DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.13851#0506
4dO
OF THE MIILITARY AFFAIRS OF GREECE.
best and choicest part of what they took. Herodotus (1) reports, that,
after the victory over Mardonius, Xerxes's lieutenant, Fausanias, the Spar-
tan, being at that time general of all the Grecian forces, was presented
with a great booty of women, money, horses, camels, &c. over and above
what was given to any other. This practice indeed was so universal,
that to be a commander, and to have the first share of the booty, are
used by the poets as equivalent expressions : whence Lycophron (2)
A( trx\ KxraZzviiriv o^CpifAU %}pts.
Thy hands shall might}' potentates subdue,
And brave commanders that the prize first share,
Chiefs too, that so much boast their pedigree.
But before the spoils were distributed, they looked on themselves
obliged to make an offering out of them to the gods, to whose assistance
they were indebted for them all ; those separated to this use were term-
ed «x£o(h'via, either q. axgotftvix rfuga to tfiWdat h fJ*e£-)(w iroXkitg, because
the war, wherein they were collected, had destroyed many (3) ; or, eetfo
<rs* Sfivog, because after sea engagements they were exposed upon the
shore (4) ; or rather, from their being taken *V <r» Sivas, from the
top of the heap ; because all the spoils being collected into one heap,
the first fruits were offered to the gods (5) : in allusion to which customs
Megara in Euripides, telling what choice of wives she had made former
sons out of Athens, Sparta, and Thebes, thus expresseth it :
The gods to whom this honour was paid, were not only those whom
they looked on as having a peculiar concern in all affairs of war, such as
Mars, Minerva, &c. but several others, as Jupiter, Juno, and any to whom
they thought themselves obliged for success ; those especially that were
protectors of their city, or country, &c.
They had several methods of consecrating spoils : sometimes they
collected them into an heap, and consumed them with fire ; sometimes
they made presents, which were dedicated and hung up in temples. So
Pausanias the Spartan is reported to have consecrated out of the Persian
spoils a tripod to Delphian Apollo, and a statue of brass, seven cubits
long, to Olympian Jupiter (6).
It was very frequent to dedicate their enemy's armour, and hang it in
temples; but the Lacedaemonians were forbidden this custom ; which
perhaps may be the meaning of Cleomenes's fore-mentioned reply ; for
that they were allowed to offer their other spoils, appears as well from
that of Pausanias, as from several other instances. This custom was
very ancient (7), and universally received ; not in Greece alone, but
most other countries : hence Hector promises to dedicate his enemy's
armour in Apollo's temple, if he would vouchsafe him victory (8) :
Ei cTe k' \ya> tov iha>, £m tTe not iu%o; A.7r'c\\wt
'Yi&yti.iTVhWttu oitrm 7rorl Imov \pnv,
Kali Kpt/uoce noti vwv AmXKaivos {icdroio.
(1) Calliope. (2) Cassandra, v. 298. (6) Herodotus, lib. is.
(3) Eustathius Odyss. 5'. (?) Eustathius Iliad.ft. v. 81
(4) Bulengerus, lib. de Spoliis. (8) Iliad, loco citato.
(5) Sophoclis Scholiastes Trachm
OF THE MIILITARY AFFAIRS OF GREECE.
best and choicest part of what they took. Herodotus (1) reports, that,
after the victory over Mardonius, Xerxes's lieutenant, Fausanias, the Spar-
tan, being at that time general of all the Grecian forces, was presented
with a great booty of women, money, horses, camels, &c. over and above
what was given to any other. This practice indeed was so universal,
that to be a commander, and to have the first share of the booty, are
used by the poets as equivalent expressions : whence Lycophron (2)
A( trx\ KxraZzviiriv o^CpifAU %}pts.
Thy hands shall might}' potentates subdue,
And brave commanders that the prize first share,
Chiefs too, that so much boast their pedigree.
But before the spoils were distributed, they looked on themselves
obliged to make an offering out of them to the gods, to whose assistance
they were indebted for them all ; those separated to this use were term-
ed «x£o(h'via, either q. axgotftvix rfuga to tfiWdat h fJ*e£-)(w iroXkitg, because
the war, wherein they were collected, had destroyed many (3) ; or, eetfo
<rs* Sfivog, because after sea engagements they were exposed upon the
shore (4) ; or rather, from their being taken *V <r» Sivas, from the
top of the heap ; because all the spoils being collected into one heap,
the first fruits were offered to the gods (5) : in allusion to which customs
Megara in Euripides, telling what choice of wives she had made former
sons out of Athens, Sparta, and Thebes, thus expresseth it :
The gods to whom this honour was paid, were not only those whom
they looked on as having a peculiar concern in all affairs of war, such as
Mars, Minerva, &c. but several others, as Jupiter, Juno, and any to whom
they thought themselves obliged for success ; those especially that were
protectors of their city, or country, &c.
They had several methods of consecrating spoils : sometimes they
collected them into an heap, and consumed them with fire ; sometimes
they made presents, which were dedicated and hung up in temples. So
Pausanias the Spartan is reported to have consecrated out of the Persian
spoils a tripod to Delphian Apollo, and a statue of brass, seven cubits
long, to Olympian Jupiter (6).
It was very frequent to dedicate their enemy's armour, and hang it in
temples; but the Lacedaemonians were forbidden this custom ; which
perhaps may be the meaning of Cleomenes's fore-mentioned reply ; for
that they were allowed to offer their other spoils, appears as well from
that of Pausanias, as from several other instances. This custom was
very ancient (7), and universally received ; not in Greece alone, but
most other countries : hence Hector promises to dedicate his enemy's
armour in Apollo's temple, if he would vouchsafe him victory (8) :
Ei cTe k' \ya> tov iha>, £m tTe not iu%o; A.7r'c\\wt
'Yi&yti.iTVhWttu oitrm 7rorl Imov \pnv,
Kali Kpt/uoce noti vwv AmXKaivos {icdroio.
(1) Calliope. (2) Cassandra, v. 298. (6) Herodotus, lib. is.
(3) Eustathius Odyss. 5'. (?) Eustathius Iliad.ft. v. 81
(4) Bulengerus, lib. de Spoliis. (8) Iliad, loco citato.
(5) Sophoclis Scholiastes Trachm