Arbelas
The arbelas (plural arbelai) was a
ancient Roman gladiator. The word is a hapax legomenon, occurring only in the Oneirocritica of Artemidorus, a Greek work on dream interpretation that discusses the symbolism of various gladiator types.[1] It may be related to the Greek word arbelos (ἄρβηλος), a cobbler's semicircular blade used to cut leather[1][2][3] similar to an ulu
.
A few
Artemidorus lists the arbelas among gladiators who might appear in dreams advising a man about what sort of woman he is to marry. Both the dimachaerus, who fought with two curved blades, and the "so-called" arbelas signify that the woman will either be a poisoner, malicious, or ugly.[3][5]
See also
References
- ^ a b Duncan, Anne (2006). Performance and Identity in the Classical World. Cambridge University Press. p. 205.
- ^ a b Fagan, Garret G. (2011). The Lure of the Arena: Social Psychology and the Crowd at the Roman Games. Cambridge University Press. p. 217.
- ^ JSTOR 20190801. (subscription required)
- JSTOR 20191036. (subscription required)
- ^ Carter, Michael (2008). "(Un)Dressed to Kill: Viewing the Retiarius". In Edmondson, J. C.; Keith, Alison (eds.). Roman Dress and the Fabrics of Roman Culture. University of Toronto Press. p. 129.