Volume 1

The Deipnosophists, or, Banquet of the learned, of Athenæus / literally translated by C.D. Yonge, B.A. ; with an appendix of poetical fragments, rendered into English verse by various authors, and a general index.

  • Athenaeus
Date:
1854
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The Deipnosophists, or, Banquet of the learned, of Athenæus / literally translated by C.D. Yonge, B.A. ; with an appendix of poetical fragments, rendered into English verse by various authors, and a general index. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    53/468 (page 33)
    DANCIXG AND DANCERS. 37.] andrians, the beautiful metropolis of Antioch, the surpassing beauty of Nicomedia; and besides all these that most glorious of all the cities which Jupiter has ever displayed, I mean Athens. And not only one day, but all the days in an entire year, would be too short for a man who should attempt to enumerate all the cities which might be enumerated as dis- cernible in that uranopolis of the Homans, the city of Home; so numerous are they.—For indeed some entire nations arc settled there, as the Cappadocians, the Scythians, the people of Pontus, and many other's. And all these nations, being so to say the entire population of the world, cidled the dancer who was so famous iu our time Memphis, comparing him, on account of the elegance of his movements, to the most royal and honoiu-able of cities; a city of which Bacchylides sings— Memphis, whicli winter dares not to assail, And lotu.s-crowued Nile. As for the Pythagorean philosophy, Athenanis explains that to us, and shows us everything in silence more iijtclligibly tlian others who undertake to teach the arts which recjuire talking. 37. Now of tragic dancing, as it was called, such as it existed in his time, Bathyllus of Alexandria was the first introducer; whom Seleucus describes as having beeir a legitimate dancer. This Bathyllus, according to the account of Ari.stonicus, and Pyladcs too, who has written a treatise on dancing, composed the Italian dance from the comic oire which was called KopSa^, and from the tragic dance which was called c/r/xeAeia, and from the Satyric dance which was called en'/ams, (from which also the Satym were called (TiKiwioTai.) the inventor of which was a barbarian named Sicinnus, though some say that Sicin- mis was a Cretan. Now, the dance invented by Pylades was stately, pathetic, and laborious ; but that of Bathyllus was iu a mciTier style ; for he added to his a kind of ode to Apollo. But Sophocles, in addition to being eminent for personal beauty, was very accomplished in music and dancing, having been instructed in those arts while a boy by Lamprus, and after the naval victory of Salainis, ho having no clothes on, but only being anointed with oil, danced round the trojihy erected on that occasion to the music of the lyre, but some say that he had his tunic on; and when he exhibited his Thamyris he himself played the harp; and he also played at VOL. I. ATH. D