The History of the Manners and Customs of Ancient Greece, Volume 3 (of 3)St. John, James Augustus
History
The History of the Manners and Customs of Ancient Greece, Volume 3 (of 3)
St. John, James Augustus
Greece -- Social life and customs
There were those among the ancients who attributed the invention of
mills to the Pelasgian Myles, son of Lelex, probably that they might
have a hero from whose name they could conveniently derive the word
μυλῶν.—Ἀπ’ αὐτου (τοῦ ἱερου Ποσειδῶνος) προελθόντι ὡς ἐπὶ τὸ Ταΰγετον
ὀνομάζουσιν Ἀλεσίας χωρίον, Μύλητα τὸν Λέλεγος πρῶτον ἀνθρώπων μύλην
τε εὑρεῖν λέγοντες καὶ ἐν ταῖς Ἀλεσίαις ταύταις ἀλέσαι. Paus. iii. 20.
2. According to Hesychius, (v. Μυλὰς) this hero Myles or Mylas was one
of the Telchines: Μυλὰς, εἷς τῶν Τελχίνων, ὃς τὰ ἐν Καμείρῳ ἱερα
Μυλαντείων ἱδρύσατο. The tradition attributing to this personage the
invention of mills is thus related by Stephanus: Μυλαντία, ἄκρα ἐν
Καμίρῳ τῆς Ῥόδου. Μυλάντιοι, θεοί ἐπιμύλιοι. ἀπὸ Μύλαντος ἀμφότερα,
τοῦ καὶ πρώτου εὑρόντος ἐν τῷ βίῳ τὴν τοῦ μύλου χρῆσιν. De Urb. et
Popul. p. 570, seq. where we see the able and learned notes of
Berkelius.
Footnote 425:
Who very commonly sang at their employment. Schol. Aristoph. Nub.
1339. Plut. Conviv. Sept. Sap. § 45.
Footnote 426:
Poll. i. 80, informs us, that σιτοποιϊκὸς οἶκος was used by a kind of
euphemism for μυλῶν.
Footnote 427:
Cf. Schol. Aristoph. Eq. 253. Watermills were known in antiquity.
Vitruv. x. 10. Dempster on Rosin. i. 14. p. 87. Pignor. de Serv. 248.
These mills were, doubtless, called into requisition in time of war,
when the soldiers took along with them large quantities of cheese and
meal. Schol. Aristoph. Pac. 304. The ancients appear to have been
partial to small bread, since we find that four or even eight loaves
were sometimes made from a chœnix of flour. Schol. Vesp. 440.
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