Page:History of Greece Vol XII.djvu/407

 ATHENS PASSIVE AND SERVILE. • 37a After lliese successes, Demetrius Poliorketes made his tri- umphant entry into Athens. He announced to the people, in formal assembly, that they were now again a free democracy, liberated from all dominion either of soldiers from abroad or oligarchs at home. He also promised them a farther boon from his father Antigonus and himself — 150,000 medimni of corn for distribution, and ship-timber in quantity sufficient for construct- ing 100 triremes. Both these announcements were receive(/ with grateful exultation. The feelings of the people were testi- fied not merely in votes of thanks and admiration towards the young conqueror, but in effusions of unmeasured and exorbitant flattery. Stratokles (who has already been before us as one of the accusers of Demosthenes in the Harpalian affair) with others exhausted their invention in devising new varieties of compli- ment and adulation. Antigonus and Demetrius were proclaimed to be not only kings, but gods and saviors : a high priest of these saviors was to be annually chosen, after whom each successive year was to be named (instead of being named after the first of the nine Archons, as had hitherto been the custom), and the dates of decrees and contracts commemorated ; the month Muny- chion was re-named as Demetrion — two new tribes, to be called Antigonis and Demetrias, were constituted in addition to the preceding ten : — the annual senate was appointed to consist of 600 members instead of 500 ; the portraits and exploits of Antigo- nus and Demetrius were to be woven, along with those of Zeus and Athene, into the splendid and voluminous robe periodically carried in procession, as an offering at the Panathenaic festival ; the spot of ground where Demetrius had alighted from his char- iot, was consecrated with an altar erected in honor of Demetrius Katasbates or the Descender. Several other similar votes were passed, recognizing, and worshipping as gods, the saviors Antigo- nus and Demetrius. Nay, we are told that temples or altars were voted to Phila- Aphrodite, in honor of Phila wife of Demetrius ; and a like compliment was paid to his two mistresses, Lesena and Lamia. Altars are said to have been also dedicated to Adeiman- tus and others, his convivial companions or flatterers.^ At the 'Plutarch, Demetrius. 9-11; Dioflor. xx 4'^; Demochares ap. Athe fiicum, vi p. 253.