For
Aristotle
speaks of grafted pears, and calls them ?
Athenaeus - Deipnosophists
with a ?
, but Nicander writes it with an aspirate, ?
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
, and Poseidonius ?
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
.
* * * * *
[66. ] G [651] And Melanippides of Melos, in his Danaides, calls the fruit of the palm-tree by the name of ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? , mentioning [the daughters of Danaus] in this manner:- "They had the appearance of inhabitants of the shades below, not of human beings; nor had they voices like women; but they drove about in chariots with seats, through the woods and groves, just as wild beasts do, holding in their hands the sacred frankincense, and the fragrant dates (? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ), and cassia, and the delicate perfumes of Syria. "
[652] And Aristotle, in his treatise On Plants, speaks thus: "The dates (? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ) without stones, which some call eunuchs and others call seedless. " Hellanicus has also called the fruit ? ? ? ? ? ? , in his Journey to the Temple of Ammon, if at least the book be a genuine one; and so has Phormus the comic poet, in his Atalantae. But concerning those that are called the Nicolaus-dates, which are imported from Syria, I can give you this information; that they received this name from Augustus the emperor, because he was exceedingly fond of the fruit, and because Nicolaus of Damascus, who was his friend, was constantly sending him presents of it. And this Nicolaus was a philosopher of the Peripatetic school, and wrote a very voluminous history.
[67. ] G Now with respect to dried figs: those which came from Attica were always considered a great deal the best. Accordingly Dinon, in his History of Persia, says- "And they used to serve up at the royal table all the fruits which the earth produces as far as the king's dominions extend, being brought to him from every district as a sort of first-fruits. And (? ) Xerxes did not think it fitting for the kings either to eat or drink anything which came from any foreign country; and this idea gradually acquired the force of a law. For once, when one of the eunuchs brought the king, among the rest of the dishes at dessert, some Athenian dried figs, the king asked where they came from. And when he heard that they came from Athens, he forbade those who had bought them to buy them for him any more, until it should be in his power to take them whenever he chose, and not to buy them. And it is said that the eunuch did this on purpose, with a view to remind him of the expedition against Attica. " And Alexis, in his Pilot, says-
Then came in figs, the emblem of fair Athens,
And bunches of sweet thyme.
And Lynceus, in his letter to the comic poet, Poseidippus, says- "In the delineation of the tragic passions, I do not think that Euripides is at all superior to Sophocles, but in dried figs, I do think that Attica is superior to every other country on earth. " And in his letter to Diagoras, he writes thus:- "But this country opposes to the chelidonian dried figs those which are called brigindarides, which in their name indeed are barbarous, but which in delicious flavour are not at all less Attic than the others. And Phoenicides, in his Hated Woman, says-
(A) They celebrate the praise of myrtle-berries,
Of honey, of the Propylaea, and of figs;
Now these I tasted when I first arrived-
(B) And the Propylaea?
(A) Yet have I found nothing
Which to a woodcock can for taste compare.
In which lines we must take notice of the mention of the woodcock. But Philemon, in his treatise On Attic Names, says that "the most excellent dried figs are those called aegalides; and that Aegila is the name of a deme in Attica, which derives its name from a hero called Aegilus; but that the dried figs of a reddish black colour are called chelidonian. " Theopompus also, in the Peace, praising the Teithrasian figs, speaks thus-
Barley cakes, cheesecakes, and Teithrasian figs.
But dried figs were so very much sought after by all men, (for really, as Aristophanes says- "There's really nothing nicer than dried figs;") that even Amitrochates, the king of the Indians, wrote to Antiochus, entreating him (it is Hegesander who tells this story) to buy and send him some sweet wine, [653] and some dried figs, and a sophist; and that Antiochus wrote to him in answer, "The dried figs and the sweet wine we will send you; but it is not lawful for a sophist to be sold in Greece. " The Greeks were also in the habit of eating dried figs roasted, as Pherecrates proves by what he says in the Coriann? , where we find-
But pick me out some of those roasted figs.
And a few lines later he says-
Will you not bring me here some black dried figs ?
