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

592 APPENDIX C΄
Fr. 473 Radt). The sense would present exactly the same kind of
difficulty as the present one, but for Hesychius’ gloss on ΢ıÈÛÙd ¯ÂÈ-
ÚfiÌ·ÎÙÚÔÓ: Ôî ·ı·È ÙáÓ Ï·Ì‚·ÓÔÌ¤ÓˆÓ âÓ appleÔϤÌÔȘ àÓıÚÒappleˆÓ
(Lennep for the ms. Ï·Ì‚. appleÔÏÏÔÖ˜ zÓ; I would omit àÓıÚÒappleˆÓ
altogether) Ùa˜ ÎÂÊ·Ïa˜ âΉ¤ÚÔÓÙ˜ +qÛ·Ó+ (something is missing
here) àÓÙd ¯ÂÈÚÔÌ¿ÎÙÚˆÓ â¯ÚáÓÙÔ. For details, see Herodotus IV, 64.
In other cases the play is more obvious. Thus in Pollux, IX, 71, we
have a Hermippian fragment from ¢ËÌfiÙ·È (Fr. I Meineke, vol. II p.
385 = Fr. 13 PCGr. vol. V p. 568): OúÌÔÈ, Ù› ‰Ú¿Ûˆ ۇ̂ÔÏÔÓ ÎÂηÚ-
̤ÓÔ˜; which is explained by Pollux as follows: ÂúË ‰’ iÓ Î·d ۇ̂ÔÏÔÓ
‚Ú·¯f ÓÔÌÈÛÌ¿ÙÈÔÓ, ìÌ›ÙÔÌfiÓ ÙÈ ÓÔÌ›ÛÌ·ÙÔ˜; thus the speaker in the
fragment must have been tonsured on half of his head only, for some
reason: ÎÂοÚı·È öÔÈΠÙe ≥ÌÈÛ˘. (Pollux then goes on to explain how
the ۇ̂ÔÏÔÓ can be half a coin in an appropriate sense. Other things,
like knucklebones, could be used for ۇ̂ÔÏ· - Û‡Ì+‚¿Ïψ - for
purposes of indisputable identification and recognition: v. Scholia to
Euripides Medea, 610). The same expression could be used in
describing a half-shaven face. This is what happens to Mnesilochus
when he tries to escape in the midst of his sufferings at Euripides’
hands; Thesmoph. 226-7: ÔûÎÔ˘Ó Î·Ù·Á¤Ï·ÛÙÔ˜ ‰ÉÙ’ öÛÂÈ / ÙcÓ
ìÌ›ÎÚ·ÈÚ·Ó ÙcÓ ëÙ¤Ú·Ó „ÈÏcÓ ö¯ˆÓ. Such a case of literally
incongruous combination of elements is, I think, presented by our
present passage; Ecclesiaz., 719 sqq. An antithesis to the Ôé¯d ‰ÂÖ
ÎÔÛÌÔ˘Ì¤Ó·˜ is needed; thus, after: they must sleep with slaves only,
we could expect: either (1) wearing a slave-dress, or (2) having hair
dresses appropriate to slaves. Additionally some reference to their
sexual condition would be more than likely. Aristophanes boldly
combines all three expected elements in an utterly unexpected
formation: ¯ÔÖÚÔ˜ provides the sexual reference; ηوӿÎË the dress
proper to slaves; àappleÔÙÂÙÈÏ̤ӷ˜ (in place of the would-be àappleÔÎÂηÚ-
̤ӷ˜ were it about hair-dressing proper, on the head) the some
characteristic hair-dressing, like the ÛοÊÈÔÓ àappleÔÎÂηṲ́ÓËÓ of
Thesmoph. 838, where see the scholia. The joke is that the slave girls
must not only be not allowed to beautify themselves, but even their
pudendum must be depilated in a slave-fashion! An Aristophanic
comic extravagance.
That youths and young men had their pubic hair dressed in
various ways and shapes already in archaic times is amply testified by