Corinthian Helmet - Literary Evidence

Literary Evidence

Herodotus mentions the Corinthian helmet in his Histories when writing of the Machlyes and Auseans, two tribes living along the River Triton in ancient Libya (the portion of ancient Libya he describes is most likely in modern Tunisia). The tribes chose annually two teams of the fairest maidens who fought each other ceremonially with sticks and stones. They were dressed in the finest Greek panoply topped off with a Corinthian helmet. The ritual fight was part of a festival honoring the virgin goddess Athena. Young women who succumbed to their wounds during the ordeal were thought to have been punished by the goddess for lying about their virginity (Histories, 4.180).

Read more about this topic:  Corinthian Helmet

Famous quotes containing the words literary and/or evidence:

    I have misplaced the Van Allen belt
    the sewers and the drainage,
    the urban renewal and the suburban centers.
    I have forgotten the names of the literary critics.
    Anne Sexton (1928–1974)

    There is evidence that all too many people are approaching parenthood with a dangerous lack of knowledge and skill. The result is that many children are losing out on what ought to be an undeniable right—the right to have parents who know how to be good parents, parents skilled in the art of “parenting.”
    T. H. Bell (20th century)