Do you understand ? Among the Mariandyni,
That barbarous tribe, they call these black dried figs
Their pots.
I am aware, too, that Pamphilus has mentioned a kind of dried figs, which he calls procnides.
[68. ] G That the word ? ? ? ? ? ? is common for a bunch of grapes is known to every one; and Crates, in the second book of his Attic Dialect, uses the word ? ? ? ? ? ? ? , although it appears to be a word of Asiatic origin; saying that in some of the ancient hymns the word ? ? ? ? ? ? ? is used for ? ? ? ? ? ? , as in the following line-
Thick hanging with the dusky grapes (? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ) themselves.
And that the word ? ? ? ? ? ? ? is used by Homer is known to every one. But Plato, in the eighth book of his Laws [ 844'd ], uses both ? ? ? ? ? ? and ? ? ? ? ? ? ? , where he says- "Whoever tastes wild fruit, whether it be grapes (? ? ? ? ? ? ? ) or figs, before the time of the vintage arrives, which falls at the time of the rising of Arcturus, whether it be on his own farm, or on any one else's land, shall be fined fifty sacred drachmas to be paid to Dionysus, if he plucked them off his own land; but a mina if he gather them on a neighbour's estate; but if he take them from any other place, two-thirds of a mina. But whoever chooses to gather the grapes (? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ), which are now called the noble grapes, or the figs called the noble figs, if he gather them from his own trees, let him gather them as he pleases, and when he pleases; but if he gathers them from the trees of any one else without having obtained the leave of the owner, then, in accordance with the law which forbids any one to move what he has not placed, he shall be invariably punished. " These are the words of the divine Plato; but I ask now what is this noble grape (? ? ? ? ? ? ? ), and this noble fig that he speaks of? And you may all consider this point while I am discussing the other dishes which are on the table. And Masurius said-
But let us not postpone this till to-morrow,
Still less till the day after.
When the philosopher says ? ? ? ? ? ? ? , he means ? ? ? ? ? ? , generous, as Archilochus also uses the word-
Come hither, you are generous (? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? );
or, perhaps, he means ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ; that is to say, grafted.
For Aristotle speaks of grafted pears, and calls them ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? . And Demosthenes, in his speech in defence of Ctesiphon [ 262 ], has the sentence, "gathering figs, and grapes (? ? ? ? ? ? ), and olives. " And Xenophon, in his Oeconomicus [ 19'19 ], says, "grapes (? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ) are ripened by the sun. " And our ancestors also have been acquainted with the practice of steeping grapes in wine, Accordingly Eubulus, in his Glued Together, says-
But take these grapes (? ? ? ? ? ? ), and in neat wine pound them,
And pour upon them many cups of water.
Then make him eat them when well steeped in wine.
And the poet, who is the author of the Chiron, which is generally attributed to Pherecrates, says-
Almonds and apples, and the arbutus first,
And myrtle-berries, pastry, too, and grapes
Well steeped in wine; and marrow.
And that every sort of autumn fruit was always plentiful at Athens, Aristophanes testifies in his Seasons. Why, then, should that appear strange which Aethlius the Samian asserts in the fifth book of his Samian Chronicles, where he says, "The fig, and the grape, and the medlar, and the apple, and the rose grow twice a-year"? [654] And Lynceus, in his letter to Diagoras, praising the Nicostrateian grape, which grows in Attica, and comparing it to the Rhodian grapes, says, "As rivals of the Nicostrateian grapes they grow the Hipponeian grape; which after the month Hecatombaeon (like a good servant) has constantly the same good disposition towards its masters. "
[69. ] G But as you have had frequent discussions about meats, and birds, and pigeons, I also will tell you all that I, after a great deal of reading, have been able to find out in addition to what has been previously stated. Now the word ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? (pigeon) may be found used by Menander in his Concubine, where he says-
He waits a little while, and then runs up
And says- "I've bought some pigeons (? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ) for you. "
And so Nicostratus, in his Delicate Woman, says-
These are the things I want,- a little bird,
And then a pigeon (? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ) and a paunch.
