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    "source_title": "Encyclopaedia Britannica (1911)",
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    "chunk_id": "1911:ereshkigal:1f31fbfd047f",
    "title": "ERESHKIGAL",
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    "verified_text": "ereshkigal, also known as allatu, the name of the chief babylonian goddess of the nether-world where the dead are gathered. her name signifies \"lady of the nether-world.\" she is known to us chiefly through two myths, both symbolizing the change of seasons, but intended also to illustrate certain doctrines developed in the temple-schools of babylonia. one of these myths is the famous story of ishtar's descent to irkalla or aralu, as the lower world was called, and her reception by her sister who presides over it; the other is the story of nergal's offence against ereshkigal, his banishment to the kingdom controlled by the goddess and the reconciliation between nergal and ereshkigal through the latter's offer to have nergal share the honours of the rule over irkalla. the story of ishtar's descent is told to illustrate the possibility of an escape from irkalla, while the other myth is intended to reconcile the existence of two rulers of irkalla--a goddess and a god. it is evident that it was originally a goddess who was supposed to be in control of irkalla, corresponding to ishtar in control of fertility and vegetation on earth. ereshkigal is therefore the sister of ishtar and from one point of view her counterpart, the symbol of nature during the non-productive season of the year. as the doctrine of two kingdoms, one of this world and one of the world of the dead, becomes crystallized, the dominions of the two sisters are sharply differentiated from one another. the addition of nergal represents the harmonizing tendency to unite with ereshkigal as the queen of the nether-world the god who, in his character as god of war and of pestilence, conveys the living to irkalla and thus becomes the one who presides over the dead. (m. ja.) eretria (mod. _aletria_), an ancient coast town of euboea about 15 m. s.e. of chalcis, opposite to oropus. eretria, like its neighbour chalcis (q.v.), early entered upon a commercial and colonizing career. besides founding townships in the west and north of greece, it acquired dependencies among the cyclades and joined the great mercantile alliance of miletus and aegina. since the so-called lelantine war (7th century b.c.) against the coming league of chalcis, it began to be overshadowed by its rivals. the interference of eretria in the ionian revolt (498) brought upon it the vengeance of the persians, who captured and destroyed it shortly before the battle of marathon (490). the city was soon rebuilt, and as a member of both the delian leagues attached itself by numerous treaties to the athenians. the latter, through their general phocion, rescued it from the tyrants suborned by philip of macedon (354 and 341). under macedonian and roman rule eretria fell into insignificance; for a short period under mark antony, the triumvir, it became a possession of athens. eretria was the birthplace of the tragedian achaeus and of the \"megarian\" philosopher menedemus. the modern village, which is sometimes called nea psara because the inhabitants of psara were transferred there in 1821, is on unhealthy low-lying ground near the sea. the excavation of the site was carried out by the american school of athens (1890-1895). at the foot of the acropolis hill, where the ground begins to rise, the theatre lies; and though the material of which this was built is rough, and only seven imperfect rows of seats remain, a good part of the scena and of the chambers behind it is preserved, and beneath these there runs a tunnel, which, together with other peculiar features, has raised interesting questions in connexion with the arrangement of the greek theatre, the orchestra being at present on a level about 12 ft. below that of the rooms in the scena. near by are the substructions of a temple of dionysus and a large altar, and also a gymnasium with arrangements for bathing. besides these, in 1900 the substructions of a temple of apollo daphnephoros were unearthed. both the northern and the southern side of the hill are flanked by walls, which seem to have reached the sea, where there was a mole and a harbour; and the wall of the acropolis itself remains in one part to the height of eight courses. authorities.--strabo x. 447 f.; herodotus v. 99, vi. 101; _corpus inscr. atticarum_, i. 339, iv. (2), pp. 5, 10, 22; h. heinze, _de rebus eretriensium_ (gottingen, 1869); w.m. leake, _travels in northern greece_ (london, 1835), ii. 266, 443; b.v. head, _historia numorum_ (oxford, 1887), pp. 305-308; _papers of the american school at athens_, vol. vi. (e. gr.) eretrian school of philosophy. this greek school was the continuation of the elian school, which was transferred to eretria by menedemus. it was of small importance, and in the absence of certain knowledge must be supposed to have adhered to the doctrines of socrates. (see menedemus.)",
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