Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 01.djvu/920

ARGOLIS. on the west by Achaea, Arcadia, and Laconia ; on the north bordering on tlie Corinthian and Saronic Gulfs: and penetrated on the south by the Argolie Gulf, which separates the portion bor- dering on Laconia, the Kynuria, from the east- ern peninsula. This district, containing about 1700 square miles, is filled with mountains, and never in historical times formed one kingdom ; and the northern states — Sicyon, Corinth, and Phlius — were often considered outside of Argolis proper. The cliief towns of the eastern penin- sula were Epidaurus, Trcezen, and Hermione. The plain of Argos, in the middle portion, was famed for its fertility, and contained the cities of Myceme, Tiryns, and Argos, and was called Argeia. The edge of this plain is now swampy; and the southeast portion contained, even in ancient times, the swamp of Lerna. home of the Hydra ((|.v.), slain by Hercules. In the legends Argolis plays an important part. Myccnse is the home of Agamemnon and the capital, though other chiefs rule at Argos, ilidea, and Tiryns. Here, also, was placed the birth of Hercules, and his contests with the Nemean lion and the Lernean liydra. Still earlier, the plain was the scene of the story of Inachus and his daughter, lo, of Danaus and his daughters, and of the rule of Perseus and Pelops.

In historic times the chief city was Argos, which held possession of the Argive plain, and was at the head of a somewhat loosely organized league of several of the Argolie States, which under King Phicdon ICOTO B.C.) became a great power in the Peloponnesus. Later the growing poer of Sparta greatly lessened the influence of Argos, which, however, always remained a jealous rival, and during the Fifth and Fourth centuries B.C. usually appears in alliance with Athens.

The principal divinity of Argos was Hera, who had a very ancient sanctuary to the east of the city, the Hera'um, where was a cele- brated gold and ivory statue of the goddess, the work of Polycletus. This sanctuary was excavated by the American School of Classical Studies at Athens, from 1892 to 1895, result- ing in the discovery of a large number of build- ings, including the earlier and later temples, much interesting sculpture, and a great mass of pottery, showing that this had been a place of worship from the earliest times. Argos was the seat of a celebrated school of artists in bronze, and was also famed for its musicians. The modern town is a flourishing place on the site of the ancient city, of which few traces re- main in siglit. Argolis is one of the names of the kingdom of Greece. The capital is Nauplia. AR'GON (Gk. apydr, neut. of apyd^ . argos, inactive, inert, alluding to its incapacity for entering into chemical combination). A gase- ous element discovered in 1895 by Lord Eay- leigh and William Ramsay, although Cavendish had already mentioned it as a constituent of at- mospheric air a century ago. Argon is contained jn the atmosphere to the extent of nearly 1 per cent. It was obtained by its discoverers by passing air through a combustion tube packed with metallic c'o|)per, which absorbed the oxy»en, after which the gas was passed through an iron tube packed with magnesium turnings and heated in a combustion furnace. The mag- nesium absorbed the nitrogen, and the argon, in its gaseous form, was then collected in a holder. It was also obtained by adding o.xygen to air, subjecting the mixture to the action of an elec- tric current in the presence of an alkali, and removing all oxygen by means of pyrogallie acid. The density of the argon made by means of mag- nesium was 19.94; that of argon prepared by the second method was 20.6 (the density of hydrogen being taken as unit, or rather that of oxygen as 10) . The elementary nature of argon has been demonstrated by a comiiarison of its specific heats at constant pressure and at constant vol- ume, which showed that a molecule of argon is made up by a single atom and hence is not compound. But if this is true, then the molecu- lar weight (i.e. twice the density) of argon is identical with its atomic weight, and hence the latter is concluded to be about 40. Sir William Crookes found in the spectrum of argon two characteristic lines near the red end that could not be mistaken for the lines of nitrogen or of any other element. Argon cannot be liquefied unless its temperature is reduced at least 121 degrees below zero C. At — 121° C. n pressure of 50. l! atmospheres (759 pounds per square inch) is siithcient to produce liquefactinu. Under ordinarv atmosjiheric pressure, liquid argon boils at —187° C. At the temperature of —190° C. it freezes. Xo well-defined chemical compound of argon with other substances is as yet known. Its discoverers received the first kodgkins iledal and the grand prize of the Smith- sonian Institution at Washington. Consult : Lord Rayleigh and W. Ramsay, Argon, a Xeic Coii.stitueiit of the Atmosphere, Smithsonian Con- tributions to Knowledge (Washington, 1896).

AR'GONAUT. A small pelagic octopod cuttlefish of the genus Argonauta ; specifically, the paper sailor or paper nautilus (Argonautti argo). The female is many times longer than the male, and secretes a thin, iridescent, crenolateil and somewhat boat-shaped shell, which serves as a brood-pouch. In calm weather the aninuil rises to the surface and seems to voyage about, whence the fanciful name and sundry fables. For fuller description, see Octopus. AR'GONAU'TICA. An epic poem, narrating the deeds of the Argonauts, written by Apollonius of Rhodes in n.c. 194. AR'GONAUTS (Gk.'Apjwai'ra;, Argonauta! — i.e. "the sailors on the ship Argo"). A name given to those who, under command of Jason, undertook a voyage famous in Greek legend. The Argo is mentioned in the Odgsseg, and incidents of the story appear in the Hesiodic poems. Allusions, often contradictory and influenced by local legends, are scattered through the fragments of lyric poetry, and single episodes were used by the tragedians, though only the Medea of Euriindes has survived. These fragments, and the somewhat more satisfactory scraps from the prose writers, are the chief sources for the earlier versions; but our most coni])lete and valuable account is contained in the poem, in four books, by the Alexandrian librarian, Apollonius Rhodius, who tried to combine the mass of materia] with which his studies had made him familiar into a connected and consistent narrative. A brief narrative is also found in the mythological handbook which goes under the name of Apol-Indorus. In its main outlines the story is as follows; Pelias. King of lolcus, in Tliessaly, having reason to fear his nephew, Jason, com-