And Anaxandrides, in his Rival in Love, has the line-
For bringing in some pigeons (? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ) and some sparrows.
And Phrynichus, in his Tragedians, says-
Bring him a pigeon (? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ) for three obols.
Now with respect to the pheasant, Ptolemy the king, in the twelfth book of his Commentaries, speaking of the palace which there is at Alexandria, and of the animals which are kept in it, says, "They have also pheasants, which they call ? ? ? ? ? ? ? , which they not only used to send for from Media, but they also used to put the eggs under broody hens, by which means they raised a number, so as to have enough for food; for they call it very excellent eating. " Now this is the expression of a most magnificent monarch, who confesses that he himself has never tasted a pheasant, but who used to keep these birds as a sort of treasure. But if he had ever seen such a sight as this, when, in addition to all those which have been already eaten, a pheasant is also placed before each individual, he would have added another book to the existing twenty-four of that celebrated history, which he calls his Commentaries. And Aristotle or Theophrastus, in his Commentaries, says, "In pheasants, the male is not only as much superior to the female as is usually the case, but he is so in an infinitely greater degree. "
[70. ] G # But if the before-mentioned king [Ptolemy] had seen the number of peacocks also which exists at Rome, he would have fled to the sacred senate, as though he had a second time been driven out of his kingdom by his brother. For the multitude of these birds is so great at Rome, that Antiphanes the comic poet, in his Soldier or Tychon, may seem to have been inspired by the spirit of prophecy, when he said-
When the first man imported to this city
A pair of peacocks, they were thought a rarity,
But now they are more numerous than quails;
So also, if you search and find one good man,
He will be sure to have five worthless sons.
And Alexis, in his Lamp, says-
That he should have devoured so vast a sum!
Why if (by earth I swear) I fed on hares' milk
And peacocks, I could never spend so much.
And that they used to keep them tame in their houses, we learn from Strattis, in his Pausanias, where he says-
Of equal value with your many trifles,
And peacocks, which you breed up for their feathers.
And Anaxandrides, in his Melilotus, says-
[655] Is it not a mad idea to breed up peacocks,
When for the same cost one can buy two statues?
And Anaxilaus, in his Bird Feeders, says-
Besides all this, tame peacocks, loudly croaking.
Menodotus the Samian also, in his treatise On the Treasures in the Temple of the Samian Hera, says: "The peacocks are sacred to Hera; and perhaps Samos may be the place where they were first produced and reared, and from thence it was that they were scattered abroad over foreign countries, in the same way as cocks were originally produced in Persia, and the birds called guinea-fowl (? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ) in Aetolia. " On which account Antiphanes, in his Brothers by the same Father, says-
They say that in the city of Heliopolis
The phoenix is produced; the owl in Athens;
Cyprus breeds doves of admirable beauty:
But Hera, queen of Samos, does, they say,
Rear there a golden race of wondrous birds,
The brilliant, beautiful, conspicuous peacock.
On which account the peacock occurs on the coins of the Samians.
[71. ] G But since Menodotus has mentioned the guinea-fowl, we ourselves also will say something on that subject. Clytus the Milesian, a pupil of Aristotle, in the first book of his History of Miletus, writes thus concerning them- "All around the temple of the Virgin Goddess at Leros, there are birds called guinea-fowls (? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ). And the ground where they are bred is marshy. And this bird is very devoid of affection towards its young, and wholly disregards its offspring, so that the priests are forced to take care of them. And it is about the size of a very fine fowl of the common poultry, its head is small in proportion to its body, having but few feathers, but on the top it has a fleshy crest, hard and round, sticking up above the head like a peg, and of a woody colour. And over the jaws, instead of a beard, they have a long piece of flesh, beginning at the mouth, redder than that of the common poultry; but of that which exists in the common poultry on the top of the beak, which some people call the beard, they are wholly destitute; so that their beak is mutilated in this respect. But its beak is sharper and larger than that of the common fowl; its neck is black, thicker and shorter than that of common poultry. And its whole body is spotted all over, the general colour being black, studded in every part with thick white spots something larger than lentil seeds. And these spots are ring-shaped, in the middle of patches of a darker hue than the rest of the plumage: so that these patches present a variegated kind of appearance, the black part having a sort of white tinge, and the white seeming a good deal darkened. And their wings are all over variegated with white, in serrated, wavy lines, parallel to each other. And their legs are destitute of spurs like those of the common hen. And the females are very like the males, on which account the sex of the guinea-fowls is hard to distinguish. " Now this is the account given of guinea-fowls by the Peripatetic philosopher.
