‘cunei’ or ‘wedges’ in Latin, because of their shape. In Greek they were called ‘kerkides’, from their resemblance to the ‘kerkis’, a tapering rod used in weaving.[342] The front row in each ‘kerkis’ contained five marble thrones, with the exception of the two ‘kerkides’ on the extreme south of each wing, which contained six thrones each; so that the total number of marble thrones was sixty-seven. In addition to the vertical passages all Greek theatres of any size were also intersected by one or two longitudinal passages, called ‘praecinctiones’ in Latin. These passages divided the auditorium into sections, called ‘belts’ or ‘girdles’ in Greek technical terminology.[343] A passage of this kind may still be traced in the upper part of the theatre of Dionysus. Its course is determined by the foundations at _d_, by certain excavations in the rock at _e_, and by the two entrances at _b_ and _f_. The great width of the passage—about 15 feet—is explained by the fact that it was also intended to serve as a road. From ancient times there had been a road at the foot of the Acropolis, running from east to west. Traces of this old road have been discovered during the excavations of 1889, and lie about 26 feet below the level of the present auditorium. When its course was intercepted by the erection of the theatre, this passage was constructed on a larger scale than usual, to serve as a substitute. On ordinary occasions, when the theatre was empty, it would be used as a public highway.[344] That it formed a conspicuous object in the midst of the auditorium is shown by a coin in the British Museum (Fig. 5), which contains on one side a rude representation of the theatre at Athens.[345] On this coin, in spite of the roughness of the design, the passage stands out very prominently. Whether there was a second longitudinal passage in the Athenian theatre is uncertain. But the space to the north of the existing passage is so small when compared with the space to the south of it, that it seems reasonable to infer that there was another passage lower down, dividing the under part of the auditorium into two sections. It was the fashion in Roman theatres to erect a portico along the top of the auditorium, following the line of the uppermost tier of seats.[346] But there are no traces of such a portico in the theatre at Athens, or in any other theatre of purely Greek origin. [Illustration: FIG. 5.]