[The History of Rome, Book I by Theodor Mommsen]@TWC D-Link book
The History of Rome, Book I

CHAPTER XIII
18/44

Thence came linen and purple, ivory and frankincense, as is proved by the early use of linen fillets, of the purple dress and ivory sceptre for the king, and of frankincense in sacrifice, as well as by the very ancient borrowed names for them (-- linon--, -linum-; -- porphura--, -purpura-; -- skeiptron--, -- skipon--, -scipio-; perhaps also -- elephas--, -ebur-; -- thuos--, -thus-).

Of similar significance is the derivation of a number of words relating to articles used in eating and drinking, particularly the names of oil,( 19) of jugs (-- amphoreus--, -amp( h)ora-, -ampulla-, -- krateir--, -cratera-), of feasting (-- komazo--, -comissari-), of a dainty dish (-- opsonion--, -opsonium-) of dough (-- maza--, -massa-), and various names of cakes (-- glukons--, -lucuns-; -- plakons--, -placenta-; -- turons--, -turunda-); while conversely the Latin names for dishes (-patina-, -- patanei--) and for lard (-arvina-, -- arbinei--) have found admission into Sicilian Greek.

The later custom of placing in the tomb beside the dead Attic, Corcyrean, and Campanian vases proves, what these testimonies from language likewise show, the early market for Greek pottery in Italy.

That Greek leather-work made its way into Latium at least in the shape of armour is apparent from the application of the Greek word for leather -- skutos-- to signify among the Latins a shield (-scutum-; like -lorica-, from -lorum-).

Finally, we deduce a similar inference from the numerous nautical terms borrowed from the Greek (although it is remarkable that the chief technical expressions in navigation--the terms for the sail, mast, and yard--are pure Latin forms);( 20) and from the recurrence in Latin of the Greek designations for a letter (-- epistolei--, -epistula-), a token (-tessera-, from -- tessara--( 21)), a balance (-- stateir--, -statera-), and earnest-money (-- arrabon--, -arrabo-, -arra-); and conversely from the adoption of Italian law-terms in Sicilian Greek,( 22) as well as from the exchange of the proportions and names of coins, weights, and measures, which we shall notice in the sequel.


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