Athenaeus, The Deipnosophists
C. D. Yonge, B.A., Ed.

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There is the tabaitas also. Amyntas, in the first book of his treatise on the Stations of Asia, speaking of what is called aerial honey, writes as follows:—“They gather it with the leaves, and store it up, making it up in the same manner as the Syrian cakes of fruit, but some make it into balls; and when they are about to use it for food, they break pieces off these cakes into wooden cups, which they call tabaitæ, and soak them, and then strain them off and drink the liquor; and the drink is very like diluted honey, but this is much the sweeter of the two.”

There is also the tragelaphus. And this is the name given to some cups, as Alexis mentions, in his Coniates—

Cymbia, phialæ, tragelaphi, culices.

And Eubulus, in his Man Glued on, says—

But there are five phialæ, and two tragelaphi.

And Menander, in his Fisherman, says—

Tragelaphi, labronii.

And Antiphanes, in his Chrysis, says—

And for this rich and sordid bridegroom now,
Who owns so many talents, slaves, and stewards,
And pairs of horses, camels, coverlets,—
Such loads of silver plate, such phialæ,
Triremes, tragelaphi, carchesia,
Milkpails of solid gold, vessels of all sorts;
For all the gluttons and the epicures
Call casks brimful of wine mere simple milkpails.

There is also the trireme. And that trireme is the name of a species of drinking-cup Epicurus has shown, in his Supposititious Damsels; and the passage which is a proof of this has been already quoted.

There is also the hystiacum, which is some sort of drinking-cup. Rhinthon, in his Hercules, says— [p. 801]

You swallow'd, in one small hystiacum,
A cheesecake of pure meal, and groats, and flour.