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APPENDIX C΄ ON DEPILATION: BODY COSMETICS IN CLASSICAL ...

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558 <strong>APPENDIX</strong> <strong>C΄</strong><br />

This semantic field of Ï¢ÎfiÓ thus, seems to have been in<br />

preclassical times like this, in our terms: shining bright brilliant<br />

resplendent shiny translucent transparent clear light (coloured) white.<br />

There existed also, of course, a perfectly matching sphere of connected<br />

meanings for ̤ϷÓ.<br />

We see that this field of signification, in all its unmentionable<br />

variety, can be easily arranged around three points of reference, so to<br />

speak, in three clusters: (1) bright, glistering, lustrous (2) clear,<br />

transparent (3) light (and as a particularly obvious case of lightcolouredness,<br />

white). This natural arrangement we also see taking<br />

place in the subtle colour distinctions and relationships in the colourtheories<br />

of the classical times: cf. especially Plato’s views in Timaeus<br />

67c sqq., where the ‰È·Ê·Ó¤˜, the Ï¢ÎfiÓ and the Ï·ÌappleÚeÓ Î·d ÛÙ›Ï-<br />

‚ÔÓ (answering to 2-3-1 respectively) are neatly distinguished, the two<br />

latter being brought in intimate connection (together with the âÚ˘ıÚfiÓ).<br />

One should also study carefully the intricate and very<br />

important Aristotelian tract appleÂÚd ¯ÚˆÌ¿ÙˆÓ. But in order to<br />

comprehend correctly the ancient understanding of colours, just as in<br />

all other similar endeavours to know the ancient way of seeing things,<br />

we must not strive to produce simple one-to-one correspondences<br />

between the ancient and our own schemes: for all too often the<br />

divisions are drawn along significantly different lines so that both the<br />

elements of a certain field and their structural arrangements can be<br />

markedly unfamiliar to us when we try to penetrate into ancient ways<br />

of feeling and into their own natural conceptual articulation.<br />

But let us return to our immediate topic, the Ï¢ÎfiÙ˘ as a quality<br />

of the skin of the male body. We must bear in mind the abovedelineated<br />

semantic analysis. The expression was proverbial: Ï¢ÎáÓ<br />

àÓ‰ÚáÓ Ôé‰bÓ ùÊÂÏÔ˜, depreciatory of white-skinned men. V.<br />

Macarius V, 55; Apostolius XIII, 35 adds the explanation âappled ÙáÓ<br />

àappleÚ¿ÎÙˆÓ, those who do not do anything, any job, and therefore by<br />

not being exposed to the sun and the wind keep their skin Ï¢ÎfiÓ; in<br />

Appendix Paroemigraphorum IV, 35 the proverb runs thus: Ôé‰bÓ<br />

àÓ‰ÚáÓ Ï¢ÎáÓ ùÊÂÏÔ˜ j Û΢ÙÔÙÔÌÂÖÓ and the same appears in Suda<br />

s. vv. and in Sch. ad Aristophanes, Pax 1310 with the variant Âå Ìc<br />

Û΢ÙÔÙÔÌÂÖÓ; Eustathius, p. 455.39, read the proverb in Aelius<br />

Dionysius’ collection without any addition, which is to be connected,<br />

as Kusterus saw in his note ad Suda loc.cit., to Aristophanes, Ecclesiaz.<br />

383 sqq,:

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