Plate 100. A View in the Tripod Street at Athens

At the great festival plays of the Greeks, gymnastics and music were the subjects of debate and contest. The choragus who was successful in the musical contests received as a prize, besides the wreath from the olive tree, a tripod which he usually placed in the Temple or Theatre of Dionysos, and dedicated the same with an appropriate inscription. Those victors who were desirous of more honor placed their tripods, when their means allowed, on costly bases or supports, for public view. In this manner originated in Athens an entire street of choragic monuments which led off from the Prytaneum on the southeast foot of the hill of the Acropolis, and was thus called the Tripod Street.

Of the many monuments standing together here only four, much damaged and without the tripods once crowning them, have been preserved to our time. On the plate we have endeavored to restore a part of this street, in which we have taken the liberty to place the Monument of Lysicrates closer to that of Thrasyllus than was actually the case. The monuments preserved served exclusively as supports for the prize tripods. Only that of Thrasyllus, now no longer in existence, had provision on its interior for the placing of trophies. (See Plate 17 for description of this monument.)

On the face of the cliff nearby was still seen at Stuart's time a sun dial, which is visible on our plate. Above on the cliff stand two columns which once answered for the supports of tripods, as their capitals have three-cornered covers. These columns are still standing at this time on their original site. In the background we see arising over the wall of the Acropolis, the Pantheon.

On Plates 54 to 57 is represented in detail the choragic monument of Lysicrates. We mention here only the tripod which is drawn in a similar manner to one found at Herculaneum. It is in keeping with the three-armed finial, and both together form a highly ornamental and harmonious crowning to the monument, which would not be the case had we represented the finial as supporting a kettle or vase, as is sometimes done by other authorities.

In the foreground we see a tripod standing on an altar-like base. This tripod, of bronze, was found at Herculaneum. The three-cornered pedestal of white marble is now in the Royal antique collection at Dresden. The niches over the exedra answered for the placing of tripods as well as for wreaths of victory. Over these niches we see a statue of Octaon.