φιδίτιον

φιδίτιον [ῑτ], τό, A. common mess at Sparta, later name for the earlier ὰνδρεῖον (v. ἀνδρεῖος III), Arist. Pol. 1271a27, 1272a2, b34, Rh. 1411a25, Antiph. 44.3, Dicaearch.Hist. 23, Phylarch. 44 J., D.H. 2.23, Cic. Tusc. 5.34.98, Ἑλληνικά 1.18, 19 (Gytheum, i A. D.), Plu. Lyc. 12 (hence Porph. Abst. 4.4), Agis 8, Cleom. 13, Phoc. 20, Paus. 7.1.8, IG 5(1).128.13, al. (ii A. D.), Philostr. VA 4.27, Them. Or. 19.227b, Hsch. s. vv. διαφοιγοιμόρ, φιδίτια, Phot. s.v. συσσιτίαι, Suid. s.v. Λυκοῦργος, φιλίτια, Eust. 1413.23. II. dining-hall in which the meals took place, X. HG 5.4.28, Lac. 3.5, 5.6, Phld. Mus.pp.18,86 K., D.Chr. 2.44, Plu. Lyc. 26, Ages. 20, Id. 2.697e, Ath. 4.139c. [Quantity given by εἰς τὰ φιδίτια (φειδ- codd.Ath.) at end of iambic line in Antiph. l. c., where φῐδῐ- is possible but involves an unlikely φῐδῐτης.] (Written φιδείτια in Ἑλληνικά l. c., φειδείτιον (or -α) in IG 5(1)Il.cc. (exc. φειδίτιον in 1507); but dat. φιλιτείοις and φιλειτείοις in Phld. Il. cc. (Pap.); this contradiction in the early evidence is unexplained; the form φιδ- or φειδ- is corroborated by Plu. Lyc. 12, where it is suggested that the word comes from φιλία with substitution of δ for λ, or from φειδώ, or from *ἐδίτια (‘eatings’, cf. ἐδωδή) with prefixed φ. Codd. have φιδίτια (or ον) in Arist. Pol. (v.l. φιλίτια), Plu. (exc. φιτιδίοις v. l. in Cleom. l. c., φιλιτίων all codd. in Phoc. l.c., φιλίτια all codd. in 2.714b, φιλέστιον in 2.697e), Hsch.; φειδίτια in Paus., Ath. (who cites Antiph., Dicaearch.Hist., Phylarch.), Eust.; φιλίτια in X. (v.l. φιδίτια in HG l. c.), Arist. Rh. (φιδίτια Sch.), D.H., D.Chr., Philostr., Them., Suid.; philitiis in Cic.)