[72. ] G Roasted sucking-pigs are a dish mentioned by Epicrates in his Merchant-
On this condition I will be the cook;
Nor shall all Sicily boast that even she
Produced so great an artist as to fish,
Nor Elis either, where I've seen the flesh
Of dainty sucking-pigs well brown'd before
A rapid fire.
And Alexis, in his Wicked Woman, says-
A delicate slice of tender sucking-pig,
Bought for three obols, hot, and very juicy,
[656] When it is set before us.
"But the Athenians," as Philochorus tells us [ Fr_173 ], " when they sacrifice to the Seasons, do not roast, but boil their meat, entreating the goddesses to defend them from all excessive droughts and heats, and to give increase to their crops by means of moderate warmth and seasonable rains. For they argue that roasting is a kind of cookery which does less good to the meat, while boiling not only removes all its rawness, but has the power also of softening the hard parts, and of making all the rest digestible. And it makes the food more tender and wholesome, on which account they say also, that when meat has been once boiled, it ought not to be warmed up again by either roasting or boiling it; for any second process removes the goodness of it, as Aristotle tells us. And roast meat is more raw and dry than boiled meat. " But roast meats are called ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? . Accordingly Strattis in his Callippides says, with reference to Heracles-
Immediately he caught up some large slices (? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? )
Of smoking roasted boar, and swallowed them.
And Archippus, in his Heracles Marrying, says-
The trotters of little pigs, well cooked
In various fashion; slices, too, of bulls
With sharpened horns, and great long steaks of boar,
All roasted (? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ).
* * * * *
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Athenaeus: The Deipnosophists
BOOK 15 (excerpts)
Translated by C. D. Yonge (1854).
* * * * *
[66. ] G [651] And Melanippides of Melos, in his Danaides, calls the fruit of the palm-tree by the name of ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? , mentioning [the daughters of Danaus] in this manner:- "They had the appearance of inhabitants of the shades below, not of human beings; nor had they voices like women; but they drove about in chariots with seats, through the woods and groves, just as wild beasts do, holding in their hands the sacred frankincense, and the fragrant dates (? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ), and cassia, and the delicate perfumes of Syria. "
[652] And Aristotle, in his treatise On Plants, speaks thus: "The dates (? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ) without stones, which some call eunuchs and others call seedless. " Hellanicus has also called the fruit ? ? ? ? ? ? , in his Journey to the Temple of Ammon, if at least the book be a genuine one; and so has Phormus the comic poet, in his Atalantae. But concerning those that are called the Nicolaus-dates, which are imported from Syria, I can give you this information; that they received this name from Augustus the emperor, because he was exceedingly fond of the fruit, and because Nicolaus of Damascus, who was his friend, was constantly sending him presents of it. And this Nicolaus was a philosopher of the Peripatetic school, and wrote a very voluminous history.
[67. ] G Now with respect to dried figs: those which came from Attica were always considered a great deal the best. Accordingly Dinon, in his History of Persia, says- "And they used to serve up at the royal table all the fruits which the earth produces as far as the king's dominions extend, being brought to him from every district as a sort of first-fruits. And (? ) Xerxes did not think it fitting for the kings either to eat or drink anything which came from any foreign country; and this idea gradually acquired the force of a law. For once, when one of the eunuchs brought the king, among the rest of the dishes at dessert, some Athenian dried figs, the king asked where they came from. And when he heard that they came from Athens, he forbade those who had bought them to buy them for him any more, until it should be in his power to take them whenever he chose, and not to buy them. And it is said that the eunuch did this on purpose, with a view to remind him of the expedition against Attica. " And Alexis, in his Pilot, says-
Then came in figs, the emblem of fair Athens,
And bunches of sweet thyme.
