Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 01.djvu/185

ÆGINA. tween the Peloponiuiteus aiul Attioa, and separ- ated from the Oiilf of Corinth by the Istlimus of Coriiitli (Map: Greece, D 6). In the Gulf of jEgina arc the islands of Salaniis and vEgina.

ÆGINE'TA. I'AVUS (Ok. nci-Pof) (seventh century A.i). ). A Greek pliysieian. Imrn in the island of .Kjiina. from which he took his name. Of the details of liis life little is known, save that he was a great traveler; his medical works wore highly prized, though they were little more than comi>ilatioiis from earlier writers. The chief of these is still extant, /)(• A'c Mcdica Libri ^Jcptrm, last edited by Brian (Paris, 185.5). This work was translated into Arabic; there is an English version by Adams (London, 1834). See Krumbacher, Bi/zantiniichc Littrra- turtiiachifhlc, Jiagcs (Ul, lil'd (.Munich, 1897).

ÆG'INE'TAN SCULP'TURES. The small island of Ægina holds an important position in the history of early Grecian art, as the seat of a fiimous school of bronze workers, whose most celebrated artist was Onatas (about 400-4ti0 B.C.). Tlip school was especially noted for its statues of athletes, and seems to be connected with the I'eloponnesian art. On an eminence in the northeastern part of the island stand the ruins of a temple, where in 1811 excavations conducted by Cockerell, Haller, Foster, and Linckh brought to light fragments of sculpture, which were bought by the Crown Prince, Louis of Bavaria, and after restoration (not always correct I by Thorwaldsen, set up in the Glyptothek at ^lunich. The statues are somewhat under life size, and once decorated the pediments of the temple. Each group re|Hcsented a battle over a fallen warrior in the presence of Athena, and it is probable that one represented the Trojan expedition of Hercules, tlic other that of Agamemnon, as in both of tlicm .Eginetan heroes. Telamon and Ajax, were prominent. These are among the best works of archaic Greek art, of which they were foi' a long time almost the only exami>les. The artist was evidently used to working in bronze, and his technique is more appropriate to metal than stone. The anatomy of the figures is carefully modeled, but the treatment is somewhat dry and hard, in spite of an evident effort to give a realistic character to the groups. The sculptures of the eastern pediment show a decided superiority in this respect, and in particular have nearly lost the "archaic smile" which appears in the companion group. In 11)01, Professor A. Furtwiingler began new excavations on this site in behalf of the Prince Regent of Bavaria. These excavations have yielded a ninnber of important fragments of the pediment sculptures, as well as of other statues and some inscriptions, of which one indicates that the temple was not dedicated to Athena, as had been believed, but to an /Kginetan goddess, Apluca, of whom little is otherwise known, but who is shown by the discoveries to have been worshiped by women as a special helper in need and as a guardian of little children. Other biiildings besides the temple have been found, including traces of an earlier sanctuary. It is clear that the place was a seat of worship from the Jlycenaan age, but was abandoned in the Hellenistic and Koman times. Consult for an account of the new excavations: Cockerell, The Temples of ^ligina and Uassw (London, 18G0); Furtwiinglcr, Kurze Besehreihuiuj dcr Glyptothclc (Munich, 1900), and Sitzunysbcrichte der liniierischcn AlLtidemie (1901).

ÆGIR, a'jir. A Norse deity who presides over stormy oceans and entertains the gods with foaming ale. His wife is Han, who has charge of those lost at sea. They have nine daughters, the waves of the sea, whose names suggest the dillcrcnt appearances of the ocean.

Æ'GIS (Gk. a'iyi(, aigis, a rushing storm, from diaaeiv, uixsviii, to move violently, or aijic, aigis, a goat-skin). Ir 'he Greek epic, the shield of Zeus, which had been fashioned by Hephiestus. Later writers explained it as the skin of the goat .Xmalthea, which had suckled Zeus, and with the Gorgon's bead in the centre. (See GoR- GO.) In works of art it is sometimes borne by Zeus, and is a regular attribute of Æthena.

ÆGIS'THUS (Gk. Aiyia^oc, Aigisthos). The son of Thyestes, adopted son of Atreus. During the absence of Agamemnon at Troy he seduced Clytemnestra, wife of Aganiemnon. and on the return of Agamemnon the guilty pair murdered him. yEgisthus was subseqtiently killed by Agamemnon's son Orestes. The story forms the subject of the Orestean trilogy of .-Eschylus. See ATREfs; Ag.memnon; Okestes.

Æ'GIUM (Gk. Alytov, Aigion). A town of Achaia, near the coast and west of the mouth of the Selinus River. According to one legend it was the birthplace of Zeus, who was the prin- cipal divinitj' of the place. After the destruc- tion of Helice, yEgium became the chief cit.v of the Acha'an League, and the delegates of the league had their place of meeting in a grove near the town. The modern town is Vostitza, officially called by its ancient name.

Æ'GLE, c'gle (Gk. ly^, Aigle. Radiance, a Greek divinity). A genus of plants of the nat- ural order Rutaccic. -Egle nuirmelos, the tree which produces the hhel fruit of India, has ter- natc, peliolate, oblong-ovate leaves, and the flowers in panicles. It is found from the south of India to the base of the Himalaya Mountains. The fruit is delicious, fragrant, and nutritious. In an imperfectly ripened state it is an astrin- gent of great efTect in cases of diarrhiea and dysentery,;ind as such has lately been introduced into English medical practice. The root, bark, and leaves are also used as medicinals. The Dutch in Ceylon prepare:i perfume from the rind of the fruit, and the mucus of the seed is employed as a cement for many purposes.

Æ'GOSPOT'AMOS (Gk. A/yof, Aigos, gen. of ali, aix, she-goat -|- norafidc, potamos, river). A river anil town on the eastern coast of the Thracian Chersonese. The Laceda>monians under Lysandcr here surprised and captured the

WESTEKN PEDIKENT Or TUB TEMFLS OF FAIXA9 AT .£OINA.