pILA ((D^oipa), a ball. The game at ball
(a^p(9TiKi}) was one of the most favourite
gymnastic exercises of the Greeks and Ro-
mans, from the earliest times to the fall of
the Roman empire. It is mentioned in the



Odyssey, where it is played by the Phaeadan
damsels to the sound of music, and also by
two oelebrated performers at the court of
Alcinous in a most artistic manner aocom-
panied with dancing. The various move-
ments of the body required in the game <^
ball gave elasticity and grace to the figure ;
whence it was highly esteemed by the Greeks.
The Athenians set so high a value on it, that
they conferred upon Aristonicus of Carystns
the right of citizenship on account of his
skill in this game. It was equally esteemed
by the other states of Greece; the young
Spartans, when they were leaving the con-
dition of ephebi, were called <r^a«pets, pro-
bably because their chief exercise was the
game at ball. Every complete gymnasium
had a room ((r^oipum^piov, a^taCpurrpay de-
voted to this exerdse [Gtmnasiux], where a
special teacher ((r^aipurruco$) gave instruc-
tion in the art. Among the Romans the
game at ball was generally played at by
persons before taking the bath, in a room
{^haeristerium) attached to the baths for
the purpose. Fila was used in a general
sense for any kind of ball : but the balls
among the Romans seem to have been d
three kinds ; the pila in its narrower sense,
a small ball; the follis, a great ball filled
with air; and the paganiea, of vrhich we
know scarcely anything, but which appears
to have been smaller than the foUis and




Pila, Game at Ban. (Prom the Baths of Titus.)



PILANI.
297



PLAUSTRLTM.
