Πρωτεσίλαος (fr. 42)

213

Olson 1998 on Ar. Pax 521. The sheer numbers reflect the non-Greekness of
the setting; for the enormity of barbarian populations, cf. Hdt. 4.81.1; 5.3.1;
Th. 2.97.6.
10 λέβητας χαλκούς The lebes is a large, deep bowl, made either of
metal or clay and often set on a three-legged stand; see Amyx 1958. 199-200;
Kanowski 1984. 86-8; Richter-Milne 1935. 9-11. The vessel served a variety
of purposes, functioning as an urn (A. Ag. 444; Ch. 686; S. El. 1401); a basin
for washing the feet or other body parts (e. g. Hsch. λ 484 λέβης· χάλκειος
ποδανιπτήρ; cf. Fraenkel 1950 on A. Ag. 1129; Ginouves 1962. 61-75); a mix-
ing vessel (e.g. Semos of Delos FGrHist 396 F 16); or a pot for boiling water,
whether for cooking, bathing, or some other purpose (e. g. Antiph. fr. 26.3-4).
Especially in this last use, its tripod stand is functional, providing a means of
suspending the vessel over a fire. The context suggests that here the vessels are
used as a cooking pot, most likely for the soup mentioned in 13. In any case,
the larger context of a wedding-feast would call to mind the λέβης γαμικός,
a vessel apparently used in some sort of bridal purification; cf. Agora XII.54;
Boardman 1958-1959. 161-2. Amyx, following Richter-Milne, maintains that
a difference in use follows that in material, with the bronze lebes used mainly
to heat liquids over fire and the clay version used to mix wine; in any event,
bronze lebetes seem to have been common, so serious consideration should
be given to van Herwerden’s χρυσούς, which better fits the context of ex-
travagant display.
11 μείζους λάκκων δωδεκακλίνων The size of a room is often indicat-
ed in terms of the number of couches it can contain; cf. on fr. 71.1; Phryn. Com.
fr. 69; Amphis fr. 45; Eub. fr. 119 with Hunter 1983 ad loc. δωδεκάκλινος thus
means literally ‘a house or room that contains twelve couches’; but ‘twelve’ is
frequently used to mean a vaguely large number (cf. 28 δωδεκάπηχυν; Dover
1993 on Ar. Ra. 1327). Pits for storage of various items, both liquid and dry,
are common in domestic architecture; e. g. Agora XIV. 197; OlynthusXII.204-5,
305-7; Arnott 1996 on Alex. fr. 184.3; D.S. 31.9.2 for a pit described as a nine-
couch room in size, λάκκοι in particular seem to have been normally used for
liquids; e.g. X. An. 4.2.22; Ar. Ec. 154; Alex. fr. 179.9 with Arnott 1996 ad loc.·,
Anaxil. fr. 1; Phot, λ 46 (cf. 43; 45).
12 αυτόν δέ Κότυν King of Thrace ca. 384-359 BC and granted Athenian
citizenship sometime early in his reign or possibly slightly before he acceded
to power; his daughter or sister married the Athenian Iphicrates. See Osborne
1981-1983 III.49-50; above on 3. For recent discussions of Cotys (PAA 583219)
and his reign, particularly the archaeological evidence, see Archibald 1998, esp.
218-26, 231 (see 260 and pl. 17 for silver bowls inscribed with Cotys’ name,
which were perhaps gifts from him); Peter 1997. 112-25. That Cotys himself