63

quent mention of the threshold if it were of this nature.
The hall was of considerable magnitude, for it contained a
great number of persons at a banquet. Twenty-four guests
are mentioned by name, seated at once in the hall, and if
all the suitors were assembled, they amounted to one hun-
dred and eight, without including the necessary attendants
in the number, so that the room must have been very spa-
cious.

In the exterior1 wall of the house, yet opening into the
hall, was .a postern, serving as another entrance to the
room. It was much higher than the floor/ at the end3 of
the hall, and opened into a street,4 so that from it a person
might be heard5 by the inhabitants of the town. It was
termed 'Oqgo&vgvi,6 and was, doubtless, either a door or win-
dow. It might be closed by means of a strong wooden
door,7 which was constructed for that purpose. It was very
near the great door and threshold of the hall,8 and if a pos-
tern, the same threshold served for both entrances, for Ulys-
ses placed Eumseus to guard it, standing himself by the

' Od. 22. 126.
5 Od. 22. 133.

2 Od. 22. 132. 3 Od. 22. 127. 4 Od. 22. 128.

6 Od. 22. 126. 7 Od. 22. 128. 8 Od. 22. 137.