Φρυγίων ἐρίων
of Phrygian wool.
Translated by Robert Dyer29 May 2000Vetting: high2 revisions
Translation
[sc. So called] for wool there is soft and excellent. Aristophanes: "for, poor wretch, I lost my cloak of Phrygian wool because of this [cockerel]."
Greek original · Adler’s text
Φρυγίων ἐρίων· ἐκεῖσε γὰρ ἁπαλὰ καὶ καλὰ ἔρια γίνεται. Ἀριστοφάνης· χλαῖναν γὰρ ἀπώλεσ' ὁ μοχθηρὸς Φρυγίων ἐρίων διὰ τοῦτον.
Betacode
*frugi/wn e)ri/wn: e)kei=se ga\r a(pala\ kai\ kala\ e)/ria gi/netai. *)aristofa/nhs: xlai=nan ga\r a)pw/les' o( moxqhro\s *frugi/wn e)ri/wn dia\ tou=ton.
Notes
- Aristophanes, Birds 493, with comment from the scholia there.
The wool and weaving of the Phrygians, and of their predecessors the Maeonians, were famous in antiquity. Excavations at Gordion have revealed flatweave textiles similar to modern kilim. The softness of their wool suggests the use of mohair, the spring underdown of Angora- or cashmere-type goats, suitable for the Phrygian terrain and perhaps reflected in their mythology of Dionysus and "Pan". Traditionally the Angora goat was introduced to the Ankara area by the Turks or other Central Asian nomads, but others suggest a much earlier arrival. We must await results from the new field of paleo-zoology.
References
R. Ellis, "Textiles", in Rodney S. Young, Three Great Early Tumuli: The Gordion final excavation reports (1981) 294-310.
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Revision history2 revisions · last 29 Apr 2011
- more keywords; cosmetics — David Whitehead
- added keywords; cosmetics — David Whitehead
- Translated — Robert Dyer