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

562 APPENDIX C΄
become a chatterbox babbling horny, coarse, low speech in the àÁÔÚ¿
(Ûو̇ÏÏˆÓ Î·Ùa ÙcÓ àÁÔÚaÓ ÙÚÈ‚ÔÏÂÎÙÚ¿appleÂÏ’ / Ôx¿appleÂÚ Ôî ÓÜÓ,
(1003), or he will wear down himself by wasting his time on appleÚ·ÁÌ¿-
ÙÈ· ÁÏÈÛ¯Ú·ÓÙÈÏÔÁÂÍÂapple›ÙÚÈappleÙ· (1005) an expression masterfully
constructed (ÁϛۯÚÔ˜ + àÓÙÈÏÔÁ›· + âÍÂapple›ÙÚÈappleÙÔ˜) in order to
convey the full Aristophanian scorn and contempt for the ÌÈÎÚÔÏÔÁ›·
represented to his eyes by Socrates. (We meet the same attitude in the
4th century, only now it is Isocrates who inveighs against the petty, as
he sees it, learning of the Academy; v. e.g. ad Nicoclem, 39: ÛÔÊÔf˜
ÓfiÌÈ˙ Ìc ÙÔf˜ àÎÚȂᘠappleÂÚd ÌÈÎÚáÓ âÚ›˙ÔÓÙ·˜, àÏÏa ÙÔf˜ Âs appleÂÚd
ÙáÓ ÌÂÁ›ÛÙˆÓ Ï¤ÁÔÓÙ·˜, an exceedingly poignant and well-expressed
formulation. In appleÚ·ÁÌ¿ÙÈÔÓ ÁÏÈÛ¯Ú·ÓÙÈÏÔÁÂÍÂapple›ÙÚÈappleÙÔÓ we have
the following characters put together: (a) appleÚ·ÁÌ¿ÙÈÔÓ, small, petty,
insignificant thing; (b) ÁÏÈÛ¯ÚfiÓ, mean, niggardly, shabby; (c) àÓÙÈÏÔ-
ÁÈÎfiÓ, i.e. not interested in proclaiming truth, but rather in
combatting a thesis; (d) âÍÂapple›ÙÚÈappleÙÔÓ, conveying also the notion of
illiberally wearing down by doing a petty damned thing again and
again. Having thus pinpointed the two main types of occupation for
the Athenian youth of his decadent time, Aristophanes contrasts what
the follower of older customs will do (1006 sqq.):
àÏÏ’ Âå˜ \A牋ÌÂÈ·Ó (the gymnasium, not yet the seat of
Platonic learning)
ηÙÈgÓ ñapplee Ù·Ö˜ ÌÔÚ›·È˜ àappleÔıÚ¤ÍÂÈ
ÛÙÂÊ·ÓˆÛ¿ÌÂÓÔ˜ Î·Ï¿Ìˇˆ Ï¢Ρá ÌÂÙa ÛÒÊÚÔÓÔ˜ ìÏÈÎÈÒÙÔ˘,
̛ϷÎÔ˜ ù˙ˆÓ ηd àappleÚ·ÁÌÔÛ‡Ó˘ ηd Ï‡Î˘ Ê˘ÏÏÔ‚ÔÏÔ‡Û˘,
qÚÔ˜ âÓ œÚ÷· ¯·›ÚˆÓ, ïapplefiÙ·Ó appleÏ¿Ù·ÓÔ˜ appleÙÂϤ÷· „Èı˘Ú›˙FË.
A calm, serene, aristocratic, almost idyllic picture. Note the
àappleÚ·ÁÌÔÛ‡Ó˘, and contrast it to appleÔÏ˘appleÚ·ÁÌÔÛ‡ÓË. The scholion ad
loc. is in a confused state, and it is instructive, not least for a correct
appreciation of Alexandrian scholarship, to analyse it. Ιn its relevant
portion, it consists of the following strata:
(a) apple·Ú¤ÌÈÍ Ùe «àappleÚ·ÁÌÔÛ‡Ó˘»
(b) àappleÚ·ÁÌÔÛ‡ÓË ‰b Ê˘ÙfiÓ, ó˜ \AÚÈÛÙÔÊ¿Ó˘ ï ÁÚ·ÌÌ·ÙÈÎfi˜,
âÓ \Aη‰ËÌ›÷· Ê˘fiÌÂÓÔÓ (...)
(c) àappleÚ·ÁÌÔÛ‡ÓË Âr‰Ô˜ ôÓıÔ˘˜Ø ÔxÔÓ apple¿Û˘ Â鈉›·˜ ù˙ˆÓ ηd
àÛÊ·Ï›·˜ (i.e. the general sense is this)