A dictionary of Greek and Roman . n the course of their dance, flung themselves ontheir heads and alighted again on their feet(wo7rep ol kv§io~twvt€s Kai eis 6p9pbv ra (TKeXr]?7repi(pep6 KvSiaTuxTi HvtcXto, Plato, Symp. , p. 190). We read of Kv€icrTr]Tripes as earlyas the time of Homer. (II. xviii. 605, Od. iv. 18.)They were also accustomed to make their somersetover knives or swords, which was called hvSmttuvels fiaxaipas. (Plato, Euthyd. c. 55. p. 294 ; i. 3. § 9, Symp. ii. 14; Athen. iv. p. 129, d ;Pollux, iii. 134.) The way in which this feat wasperformed
A dictionary of Greek and Roman . n the course of their dance, flung themselves ontheir heads and alighted again on their feet(wo7rep ol kv§io~twvt€s Kai eis 6p9pbv ra (TKeXr]?7repi(pep6 KvSiaTuxTi HvtcXto, Plato, Symp. , p. 190). We read of Kv€icrTr]Tripes as earlyas the time of Homer. (II. xviii. 605, Od. iv. 18.)They were also accustomed to make their somersetover knives or swords, which was called hvSmttuvels fiaxaipas. (Plato, Euthyd. c. 55. p. 294 ; i. 3. § 9, Symp. ii. 14; Athen. iv. p. 129, d ;Pollux, iii. 134.) The way in which this feat wasperformed is described by Xenophon, who says(Symp. ii. 11) that a circle was made quite full ofupright swords, and that the dancer ds ravra4Kv§i(rra re Kal 4^Kv€ia-ra virep avroiv ; and it iswell illustrated by the following cut taken fromthe Museo Borbonico, vol. vii. tav. 58. (Becker,Ckarikles, vol. i. p. 499, vol. ii. p. 287.) We learnfrom Tacitus (Germ. 24) that the German youthsalso used to dance among swords and spears pointedat them. 4. Other kinds of dances were frequently performedat entertainments, in Rome as well as in Greece,by courtezans, many of which were of a very inde-cent and lascivious nature. (Macrob. Sat. ii. 10 ;Plaut. Stick, v. 2. 11.) The dancers seem to havefrequently represented Bacchanals: many suchdancers occur in the paintings found at Hercula-neum and Pompeii in a variety of graceful atti-tudes. (See Museo Borbonico, vol. vii. tav. 34—40, vol. ix. tav. 1 7, vol. x. tav. 5, 6, 54.) Among the dances performed without arms oneof the most important was the op/xos, which wasdanced at Sparta by youths and maidens together;the youth danced first some movements suited tohis age, and of a military nature ; the maiden fol-lowed in measured steps and with feminine ges-tures. Lucian (de Salt. 12) says that it wassimilar to the dance performed at the Gymnopaedia.(Compare Miiller, Dor. iv. 6. § 5.) Another com-mon dance at Sparta was the Bibasis (j3i€aais),w
Size: 1514px × 1650px
Photo credit: © The Reading Room / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookauthorsmithwilliam18131893, bookcentury1800, bookdecade1840
