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

ON DEPILATION: BODY COSMETICS IN CLASSICAL ANTIQUITY 591
ÎÂÊ·Ïɘ ô‰ËÏÔÓ. Cf. Photius p. 495.13 s.v. Û·‚‡ÙÙË˜Ø Í˘Ú‹Ûˆ˜
Âr‰Ô˜. Given the razor work (͇ÚËÛȘ), it pobably referred to a style of
tonsure, which Eupolis no doubt translated to a particular fashion of
hair cosmetics in the pudendum area. And so Hesychius continues the
explanation of Û¿‚˘ÙÙÔ˜: ÙÈÓb˜ ‰b Ùe Á˘Ó·ÈÎÂÖÔÓ (sc. ÌfiÚÈÔÓ or
·å‰ÔÖÔÓ); cf. Photius ibid.; and Suda c110: Ùe Á˘Ó·ÈÎÂÖÔÓ ·å‰ÔÖÔÓ Ôî
ΈÌÈÎÔd ηÏÔÜÛÈ... Û¿‚˘ÙÙÔÓ. For the plucking off the hair from the
female triangle, cf. Lysistrata, 151: ‰¤ÏÙ· apple·Ú·ÙÂÙÈÏ̤ӷÈ. Cf. Ranae
516: (çÚ¯ËÛÙÚ›‰Â˜) ì‚˘ÏÏÈáÛ·È ÎôÚÙÈ apple·Ú·ÙÂÙÈÏ̤ӷÈ). But then, it
must mean here a kind of tonsure for the pubic hair (àappleÔÙÂÙÈÏ̤ӷ˜
in slave-fashion ). In such a case it is very difficult to decide whether
ηوӿ΢ as used in this way identifies the kind of tonsure as
generally slave-like (i.e. one practiced by slave-girls; but then one could
not very easily imagine a state of affairs where free-born women and
slave-girls had different ways of arranging their pubic hair!); or perhaps
as specially like that of the cloth ηوӿÎË; for one could even
surmise a fashion according to which the hair was removed round the
labia but for a circular band of hair left at some distance away from
them; that could be reasonably taken to represent the main feature of
οو-Ó¿ÎË. But however that may be, the interesting thing for our
purpose is that, granting the correctness of the general standard
interpretation of our passage, there was one at least particular way of
tonsure for women’s pubic hair and, therefore, presumably other ways
at least possible as well. In which case Baubo might have utilized some
one such way in her exhibition to Demeter - or perhaps she might
have invented a novel and strange way on purpose and with a definite
intent and significance. But I do not think that we should here take
Aristophanes too literally in a mechanical way; he rather plays here one
of his exquisite games. The Scholia (or any other source) do not speak
of any kind of tonsure called ηوӿ΢ or ηوӿÎË (as they do in
Acharnenses, 849: KÚ·ÙÖÓÔ˜ àappleÔÎÂηṲ́ÓÔ˜ ÌÔȯeÓ ÌÈ÷Ä Ì·¯·›Ú÷·, to
which the scholia remark: ÌÔȯe˜ ‰b Âr‰Ô˜ ηd ùÓÔÌ· ÎÔ˘ÚĘ àappleÚÂappleÔܘ,
ÎÈÓ·È‰Ò‰Ô˘˜; even here there may be a play involved, cf.
Hesychius s.v. ÎÉappleÔ˜). On the other hand we have other examples of
such playful metaphors, misplacements or pregnant odd and
unexpected combinations. Thus in Athenaeus, IX, 410c, we read: XÂÈ-
ÚfiÌ·ÎÙÚÔÓ ‰b ηÏÂÖÙ·È ˇz Ùa˜ ¯ÂÖÚ·˜ àappleÂÌ¿ÙÙÔÓÙÔ èÌÔÏ›Óˇˆ. ÔÊÔ-
ÎÏɘ OåÓÔÌ¿ˇˆ: ΢ıÈÛÙd ¯ÂÈÚfiÌ·ÎÙÚÔÓ âÎÎÂηṲ́ÓÔ˜ (Sophocles,