BASILINDA
BASILINDA (
βασιλίνδα), a
children's game, wherein one is appointed by lot king, and has his playmates
as soldiers or servants to obey him (Poll. 9.110;
Hesych. sub voce). It was by an incident in connexion with this
game that the parentage of Cyrus the Elder was discovered (
Hdt. 1.114;
Just. 1.5).
By Suetonius (
Suet. Nero 35) it is called
ducatus et imperia ludere. We have evidence
that in the game of ball called
ἀπόρραξις
(i. e. trying how often one can keep knocking a ball up against a wall, or
against the ground), he who kept it up most times was called
βασιλεύς, and he could give what orders he
pleased to the defeated player, who was called
ὄνος (cf. Plat.
Theaet. 146 A;
Hor. Ep. 1.1,
59;
Grasberger,
Erziehung und Unterricht, 1.53-55, 92).
[
L.C.P]
