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

ON DEPILATION: BODY COSMETICS IN CLASSICAL ANTIQUITY 571
answering exactly to Aristotle’s description. From what Eustathius says
ad loc. (p. 1235.40 sqq.), it follows that many Alexandrian philologists
did not perceive the point. Eustathius himself, on the other hand, after
enumerating various emendations, correctly concludes: õÚÂÛÂÓ ÔsÓ âÓ
ôÚıÚˇˆ ÁÚ¿ÊÂÈÓ (the question is about the ÙÔÜ in v. 252), «·åÂÙÔÜ
̤ϷÓÔ˜, ÙÔÜ ıËÚËÙÉÚÔ˜», nÓ Î·d ÌÂÏ·Ó·›ÂÙÔÓ (Aristotle s ÌÂÏ·Ó¿Â-
ÙÔ˜) ÙÈÓb˜ Û˘Óı¤Ùˆ˜ Ê·Û›, ÙeÓ Î·d Ê·ÛÛÔÊfiÓÔÓ, ÌÈÎÚeÓ Ì¤Ó, Ê·ÛÈÓ,
ùÓÙ·, ÙáÓ ôÏÏˆÓ ‰b åÛ¯˘ÚfiÙÂÚÔÓ. K·Ïᘠ‰¤, Ê·ÛÈ, ÙeÓ ıËÚËÙÉÚ·
ÙÔÜÙÔÓ àÂÙeÓ ó˜ ηd ÎÚ¿ÙÈÛÙÔÓ Î·d üÎÈÛÙÔÓ Âå˜ ÂåÎfiÓ· ÙÔÜ \A¯ÈÏ-
Ϥˆ˜ ÂúÏËÊ (sc. ï appleÔÈËÙ‹˜) etc.
The former species of eagle is clearly called after the whiteness of its
rump-region, apple˘Á‹ + àÚÁfi˜. Thus when Aeschylus describes this type
of eagle as Ù’ âÍfiappleÈÓ àÚÁĘ (Agamemnon, 115), the scholiast remarks:
ï âÍÔapple›Ûˆ Ï¢Îfi˜, âÛÙÈÓ ï apple‡Á·ÚÁÔ˜. (The feature was so
characteristic and picturesque that other animals too, were called
accordingly; for a kind of antelope, cf. Herodotus IV, 192;
Septuaginta, Deuteron. XIV, 5; Aelianus, Hist. Anim. VII, 19. For a
kind of water bird, v. Aristotle, Hist. Anim. Θ, 593b5). This apple‡Á·Ú-
ÁÔ˜ behaves badly towards its offspring (Aristotle, Hist. Anim., Z,
563b5-6), kills fawns (öÓÈÔÈ ‰b ηÏÔÜÛÈÓ Ó‚ÚÔÊfiÓÔÓ ·éÙfiÓ, I,
618b20), and, although it is the only species of eagle to be regularly
found in plains, groves and even near the towns (ÔyÙÔ˜ ηÙa Ùa apple‰›·
ηd Ùa ôÏÛË Î·d appleÂÚd Ùa˜ applefiÏÂȘ Á›ÓÂÙ·È... Ùa ‰b ÏÔÈapplea Á¤ÓË çÏÈÁ¿-
ÎȘ Âå˜ apple‰›· ηd Âå˜ ôÏÛË ÊÔÈÙ÷Ä, 618b20-22), yet because of its bold
and perhaps rash valour he flies also over mountainous regions and
forests (apple¤ÙÂÙ·È ‰b ηd Âå˜ Ùa ùÚË Î·d Âå˜ ÙcÓ ≈ÏËÓ ‰Èa Ùe ı¿ÚÛÔ˜
618b21). There is nothing fundamentally negative in this description,
except the bird’s inattentiveness and perhaps harshness exhibited
towards its offspring, and its implied overbearing and overstepping
daring, its may be rather audacious valour (since it is not the strongest,
and is more accustomed to the milder surroundings of the plains).
Neither does Aeschylus wish to paint any negative picture for
Menelaus when he clearly associates him to the apple‡Á·ÚÁÔ˜ eagle. Two
eagles preyed on a pregnant hare, one ÎÂÏ·ÈÓfi˜ (the ÌÂÏ·Ó¿ÂÙÔ˜), the
other âÍfiappleÈÓ àÚÁĘ (i.e. apple‡Á·ÚÁÔ˜), interpreted by Calchas as the two
leaders of the Greek army falling upon Troy. Agamemnon 109 sqq.:
¬appleˆ˜ \A¯·ÈáÓ ‰›ıÚÔÓÔÓ ÎÚ¿ÙÔ˜, ^EÏÏ¿‰Ô˜ ≥‚·˜
͇ÌÊÚÔÓ· Ù·Á¿Ó,