CAL´AMUS
CAL´AMUS a reed. Under this head it seems desirable
to group an account of the most important objects made of reeds of various
kinds. The varieties of the reed are described by Theophrastus (
H.
P. 4.11, 12) and Pliny (
Plin. Nat.
16. § § 159-173), one of the most notable being the
calamus odoratus, found in Syria and Arabia
(Col. 12.52;
Plin. Nat. 12.104,
13.9; Veget. 4.13), and used in the
manufacture of unguents.
Κάλαμος denotes a
larger sort of reed than
δόναξ, and
harundo than
canna.
Reeds were extensively used for thatching and wall-building; for making mats,
crates, and other articles of plaited work (
Hdt.
5.101,
1.179,
2.96;
Thuc. 2.76); and for many purposes
for which a light stick was needed,--e. g. a signal-post (
calamus, Col. 3.15), an Egyptian sign-post (
Plin. Nat. 6.166), a rod to brush down
cobwebs (
harundo, Plaut.
Stich.
2.2, 23), the bridge of the lyre (
δόϝαξ,
Aristoph. Frogs 232), the cross-piece
on which the lyre-strings are fastened (
κάλαμος
ὑπολύριος, Soph.
Fr. 34). Reeds were also
employed in the following uses:--
1. The Pan's pipes (
σῦριγξ), formed of reeds
of graduated length bound together by wax, as shown in the accompanying cut
(
calamus,
Lucr. 4.588,
5.1379-
1415; Tib. 2.5, 29-32;
canna,
Ov. Met. 2.682,
11.171;
harundo, ib. 1.684, 11.154;
κάλαμος, Eur.
I. T.
1125,
El. 702;
δόϝαξ, Aesch.
Pr. 574).
2. A light flute, formed of a single reed (
harundo,
Ov. Met. 6.384;
κάλαμος,
Pind. O. 10.100,
 |
|
Calamus, Pan's pipe, from terracotta relief with Judgment of
Paris. (British Museum.)
|
Nem. 5.70;
δόναξ, id.
Pyth. 12.44; Theocr. 20.29). The
reed-flute figured in the following woodcut was found in an Egyptian tomb
and is in the British Museum.
 |
|
Egyptian reed-flute. (British Museum.)
|
3. The shaft of an arrow, and in poetry an arrow made of a reed which was not
hollow, but filled with pith (
κάλαμος ϝαστός,
τοξικός or
Κρητικός,
Theophr.
l.c.; calamus, Hor.
Od. 1.15,
17;
Plin. Nat. 16.161;
harundo,
Ov. Met. 1.471;
Verg. A. 4.73;
δόναξ,
Hom. Il. 11.584).
4. A reed-pen (
calamus scriptorius or
chartarius, Cels. 5.28, 12, App.
Flor. 9), which, like our quill-pens, was sharpened (
καλαμογλυφεῖν,
Etym. M. 485. 33,
calamum acuere,
temperare) with a knife (
scalprum
librarium, Tac.
[p. 1.330]Ann.
5.8; Suet.
Vitell. 2) and had a cleft point (
calamus fissipes, Aus.
Epist. 7.49).
Pens thus made of knotted reeds are represented in the cut under
ATRAMENTUM The case in which
they were kept was called
καλαμίς,
theca calamaria or
graphiaria, or
theca cannarum
(
Suet. Cl. 35; cp.
Mart. 14.19, Hieron.
in Ezech. 9.2). The earliest
mention of quill-pens appears to be in Isidore,
Orig. 6.14,
3. The best reeds for pen-making came from Egypt, Cnidus and the
lacus Anaiticus (
Plin. Nat.
16.157;
Mart. 14.38; Aus.
l.c., and 4.77).
Harundo is used in the same sense in
Mart.
1.3,
10; Pers. 3.11;
κάλαμος in Poll. 10.61.
5. A fishing-rod (
κάλαμος, Theocr. 21.43;
Arist.
P. A. 4.12, 11;
καλαμίς,
Anth. P. 10.11;
calamus,
Ov. Met. 3.587;
harundo, Plaut.
Bud. 2.1, 5; Tib. 2.6, 23).
6. The fowler's limed rod, which was sometimes composed of separate joints,
so that it could be lengthened to suit the fowler's convenience. It was then
called
harundo crescens or
texta (
Mart. 9.54,
3,
14.218; Sil.
7.674-7; Petr.
Sat. 109, 7; Bion, xii. (ii.)
5). In the same sense we have
calamus (
Prop. 3.13,
46;
Mart. 13.68; Sen.
Oct. 411) and
δόϝαξ (
Anth. P. 7.702).
7. A light Egyptian boat made of reeds (
canna,
Juv. 5.89;
Plin. Nat.
7.206).
8. A horizontal rod passed through the warp in weaving (
harundo,
Ov. Met. 6.55). [
TELA]
9.
Harundo is also the crown of reeds worn by
river-gods (
Verg. A. 8.34,
10.205;
Ov. Met.
9.3).
[
J.H.F]
