His house was possibly N.E. of the Erechtheum. Pisistrătus, like the ancient kings, had his residence on the Acropolis, and may have added the stylobate to the temple of Athene recently identified, S. of the Erechtheum. The walls of the fortress proper were destroyed in the Persian wars, 480 and 479 b.c., and restored by Cīmōn. But the wall surrounding the foot of the hill, called the Pĕlasgĭkŏn or Pĕlargĭkŏn, and supposed to be a relic of the oldest inhabitants, was left in ruins. Cimon also laid the foundation of a new temple of Athene on the south side of the hill. This temple was begun afresh and completed in the most splendid style by Pĕrĭclĕs, and called the Parthĕnōn. (See Parthenon.) Pericles at the same time adorned the approach to the west side of the Acropolis with the glorious Prŏpy̆læa, and began to rebuild the Erechtheum in magnificent style. (See Erechtheum, Propylæa.) There were several other sanctuaries on the Acropolis, that, for instance, of Artĕmis Braurōnĭa, on the S.E. side of the Propylæa; the beautiful little temple of Athene Nīkē to the S.W.; and the Pandrŏsēum adjoining the temple of Erechtheus. There were many altars, that of Zeus Hypǎtŏs for example, and countless statues, among them that of Athene Prŏmachŏs, with votive offerings. Among the numerous grottos in the rock, one on the north side was dedicated to Pan, another to Apollo.
Acta. The Latin term for official records of transactions, including Acta sĕnātūs and Acta pŏpŭlī Rōmānī, both established by Cæsar in his first consulship, b.c. 59. (1) Acta senatus. Cæsar’s law decreed that all transactions of the senate should be regularly written down and published, which had only been done hitherto in exceptional cases. The written reports were continued under the Empire, but Augustus put a stop to their publication. These documents were preserved among the state archives and in the public libraries, where they could only be inspected by permission of the city prefect. At first a temporary duty imposed on individual senators, the business of reporting grew into a separate office held in rotation, with the title of Ab actis senatus, and the officer holding it had a considerable staff of writers under him, called Actuāriī. (2) The Acta (diurna) populi (Romani), or Acta publica, urbāna, urbis, diurna populi, or simply Acta or Diurna, were an official daily chronicle, which, in addition to official reports of events in the imperial family, and state and city affairs, contained regulations by the magistrates, transactions and decrees of the senate, accidents, and family news communicated to the editors. They were publicly exhibited on a whitened board (album), which any one might read and copy; and there were men who made a business of multiplying and transmitting such news to the provinces. After a time the originals were placed among the state-archives for the benefit of those who wished to consult them.
'Actæon (Gr. Aktaiōn). Son of Aristæus by Autŏnŏē, the daughter of Cadmus of Thebes, was trained by Chīrōn into a finished huntsman. Having either seen Artĕmis (Diana) when bathing, or boasted his superiority in the chase, he was changed by her into a stag, and torn to pieces by his own hounds on Mount Cithæron. The hounds looked everywhere for their master, and would not be pacified till Chiron showed them an image of him. His statue was often set up on hills and rocks as a protection against the dangerous heat of the dog-days, of which probably the myth itself is but a symbol.
Actoridæ, Actoriones. See Moliones.
Actuārius. See Acta.
Acusilāüs. See Logograph.
Admētus. Son of Phĕres, king of Phĕræ in Thessaly, who took part in the Calydonian boar-hunt and the voyage of the Argo. Apollo served him for a time as a shepherd, either from love and as a reward for his piety, or to expiate a capital crime. When Admētus wooed Alcestis, the daughter of Pĕlĭas, and her father would only give her to one who should yoke lions and boars to a chariot, he fulfilled the task with Apollo’s help; indeed, the god even prevailed on the Moirai to release him from death, provided that any one would volunteer to die for him. He is at length seized with a mortal sickness, and his aged parents refusing to give up the remnant of their days for him, Alcestis dies for her husband, but is sent back to the upper world by Persĕphŏnĕ, or, according to another story, is rescued out of the hands of Hades by Hēraclēs.
Adōnis. Sprung, according to the common legend, from the unnatural love of the Cyprian princess Myrrha (or Smyrna) for her father Cĭny̆ras, who, on becoming aware of the crime, pursues her with a sword; but she, praying to the gods, is changed into a myrtle, out of whose bark springs the beautiful Adonis, the beloved