And Lynceus, in his letter to the comic poet, Poseidippus, says- "In the delineation of the tragic passions, I do not think that Euripides is at all superior to Sophocles, but in dried figs, I do think that Attica is superior to every other country on earth. " And in his letter to Diagoras, he writes thus:- "But this country opposes to the chelidonian dried figs those which are called brigindarides, which in their name indeed are barbarous, but which in delicious flavour are not at all less Attic than the others. And Phoenicides, in his Hated Woman, says-
(A) They celebrate the praise of myrtle-berries,
Of honey, of the Propylaea, and of figs;
Now these I tasted when I first arrived-
(B) And the Propylaea?
(A) Yet have I found nothing
Which to a woodcock can for taste compare.
In which lines we must take notice of the mention of the woodcock. But Philemon, in his treatise On Attic Names, says that "the most excellent dried figs are those called aegalides; and that Aegila is the name of a deme in Attica, which derives its name from a hero called Aegilus; but that the dried figs of a reddish black colour are called chelidonian. " Theopompus also, in the Peace, praising the Teithrasian figs, speaks thus-
Barley cakes, cheesecakes, and Teithrasian figs.
But dried figs were so very much sought after by all men, (for really, as Aristophanes says- "There's really nothing nicer than dried figs;") that even Amitrochates, the king of the Indians, wrote to Antiochus, entreating him (it is Hegesander who tells this story) to buy and send him some sweet wine, [653] and some dried figs, and a sophist; and that Antiochus wrote to him in answer, "The dried figs and the sweet wine we will send you; but it is not lawful for a sophist to be sold in Greece. " The Greeks were also in the habit of eating dried figs roasted, as Pherecrates proves by what he says in the Coriann? , where we find-
But pick me out some of those roasted figs.
And a few lines later he says-
Will you not bring me here some black dried figs ?
Do you understand ? Among the Mariandyni,
That barbarous tribe, they call these black dried figs
Their pots.
I am aware, too, that Pamphilus has mentioned a kind of dried figs, which he calls procnides.
[68. ] G That the word ? ? ? ? ? ? is common for a bunch of grapes is known to every one; and Crates, in the second book of his Attic Dialect, uses the word ? ? ? ? ? ? ? , although it appears to be a word of Asiatic origin; saying that in some of the ancient hymns the word ? ? ? ? ? ? ? is used for ? ? ? ? ? ? , as in the following line-
Thick hanging with the dusky grapes (? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ) themselves.
And that the word ? ? ? ? ? ? ? is used by Homer is known to every one. But Plato, in the eighth book of his Laws [ 844'd ], uses both ? ? ? ? ? ? and ? ? ? ? ? ? ? , where he says- "Whoever tastes wild fruit, whether it be grapes (? ? ? ? ? ? ? ) or figs, before the time of the vintage arrives, which falls at the time of the rising of Arcturus, whether it be on his own farm, or on any one else's land, shall be fined fifty sacred drachmas to be paid to Dionysus, if he plucked them off his own land; but a mina if he gather them on a neighbour's estate; but if he take them from any other place, two-thirds of a mina. But whoever chooses to gather the grapes (? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ), which are now called the noble grapes, or the figs called the noble figs, if he gather them from his own trees, let him gather them as he pleases, and when he pleases; but if he gathers them from the trees of any one else without having obtained the leave of the owner, then, in accordance with the law which forbids any one to move what he has not placed, he shall be invariably punished. " These are the words of the divine Plato; but I ask now what is this noble grape (? ? ? ? ? ? ? ), and this noble fig that he speaks of? And you may all consider this point while I am discussing the other dishes which are on the table. And Masurius said-
But let us not postpone this till to-morrow,
Still less till the day after.
When the philosopher says ? ? ? ? ? ? ? , he means ? ? ? ? ? ? , generous, as Archilochus also uses the word-
Come hither, you are generous (? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? );
or, perhaps, he means ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ; that is to say, grafted.
