DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.13851#0525
OF THE MILITARY AFFAIRS OF GREECE.
497"
full of stones (1), and sacks filled with sand, were employed to the same
use : all these were let down by cords into the sea, and by their weight
stayed the course of the ship Afterwards, anchors were composed of
iron and furnished with teeth, which heing fastened to the bottom of the
sea, preser/ed the ship immoveable ; whence ooovrss, and dentes, are fre-
quently takea for anchors in the Greek and Latin poets. At first there
was only one tooth, whence anchors were called ers^ofxoi (2), but in a
short time a second was added by Eupalamus (3), or Anacharsis, the Scy-
thian philosopher (4). The scholiast upon Apoilonius (5), confidently
affirms, that this sort of anchors wa9 used by the Argonauts, yet herein
he seems to deserve no great credit, for that he runs contrary to the tes-
timonies of other writers, and his own author Apoilonius makes mention
of none but those of stone. The anchors with two teeth were called
ajjupi'SnXoi, or £f/wpiSof/.oi, and from ancient monuments appear to have been
much the same with those used in our days, only the transverse piece of
wood upon their handles is wanting in all of them. Every ship had se-
veral anchors, one of which, surpassing all the rest in bigness and strength,
was peculiarly termed ]sga, in Latin sacra, and was never used but in ex-
treme danger ; whence sacram anchoram solvere is proverbially applied
to such as were forced to their last refuge.
"Egfjux, SsfxsXiog, «gitfpx, saburra, ballast, wherewith ships were poised,
whence it is called atftpaXitf^a irXoiV it was usually of sand, but sometimes
of any other ponderous matter. Diomedes, in his voyage from Troy, is
said to have employed the stones of that city's walls to this use (6). It is
sometimes called x&pocXog and xf'<paXov (7).
BoXiff, called by Herodotus xaTatrsi^t^'iri (8), by Lucilius, catapira-
tes (9), was an instrument wherewith they sounded the depth of the sea.
and discovered whether the bottom was firm and commodious for anchor-
ing, or dangerous by reason of quick-sands, or other obstructions. It
was commonly of lead or brass, or other ponderous metals, and let down
by a chain into the deep (10).
Kovto», called by Sophocles ■ffXfl'xr^a (11), in Latin conti, long poles, used
to sound the depth of shallow waters, to thrust the ship from rocks and
shelves, and to force her forwards in fords and shallows, where the waters
had not strength enough to carry her.
AiroSa^ai, £*i§a^ai, or xXfaaxsg. were little bridges or stairs joining the
land to ships, or one ship to another.
AvrXi'ov, uvtXov, in Latin haustrum, lolleno, or tollena, &c. a swipe or en-
gine to draw up water.
To some of the above-mentioned instruments certain ropes were re-
quired, and distinguished according to their several uses ; as,
Ilsi0>*<ra, anchoralia, or anchorarii, the cables wherewith anchors were
cast into the sea, called sometimes x£«f<,iXoi(I£),orxajxy)Xo((13) : whence, in
the place ofSt. Matthew, where Christ, speaking ofthe difficulty of a rich
man's entering into heaven, tells his disciples, it is harder than for a
camel to pass through the eye of a needle ; Theophylact, and some others
(1) Josephus et Suidas, v. Ztijua.
(2) Pollux. (3) Plia. lib. vii. cap. ult,
(4) Strabo. lib. x. ex, Ephoro.
(5) Argoa. i.v. 1271.
(6> Lycopbronis Cassaodr. v. 618
(7) Hesychius. (8) Euterpe.
(9) Lib. xix. cap. 4.
(10; Glosste in Act. Apost. cap. 27.
(11) Pollux. (12) Aristoph, Scholiastes
(13) Phavorinus.
497"
full of stones (1), and sacks filled with sand, were employed to the same
use : all these were let down by cords into the sea, and by their weight
stayed the course of the ship Afterwards, anchors were composed of
iron and furnished with teeth, which heing fastened to the bottom of the
sea, preser/ed the ship immoveable ; whence ooovrss, and dentes, are fre-
quently takea for anchors in the Greek and Latin poets. At first there
was only one tooth, whence anchors were called ers^ofxoi (2), but in a
short time a second was added by Eupalamus (3), or Anacharsis, the Scy-
thian philosopher (4). The scholiast upon Apoilonius (5), confidently
affirms, that this sort of anchors wa9 used by the Argonauts, yet herein
he seems to deserve no great credit, for that he runs contrary to the tes-
timonies of other writers, and his own author Apoilonius makes mention
of none but those of stone. The anchors with two teeth were called
ajjupi'SnXoi, or £f/wpiSof/.oi, and from ancient monuments appear to have been
much the same with those used in our days, only the transverse piece of
wood upon their handles is wanting in all of them. Every ship had se-
veral anchors, one of which, surpassing all the rest in bigness and strength,
was peculiarly termed ]sga, in Latin sacra, and was never used but in ex-
treme danger ; whence sacram anchoram solvere is proverbially applied
to such as were forced to their last refuge.
"Egfjux, SsfxsXiog, «gitfpx, saburra, ballast, wherewith ships were poised,
whence it is called atftpaXitf^a irXoiV it was usually of sand, but sometimes
of any other ponderous matter. Diomedes, in his voyage from Troy, is
said to have employed the stones of that city's walls to this use (6). It is
sometimes called x&pocXog and xf'<paXov (7).
BoXiff, called by Herodotus xaTatrsi^t^'iri (8), by Lucilius, catapira-
tes (9), was an instrument wherewith they sounded the depth of the sea.
and discovered whether the bottom was firm and commodious for anchor-
ing, or dangerous by reason of quick-sands, or other obstructions. It
was commonly of lead or brass, or other ponderous metals, and let down
by a chain into the deep (10).
Kovto», called by Sophocles ■ffXfl'xr^a (11), in Latin conti, long poles, used
to sound the depth of shallow waters, to thrust the ship from rocks and
shelves, and to force her forwards in fords and shallows, where the waters
had not strength enough to carry her.
AiroSa^ai, £*i§a^ai, or xXfaaxsg. were little bridges or stairs joining the
land to ships, or one ship to another.
AvrXi'ov, uvtXov, in Latin haustrum, lolleno, or tollena, &c. a swipe or en-
gine to draw up water.
To some of the above-mentioned instruments certain ropes were re-
quired, and distinguished according to their several uses ; as,
Ilsi0>*<ra, anchoralia, or anchorarii, the cables wherewith anchors were
cast into the sea, called sometimes x£«f<,iXoi(I£),orxajxy)Xo((13) : whence, in
the place ofSt. Matthew, where Christ, speaking ofthe difficulty of a rich
man's entering into heaven, tells his disciples, it is harder than for a
camel to pass through the eye of a needle ; Theophylact, and some others
(1) Josephus et Suidas, v. Ztijua.
(2) Pollux. (3) Plia. lib. vii. cap. ult,
(4) Strabo. lib. x. ex, Ephoro.
(5) Argoa. i.v. 1271.
(6> Lycopbronis Cassaodr. v. 618
(7) Hesychius. (8) Euterpe.
(9) Lib. xix. cap. 4.
(10; Glosste in Act. Apost. cap. 27.
(11) Pollux. (12) Aristoph, Scholiastes
(13) Phavorinus.