macedonia, built on an 
island at the mouth of the river Strymon, which 
flowed almost round the town, whence it derived its 
name (Gr. amphi, around, and polis, a city). In 
ancient times its position must have been invaluable, 
  
as it commanded the only safe entrance from the 
Strymonic Gulf into the broad Macedonian plains. 
It belonged originally to the Edonians, a Thracian 
people, and was called, on account of the roads 
which met here, Ennea Hodoi (Nine Ways). The 
first who attempted to colonise it, Aristagoras of 
Miletus, was cut off with his followers by the 
Edonians. The Athenians next tried to gain posses- 
sion of it. Their first army, amounting to 10,000 
men, was ubterly cut to pieces at Drabescus, 465 
B.C., but their second, 437 B.C., under Agnon, son 
of Nicias, was successful. The Thracians were 
expelled, and a new city built, to which Agnon gave 
the name of A. On account of its situation as an 
emporium for Upper Thrace, and of its neighbour- 
ing forests of timber for ship-building, A. was an 
important place. In 424 B.c., it was taken from the 
Athenians by the Spartan Brasidas, was restored 
to Athens by the Antalcidean treaty of peace, and 
afterwards was taken by Philip of Macedon. 
Under the Romans, it was made the capital of East 
Macedonia. In the middle ages, it was called 
Popolia. TIts site is now occupied by a Turkish 
town, but a few of its ruins are still visible. 
AMPHITHE'ATRE, a spacious building, gener- 
ally elliptical in form, used by the Romans for 
exhibiting gladiatorial combats, fights of wild beasts, 
and other spectacles. The A. differed from a theatre 
for dramatic performances (theatrum) in this, that 
whereas the theatre had only a semicircle of seats 
fronting the stage, the A. was entirely surrounded 
by them ; and hence the name of Amphitheatre (Gr. 
amphi, ‘on both sides’ or ‘all round’). Till a 
late period at Rome, these erections were of wood, 
and merely temporary, like a modern race-stand. 
They seem, however, to have been of enormous size, 
as Tacitus mentions one, during the reign of Tiberius, 
which gave way, and caused the death or injury of 
50,000 spectators. Amphitheatres of stone had begun, 
however, to be erected at an earlier period than this, 
the first having been built at the desire of Augustus. 
The Flavian A. at Rome, known as the Colosseum, 
which was begun by Vespasian, and finished by 
  
Colosseum. 
Titus 80 A.D., ten years after the destruction of 
Jerusalem, was probably the largest structure of the 
kind, and is fortunately also the best preserved. It 
covers about five acres of ground, and was capable 
of containing 87,000 persons. Its greatest length is 
620 feet, and its greatest breadth 513. On the occa- 
sion of its dedication by Titus, 5000 wild beasts were 
  
  
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