For Aristotle speaks of grafted pears, and calls them ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? . And Demosthenes, in his speech in defence of Ctesiphon [ 262 ], has the sentence, "gathering figs, and grapes (? ? ? ? ? ? ), and olives. " And Xenophon, in his Oeconomicus [ 19'19 ], says, "grapes (? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ) are ripened by the sun. " And our ancestors also have been acquainted with the practice of steeping grapes in wine, Accordingly Eubulus, in his Glued Together, says-
But take these grapes (? ? ? ? ? ? ), and in neat wine pound them,
And pour upon them many cups of water.
Then make him eat them when well steeped in wine.
And the poet, who is the author of the Chiron, which is generally attributed to Pherecrates, says-
Almonds and apples, and the arbutus first,
And myrtle-berries, pastry, too, and grapes
Well steeped in wine; and marrow.
And that every sort of autumn fruit was always plentiful at Athens, Aristophanes testifies in his Seasons. Why, then, should that appear strange which Aethlius the Samian asserts in the fifth book of his Samian Chronicles, where he says, "The fig, and the grape, and the medlar, and the apple, and the rose grow twice a-year"? [654] And Lynceus, in his letter to Diagoras, praising the Nicostrateian grape, which grows in Attica, and comparing it to the Rhodian grapes, says, "As rivals of the Nicostrateian grapes they grow the Hipponeian grape; which after the month Hecatombaeon (like a good servant) has constantly the same good disposition towards its masters. "
[69. ] G But as you have had frequent discussions about meats, and birds, and pigeons, I also will tell you all that I, after a great deal of reading, have been able to find out in addition to what has been previously stated. Now the word ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? (pigeon) may be found used by Menander in his Concubine, where he says-
He waits a little while, and then runs up
And says- "I've bought some pigeons (? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ) for you. "
And so Nicostratus, in his Delicate Woman, says-
These are the things I want,- a little bird,
And then a pigeon (? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ) and a paunch.
And Anaxandrides, in his Rival in Love, has the line-
For bringing in some pigeons (? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ) and some sparrows.
And Phrynichus, in his Tragedians, says-
Bring him a pigeon (? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ) for three obols.
Now with respect to the pheasant, Ptolemy the king, in the twelfth book of his Commentaries, speaking of the palace which there is at Alexandria, and of the animals which are kept in it, says, "They have also pheasants, which they call ? ? ? ? ? ? ? , which they not only used to send for from Media, but they also used to put the eggs under broody hens, by which means they raised a number, so as to have enough for food; for they call it very excellent eating. " Now this is the expression of a most magnificent monarch, who confesses that he himself has never tasted a pheasant, but who used to keep these birds as a sort of treasure. But if he had ever seen such a sight as this, when, in addition to all those which have been already eaten, a pheasant is also placed before each individual, he would have added another book to the existing twenty-four of that celebrated history, which he calls his Commentaries. And Aristotle or Theophrastus, in his Commentaries, says, "In pheasants, the male is not only as much superior to the female as is usually the case, but he is so in an infinitely greater degree. "
[70. ] G # But if the before-mentioned king [Ptolemy] had seen the number of peacocks also which exists at Rome, he would have fled to the sacred senate, as though he had a second time been driven out of his kingdom by his brother. For the multitude of these birds is so great at Rome, that Antiphanes the comic poet, in his Soldier or Tychon, may seem to have been inspired by the spirit of prophecy, when he said-
When the first man imported to this city
A pair of peacocks, they were thought a rarity,
But now they are more numerous than quails;
So also, if you search and find one good man,
He will be sure to have five worthless sons.
And Alexis, in his Lamp, says-
That he should have devoured so vast a sum!
Why if (by earth I swear) I fed on hares' milk
And peacocks, I could never spend so much.
And that they used to keep them tame in their houses, we learn from Strattis, in his Pausanias, where he says-
Of equal value with your many trifles,
And peacocks, which you breed up for their feathers.
And Anaxandrides, in his Melilotus, says-
[655] Is it not a mad idea to breed up peacocks,
When for the same cost one can buy two statues?
And Anaxilaus, in his Bird Feeders, says-
Besides all this, tame peacocks, loudly croaking.
