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

ON DEPILATION: BODY COSMETICS IN CLASSICAL ANTIQUITY 567
(àÓ‰ÚáÓ ·s ̤Á’ ôÚÈÛÙÔ˜ öËÓ TÂÏ·ÌÒÓÈÔ˜ Aú·˜, / ùÊÚ’ \A¯ÈÏÏÂf˜
Ì‹ÓÈÂÓ, he was the best at the time when Achilles kept aloof from the
war because of his ÌÉÓȘ, Iliad, B, 768 says Homer in answer to the
question (v. 761): Ù›˜ Ù’ iÚ ÙáÓ ù¯’ ôÚÈÛÙÔ˜ öËÓ, Û‡ ÌÔÈ öÓÓÂappleÂ,
MÔÜÛ·, etc.), this man is described by Homer as tall of stature, broadshouldened,
with perfect bodily development; when Priam asks Helen
(Iliad, Γ, 255 sqq.):
she answers:
Ù›˜ Ù’ ôÚ’ ‰’ ôÏÏÔ˜ \A¯·Èe˜ àÓcÚ Ëû˜ Ù ̤Á·˜ ÙÂ,
öÍÔ¯Ô˜ \AÚÁ›ˆÓ ÎÂÊ·Ï‹Ó Ù ηd ÂéÚ¤·˜ üÌÔ˘˜;
ÔyÙÔ˜ ‰’ Aú·˜ âÛÙd appleÂÏÒÚÈÔ˜, ≤ÚÎÔ˜ \A¯·ÈáÓ.
(cf. on the subject of Ajax large body Pausanias, I, 35, 5; Philostratus,
Heroica, I, 2). He was also surpassingly beautiful, inferior to none
again but Achilles; Iliad, P, 279-80:
Aú·˜, n˜ appleÂÚd ÌbÓ Âr‰Ô˜, appleÂÚd ‰’ öÚÁ· Ù¤Ù˘ÎÙÔ
ÙáÓ ôÏÏˆÓ ¢·Ó·áÓ ÌÂÙ’ à̇ÌÔÓ· ËϽˆÓ·.
(repeated in Odyssey, λ, 549-50; to which passage Eustathius, 1698,
45 sqq., comments: Á¤ÁÚ·appleÙ·È ÛÎfiÏÈÔÓ apple·Ï·ÈfiÓ, Û‡ÌʈÓÔÓ ÙÔÖ˜
ÙÔÜ appleÔÈËÙÔÜ, Ùe «apple·Ö Ù TÂÏ·ÌáÓÔ˜ Aú·˜ ·å¯ÌËÙ¿, ϤÁÔ˘Û› Û’ â˜
TÚÔÖ·Ó ôÚÈÛÙÔÓ âÏıÂÖÓ ¢·Ó·áÓ Î·d \A¯ÈÏϤ·». ˘ÏÏ·ÏÂÖ ‰b Ùˇá ÙÔÈ-
Ô‡Ùˇˆ ÏfiÁˇˆ ηd ì \IÏÈ¿˜). Odyssey ω, 17-8 makes it explicit that his
excellence pertained both to face and body:
Aú·ÓÙfi˜ ı’, n˜ ôÚÈÛÙÔÓ öËÓ Âr‰fi˜ ÙÂ, ‰¤Ì·˜ ÙÂ,
ÙáÓ ôÏÏˆÓ ¢·Ó·áÓ, ÌÂÙ’ à̇ÌÔÓ· ËÏ›ˆÓ·.
This then Ajax had ¯Úfi· Ï¢ÎfiÓ (Iliad Λ, 573) which must have been
an eminent characteristic of his, for Hector refers to it when
addressing him in Iliad, N, 824 sqq.: ¯Úfi· ÏÂÈÚÈfiÂÓÙ· (v. 830).
Eustathius (p. 863.32) mentions as a variant ¯·ÏÎfiÓ for the Ï¢ÎfiÓ of
the former passage, which may be another instance of the already
noticed tendency to correct all offensive instances of Ï¢ÎfiÓ which do