DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.13851#0442
.0
OF THE MILITARY AFFAIRS OF GREECE.
the following law of Zaleucus, Mydivec <pogeTv s?r>.* |v T6a fixkevrygiu), that
no person should hear arms in the senate. .
Let us now return to the description of the Grecian arms, which are
distinguished into two sorts, some, of them being contrived for their own
defence, others to annoy their enemies. The primitive Grecians, we
are told (1), were better furnished> with the former, whereas the barba-
rians were most industrious in providing the latter ; the generals of these
being most concerned how to destroy their enemies, whilst the Grecians
thought it most agreeable to the dictates of human nature to study how to
preserve their friends ; for which reason Homer always takes care to
introduce hisirave and valiant heroes well armed into the battle, and the
Grecian law-givers decreed punishments for those that threw away their
shields, but excused those that lost their swords or spears : intimating
hereby, that their soldiers ought to be more careful to defend themselves
than to offend their enemies (2).
First, let us take an account of their defensive arms, as fitted to the se-
veral members of the body, beginning at the head, which was guarded
with an helmet, called in Greek 7s-spixspaXaia, xgavos, xogos, &c. This was
sometimes composed of brass or other metals, as Menelaus's in Homer;
©n'jtstTO ya.>MHm.--
He puts his headpiece on, compos'd of brass.
And very frequently of the skins of beasts, which gave occasion to those
different appellations, derived from the names of animals, whereby it is
signified in Homer, as hni'fo, rxvge'r/i, Itkuirsxii), Xeovrs'-yj, alys'm, and others,
of which none is more common than xwiv, which was composed of a dog's
skin : Eustathius tells us it was tf«r«po's xvav, a water-dog, and was so fre-
quently used by the ancients, that we find it sometimes taken for the
name of a helmet, though consisting of another sort of matter, Thus Ho-
mer (3) ;
Tat/gnwv -
He put on's helmet, of a bull's hide made.
These skins were always worn with their hair on ; and to render them
more terrible and frightful, the teeth were frequently placed grinning on
their enemies.
Homer arms Ulysses in the same manner (4) ;
Evtstoito rspece'e* eKToerfls S\ q&vtk.
'Apyiofovroc doc 9"«(M68C e^ov hBa. £ fv9«,
Ey ij i7ri?ti(Mms' (tirey <r hi irli.es dp»pu.
---his brows inclosed
In his own casque of hide with many a thong
Well braced within; without, it was secured -
With boars' teeth, iv'ry white, inserted thick
On all sides, and with woollen head-piece lined. cowpeh.
The fore-part of the helmet was open; for the heroes all entered into the
(l)Euripidis Scholiastes. (3) Iliad,
• (2) Plutarchus Pelopid?. (4) Iliad. *'. v. 261,
OF THE MILITARY AFFAIRS OF GREECE.
the following law of Zaleucus, Mydivec <pogeTv s?r>.* |v T6a fixkevrygiu), that
no person should hear arms in the senate. .
Let us now return to the description of the Grecian arms, which are
distinguished into two sorts, some, of them being contrived for their own
defence, others to annoy their enemies. The primitive Grecians, we
are told (1), were better furnished> with the former, whereas the barba-
rians were most industrious in providing the latter ; the generals of these
being most concerned how to destroy their enemies, whilst the Grecians
thought it most agreeable to the dictates of human nature to study how to
preserve their friends ; for which reason Homer always takes care to
introduce hisirave and valiant heroes well armed into the battle, and the
Grecian law-givers decreed punishments for those that threw away their
shields, but excused those that lost their swords or spears : intimating
hereby, that their soldiers ought to be more careful to defend themselves
than to offend their enemies (2).
First, let us take an account of their defensive arms, as fitted to the se-
veral members of the body, beginning at the head, which was guarded
with an helmet, called in Greek 7s-spixspaXaia, xgavos, xogos, &c. This was
sometimes composed of brass or other metals, as Menelaus's in Homer;
©n'jtstTO ya.>MHm.--
He puts his headpiece on, compos'd of brass.
And very frequently of the skins of beasts, which gave occasion to those
different appellations, derived from the names of animals, whereby it is
signified in Homer, as hni'fo, rxvge'r/i, Itkuirsxii), Xeovrs'-yj, alys'm, and others,
of which none is more common than xwiv, which was composed of a dog's
skin : Eustathius tells us it was tf«r«po's xvav, a water-dog, and was so fre-
quently used by the ancients, that we find it sometimes taken for the
name of a helmet, though consisting of another sort of matter, Thus Ho-
mer (3) ;
Tat/gnwv -
He put on's helmet, of a bull's hide made.
These skins were always worn with their hair on ; and to render them
more terrible and frightful, the teeth were frequently placed grinning on
their enemies.
Homer arms Ulysses in the same manner (4) ;
Evtstoito rspece'e* eKToerfls S\ q&vtk.
'Apyiofovroc doc 9"«(M68C e^ov hBa. £ fv9«,
Ey ij i7ri?ti(Mms' (tirey <r hi irli.es dp»pu.
---his brows inclosed
In his own casque of hide with many a thong
Well braced within; without, it was secured -
With boars' teeth, iv'ry white, inserted thick
On all sides, and with woollen head-piece lined. cowpeh.
The fore-part of the helmet was open; for the heroes all entered into the
(l)Euripidis Scholiastes. (3) Iliad,
• (2) Plutarchus Pelopid?. (4) Iliad. *'. v. 261,