Menodotus the Samian also, in his treatise On the Treasures in the Temple of the Samian Hera, says: "The peacocks are sacred to Hera; and perhaps Samos may be the place where they were first produced and reared, and from thence it was that they were scattered abroad over foreign countries, in the same way as cocks were originally produced in Persia, and the birds called guinea-fowl (? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ) in Aetolia. " On which account Antiphanes, in his Brothers by the same Father, says-
They say that in the city of Heliopolis
The phoenix is produced; the owl in Athens;
Cyprus breeds doves of admirable beauty:
But Hera, queen of Samos, does, they say,
Rear there a golden race of wondrous birds,
The brilliant, beautiful, conspicuous peacock.
On which account the peacock occurs on the coins of the Samians.
[71. ] G But since Menodotus has mentioned the guinea-fowl, we ourselves also will say something on that subject. Clytus the Milesian, a pupil of Aristotle, in the first book of his History of Miletus, writes thus concerning them- "All around the temple of the Virgin Goddess at Leros, there are birds called guinea-fowls (? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ). And the ground where they are bred is marshy. And this bird is very devoid of affection towards its young, and wholly disregards its offspring, so that the priests are forced to take care of them. And it is about the size of a very fine fowl of the common poultry, its head is small in proportion to its body, having but few feathers, but on the top it has a fleshy crest, hard and round, sticking up above the head like a peg, and of a woody colour. And over the jaws, instead of a beard, they have a long piece of flesh, beginning at the mouth, redder than that of the common poultry; but of that which exists in the common poultry on the top of the beak, which some people call the beard, they are wholly destitute; so that their beak is mutilated in this respect. But its beak is sharper and larger than that of the common fowl; its neck is black, thicker and shorter than that of common poultry. And its whole body is spotted all over, the general colour being black, studded in every part with thick white spots something larger than lentil seeds. And these spots are ring-shaped, in the middle of patches of a darker hue than the rest of the plumage: so that these patches present a variegated kind of appearance, the black part having a sort of white tinge, and the white seeming a good deal darkened. And their wings are all over variegated with white, in serrated, wavy lines, parallel to each other. And their legs are destitute of spurs like those of the common hen. And the females are very like the males, on which account the sex of the guinea-fowls is hard to distinguish. " Now this is the account given of guinea-fowls by the Peripatetic philosopher.
[72. ] G Roasted sucking-pigs are a dish mentioned by Epicrates in his Merchant-
On this condition I will be the cook;
Nor shall all Sicily boast that even she
Produced so great an artist as to fish,
Nor Elis either, where I've seen the flesh
Of dainty sucking-pigs well brown'd before
A rapid fire.
And Alexis, in his Wicked Woman, says-
A delicate slice of tender sucking-pig,
Bought for three obols, hot, and very juicy,
[656] When it is set before us.
"But the Athenians," as Philochorus tells us [ Fr_173 ], " when they sacrifice to the Seasons, do not roast, but boil their meat, entreating the goddesses to defend them from all excessive droughts and heats, and to give increase to their crops by means of moderate warmth and seasonable rains. For they argue that roasting is a kind of cookery which does less good to the meat, while boiling not only removes all its rawness, but has the power also of softening the hard parts, and of making all the rest digestible. And it makes the food more tender and wholesome, on which account they say also, that when meat has been once boiled, it ought not to be warmed up again by either roasting or boiling it; for any second process removes the goodness of it, as Aristotle tells us. And roast meat is more raw and dry than boiled meat. " But roast meats are called ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? . Accordingly Strattis in his Callippides says, with reference to Heracles-
Immediately he caught up some large slices (? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? )
Of smoking roasted boar, and swallowed them.
And Archippus, in his Heracles Marrying, says-
The trotters of little pigs, well cooked
In various fashion; slices, too, of bulls
With sharpened horns, and great long steaks of boar,
All roasted (? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ).
* * * * *
? Athenaeus: list of contents
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Athenaeus: The Deipnosophists
BOOK 15 (excerpts)
Translated by C. D. Yonge (1854).
