Θαλαμακεῖς
hold-rowers, bottom-rank-rowers
Translated by Anne Mahoney12 Dec 1999Vetting: high6 revisions
Translation
and [sc. also attested is] qala/maki ['for the hold-man'],1, the man rowing in the bottom part of the trireme. The hold-rowers used to receive the least pay because they used smaller oars than the other three ranks of rowers,2 because they were closer to the water. There were three ranks of rowers: the thalamites ['hold-men'] at the bottom, the zygites ['yoke-men'] in the middle, the thranites ['bench-men'] at the top. Or the thranite [was] the one near the stern, the zygite the middle one, the thalamios at the prow.3 A thalamia [is] the hole or opening through which the oar comes out.
Greek original · Adler’s text
Θαλαμακεῖς· καὶ Θαλάμακι, τῷ κωπηλατοῦντι ἐν τῷ κάτω μέρει τῆς τριήρους. οἱ δὲ θαλαμακεῖς ὀλίγον ἐλάμβανον μισθὸν διὰ τὸ κολοβαῖς χρῆσθαι κώπαις πρὸς τὰς ἄλλας τρεῖς τάξεις τῶν ἐρετῶν, ὅτι μᾶλλόν εἰσιν ἐγγὺς τοῦ ὕδατος. ἦσαν δὲ τρεῖς τάξεις τῶν ἐρετῶν, ἡ μὲν κάτω θαλαμῖται, ἡ δὲ μέση ζυγῖται, ἡ δὲ ἄνω θρανῖται. ἢ θρανίτης ὁ πρὸς τὴν πρύμναν, ζυγίτης ὁ μέσος, θαλάμιος ὁ πρὸς τὴν πρώραν. θαλαμία δὲ ἡ ὀπή, δι' ἧς ἐξέρχεται ἡ κώπη.
Betacode
*qalamakei=s: kai\ *qala/maki, tw=| kwphlatou=nti e)n tw=| ka/tw me/rei th=s trih/rous. oi( de\ qalamakei=s o)li/gon e)la/mbanon misqo\n dia\ to\ kolobai=s xrh=sqai kw/pais pro\s ta\s a)/llas trei=s ta/ceis tw=n e)retw=n, o(/ti ma=llo/n ei)sin e)ggu\s tou= u(/datos. h)=san de\ trei=s ta/ceis tw=n e)retw=n, h( me\n ka/tw qalami=tai, h( de\ me/sh zugi=tai, h( de\ a)/nw qrani=tai. h)\ qrani/ths o( pro\s th\n pru/mnan, zugi/ths o( me/sos, qala/mios o( pro\s th\n prw/ran. qalami/a de\ h( o)ph/, di' h(=s e)ce/rxetai h( kw/ph.
Notes (3)
- The headword appears to be nominative or accusative plural of an unattested noun
qalamakeu/s , unless this form (also unattested elsewhere) is simply a mistake forqala/makes , nominative plural ofqa/lamac (see n. 1 below); cf. theta 8, theta 454, theta 455, and generally Morrison & Coates (1986): 132-151; Casson (1995): 82-4. - 1Dative singular of
qa/lamac (web address 1); the form, a variant on the more commonqalamio/s orqalami/ths (web address 2), appears at Aristophanes, Frogs 1074 (web address 3), and much of this entry comes from the scholia on that line; cf. Hesychius theta19, Etymologicum Magnum 441.24. ↩ - 2It does say the other three ranks, even though there are only three ranks in total (as described below). ↩
- 3If this is not a misunderstanding, or a description of the manning of some ship other than a trireme, then it perhaps refers to the fact that of any vertical rank of three rowers on a trireme, the uppermost man will be situated astern of the middle man, and the middleman astern of the bottom man. ↩
References
J.S. Morrison & J.F. Coates, The Athenian Trireme (Cambridge 1986)
L. Casson, Ships and Seamanship in the Ancient World (Baltimore & London 1995)
L. Casson, Ships and Seamanship in the Ancient World (Baltimore & London 1995)
External resources
- Web address 1 perseus.tufts.edu
- Web address 2 perseus.tufts.edu
- Web address 3 perseus.tufts.edu
Linked from3 entries
- θ8Θαλαμίδιοι κῶπαιlowest oars, hold-oarsThose [oars] that propel gently. Herodotus [writes]: "[Megabates gave orders] for him to be bound and put him through an oar-port of the ship in such a way that his head was outside and his body inside."
- θ454Θρανίτης λεώςtop-bench folkMeaning seafaring. He spoke of the whole from a part. For of those rowing, the ones at the top called thranites, those in the middle zygites, and those at the bottom thalamites.
- θ455Θρανίτηςthranite[Meaning] the one near the stern; zygite, the middle man; thalamite, the one near the prow.
Neighbouring entries
Revision history6 revisions · last 23 Dec 2012
- another keyword; cosmetics — David Whitehead
- upgraded link — Catharine Roth
- tweaked headword and translation, modified and augmented notes, raised status — William Hutton
- augmented notes and keywords; tweaks and cosmetics — David Whitehead
- changed from emph to i tags for xml validation — Ross Scaife ✝
- modified headword; added note, bibliography, keywords; cosmetics — David Whitehead
- Translated — Anne Mahoney