202. Terracotta model tops.† [That on the right in the British Museum] 193 210. Roman car for carrying images to the circus 211. Greek bit. 202 203 212. Bronze horse-muzzle. 204 GREEK AND ROMAN LIFE. THE exhibition is arranged in the central rectangle of what was formerly the Etruscan Saloon; it includes Wall-Cases 25-64, 94-119, and Table-Cases E-K. The subject naturally divides itself into the two chief headings of public and domestic institutions, and each of these occupies one half of the room. On the West side are grouped the sections relating mainly to Public Life, on the East those of Private Life: of the former, the section illustrating the monetary system of the ancients and its development naturally leads up to the larger exhibition of Greek and Roman coins, and to the Department of coins and medals. The list of sections comprised in the exhibition is as follows: NOTE. The references at the end of each section correspond to the numbers of the objects. These numbers, attached to the objects in the Cases, are distinguished by being in red upon a white ground. I. POLITICS AND SLAVERY. (Table-Case K.) A SECTION of Table-Case K contains a series of inscriptions which illustrate various sides of Greek and Roman political life. Taking the Greek inscriptions first, we find two (Nos. 1, 2) which are records of Treaties. It must be borne in mind that the Greek state was generally of very small dimensions. As a rule all life was centred within a city, which had but a moderate extent of outlying country. Aristotle describes the perfect city or state (the words are interchangeable) as the union of several villages, supplying all that is necessary for independent life.1 Greece was thus divided up into a large number of small states, whose interests were constantly clashing one against the other. The results of this division were, speaking broadly, two-fold. On the one hand there was an intense patriotism of a narrow kind, making each separate state exceedingly tenacious of its independence and jealous of any fancied interference on the part of its neighbour. On the other hand there arose a very high ideal of the duties of citizenship, as the result of the perpetual contact of citizen with citizen, and the countless opportunities afforded of discussing the most absorbing political questions of the day. The first aspect of Greek public life is illustrated by the two treaties now to be mentioned; the second will be brought into prominence when the jurymen's tickets and the judicial system of Athens are dealt with (p. 6). The bronze tablet No. 1 dates probably from the second half 1 Pol. i. 1, 8. |