Except on rare occasions the dramatic choruses were drawn up in formations of military regularity, both on their first entrance, and during the progress of the play. They presented a perfectly symmetrical appearance in the orchestra. In this respect they offer a contrast to the choruses in a modern opera, and to the crowds which are introduced upon the modern stage. As a rule no attempt was made to imitate the fluctuating movements and haphazard grouping of an ordinary crowd. The chorus marched into the orchestra, and took up its position before the stage, with the regularity and precision of a body of soldiers. In all dramatic choruses—tragic, comic, and satyric—the rectangular formation was invariably adopted, as opposed to the circular arrangement of the dithyrambic choruses.[894] This quadrangular formation was probably of Doric origin.[895] Every dramatic chorus, when drawn up in this way, consisted of a certain number of ‘ranks’, and a certain number of ‘files’. For instance, the tragic chorus, with its fifteen members, contained five ranks of three men each, and three files of five men each. Similarly the comic chorus, which was composed of twenty-four persons, contained six ranks of four men each, and four files of six men each. According to the Attic phraseology a chorus was said to be drawn up ‘by ranks’ when the different members of the same rank stood one behind the other. It was said to be drawn up ‘by files’ when the members of the same file were one behind the other. Accordingly, when a tragic chorus was drawn up ‘by ranks’, the men stood five abreast and three deep. When it was drawn up ‘by files’, they stood three abreast and five deep. The same regulations applied to the comic chorus. It might be arranged ‘by ranks’, with the men six abreast and four deep; or ‘by files’, with the men four abreast and six deep.[896] The arrangements throughout were of this military character. In fact the training of a choreutes was considered by many of the ancient writers to be an excellent preparation for warlike service.[897] [Illustration: FIG. 31.]