History of Ancient Pottery: Greek, Etruscan, and Roman. Volume 2 (of 2)Walters, H. B. (Henry Beauchamp)
History
History of Ancient Pottery: Greek, Etruscan, and Roman. Volume 2 (of 2)
Walters, H. B. (Henry Beauchamp)
Mythology, Classical, in art; Pottery, Ancient; Pottery, Etruscan; Pottery, Greek; Pottery, Roman
Among the various =Games= popular with Greek youths the favourite
is, perhaps, that of ball, which was often played by men mounted on
each other’s shoulders in two parties, this being known as
ἐφεδρισμός[1685]; a rougher variant, in which the ball was omitted
and victory was probably gained by overthrowing the opponent pair,
was known as ἐγκοτύλη.[1686] Women and children also play at ball,
as does Eros.[1687] Equally popular was cock-fighting[1688]; and we
also see a group of boys shooting with bow and arrows at a popinjay
or figure of a bird.[1689] Of indoor amusements the favourite is
the κότταβος, a popular relaxation after a banquet, often seen on
kylikes and other R.F. vases.[1690] Other games, more suitable to
younger boys, are top-spinning[1691] and bowling a hoop[1692];
others, again, in which boys and girls join, or even occasionally
Eros and Satyrs, are the games of _morra_ (_micare digitis_, or
“How many fingers do I hold up?”),[1693] and its variant, the
ὤμιλλα, played with knucklebones[1694]; swinging[1695] and
see-sawing[1696]; and flying a kite.[1697] A game of similar
character to the _morra_ is played by a winged girl, who places her
hands over the eyes of a boy in a chair.[1698] The so-called magic
wheel, which was twirled on a string, is almost exclusively used by
Eros on the vases of Southern Italy.[1699] Children with their
toys, such as go-carts, vases of various shapes, etc., are often
depicted on the smaller R.F. vases of the fine style, some of which
were perhaps actually made for playthings[1700]; and we often see
them accompanied by pet dogs, tortoises, and other animals.[1701]
Similarly there are representations of birds and beasts kept in
cages,[1702] and of grown-up people playing with pets: a youth and
girl with a mouse or jerboa,[1703] or a man with a Maltese
dog.[1704]
Equal in importance in the eyes of the Greeks was the other great
division of their education, μουσική; the wider sense in which they
used the word, the culture of the mind as opposed to that of the body
(γυμναστικη), admits of including under this heading school scenes as
well as musical performances. Among the former is the well-known kylix
of Duris in Berlin (Plate XXXIX.),[1705] where a teacher is seen
unrolling a manuscript on which appears an epic hexameter (see Chapter
XVII.); a pupil is about to write on tablets; and others undergo
instruction on the flute and lyre. Elsewhere we see a youth writing on
a tablet,[1706] or on his way to school[1707]; a man reading from a
roll[1708]; and a vivid representation of a schoolmaster giving a
writing lesson.[1709]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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