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

566 APPENDIX C΄
àappleÔappleχӷ˜ ÙcÓ ÎfiÓÈÓ Î·d ÙeÓ appleËÏfiÓ, âÚÔ›ÌËÓ ôÓ Û appleÔÙ¤Úˇˆ iÓ
¬ÌÔÈÔ˜ ÂûÍ·ÈÔ ÁÂÓ¤Ûı·ÈØ... Û˘ÓÂÛÙËÎg˜ ηd Û˘ÁÎÂÎÚÔÙË̤ÓÔ˜ ÂrÓ·È
ÌÄÏÏÔÓ j ıÚ‡appleÙÂÛı·È ηd ‰È·ÚÚÂÖÓ Î·d Ï¢Îe˜ ÂrÓ·È àappleÔÚ›÷· ηd Ê˘ÁFÉ
Âå˜ Ùa ÂúÛˆ ÙÔÜ ·¥Ì·ÙÔ˜. Similarly Plutarch refers clearly in a
depreciatory fashion to Julius Caesar’s Ï¢ÎfiÙ˘: Jul. Caesar 17: ì ‰b
ÙáÓ applefiÓˆÓ ñappleÔÌÔÓc apple·Úa ÙcÓ ÙÔÜ ÛÒÌ·ÙÔ˜ ‰‡Ó·ÌÈÓ âÁηÚÙÂÚÂÖÓ
‰ÔÎÔÜÓÙÔ˜ âͤappleÏËÙÙÂÓ, ¬ÙÈ Î·d ÙcÓ ≤ÍÈÓ JÓ åÛ¯Óe˜ ηd ÙcÓ Û¿Úη
Ï¢Îe˜ ηd êapple·Ïe˜ ηd ÙcÓ ÎÂÊ·ÏcÓ ÓÔÛ҉˘ ηd etc. Ηere clearly
the Ï¢ÎfiÙ˘ is âÍ àÁ˘ÌÓ·Û›·˜, since it is conjoined with softness.
High appreciation of Ï¢ÎfiÙ˘ in a youth is shown by another of
the great aristocratically minded spirits of democratic Athens: Plato in
Republic 474 D-E comments on the soft-point of the àÓcÚ âÚˆÙÈÎfi˜,
his being aroused and excited in the sight of all lovely boys in the
bloom of their youth: j Ôé¯ Ô≈Ùˆ appleÔÈÂÖÙ appleÚe˜ ÙÔf˜ ηÏÔ‡˜;... ̤Ϸ-
Ó·˜ ‰b àÓ‰ÚÈÎÔf˜ å‰ÂÖÓ, Ï¢ÎÔf˜ ‰b ıÂáÓ apple·Ö‰·˜ ÂrÓ·ÈØ ÌÂÏȯÏÒÚÔ˘˜
‰b ηd ÙÔûÓÔÌ· ÔúÂÈ ÙÈÓe˜ ôÏÏÔ˘ appleÔ›ËÌ· ÂrÓ·È j âÚ·ÛÙÔÜ ñappleÔÎÔÚÈ˙Ô-
̤ÓÔ˘ Ù ηd Âé¯ÂÚᘠʤÚÔÓÙÔ˜ ÙcÓ è¯ÚfiÙËÙ·, âaÓ âappled œÚ÷· Fq; (the
passage is quoted by Plutarch, Quamodo adulator ab amico
internoscatur, 56D). However we may allow for the exaggeration of
one who àÙ¯ÓᘠÁaÚ Ï¢Îc ÛÙ¿ıÌË ÂåÌd appleÚe˜ ÙÔf˜ ηÏÔ‡˜Ø ۯ‰eÓ
Á¿Ú Ù› ÌÔÈ apple¿ÓÙ˜ Ôî âÓ ÙFÉ ìÏÈΛ÷· ηÏÔd Ê·›ÓÔÓÙ·È (Charmides
154B), the fact remains that it is Ï¢ÎfiÙ˘ which is especially
associated with those charming sons of gods. The swarthy type is
praised as manly in the sense of a robust rusticity felt to be active in
him. Paleness, or, as it is likely to be endearingly called by the lover,
honey-pallidness (ÌÂÏ›¯ÏˆÚÔ˜ being a word of exquisite musicality in
Greek), is again distinguished from Ï¢ÎfiÙ˘. It should be noticed
that the difference of skin tints here spoken of are chiefly
constitutional rather than having to do with the particular ways of
training or life. But the appreciation involved points, nonetheless, in
the same direction, which is the significant thing for our present
concern.
Nor were things very different in Homeric times. Ajax the
Telamonian, the Great, as Homer calls him, the mighty hero with the
host of traditions about him relating his exploits and fortunes, and
with hero worship instituted in his honour, the man to whom by right
belonged Achilles’ armor (he finally got them after death; cf. Pausanias
I, 35, 4) since he was second to none but to the greatest of them all