Dictionary of Greek and Roman antiquities. Ed. by William Smith. Illustrated by numerous engravings on wood.

216 B3YSSUS. CA CABUS.
VFerr. i. 58); while children of the liberitili were xviii. 12.) It was sometimes dyed of a purple or
only permitted to wear an ornament of the same crimson colour (6o'olrvvor roppvpov,, Hesych.).
kind made of leather (nod22s tantune et signumsn de Pliny (xix. 4) speaks of it as a species of flax
paqspere loro, Jnv. v. 165; libertitis scor-tea, Ascon. (linens), and says that it served mulierunz maxime
ad Cic. 1. c.). The bulla was laid aside, together deliciis. (Yates, Textrinum Antiquorum, p. 267,
with the praetexta, and was consecrated on this &c.)
occasion to the Lares. (Pers. v. 31.) Examples
of boys represented with the bulla are not unfrequent in statues, on tombs, and in other works of C. K.
art. (Spon, MIisc. p. 299; Middleton, Ant. MoIon.
tab. 3.) [J. Y.] CABEI'RIA(tagCepta),mysteries, festivals, and
BURIS. [AnATRUM.] orgies solemnised in all places in which the PelasBUSTUA'RII. [FuNus.] gian Cabeiri, the most mysterious and perplexing
BUSTUM. [FUNUS.] deities of Grecian mythology, were worshipped,
BUXUM (7r'Sos), properly means the wood of but especially in Samothrace, Imbros, Lemnos,
the box tree, but was given as a name to many Thebes, Anthedon, Pergamus, and Berytos. (Pans.
things made of this wood. The tablets used for ix. 25. ~ 5, iv. ]. ~ 5, ix. 22. ~ 5, i. 4. ~ 6; Euseb.
writing on, and covered with wax (tabulae ceaetee), Praep. Evang. p. 31.) Little is known respecting
were usually made of this wood. Hence we read the rites observed in these mysteries, as no one was
in Propertius (iii. 22. 8), " Vulgari buxo sordida allowed to divulge them. (Strabo, x. p. 470, &c;
cera fuit." These tabellae were sometimes called Apollon. Rhod. i. 917; Orph. Aryon. 469; Valer.
cerata brxa. In the same way the Greek irvtlfoz, Flacc. ii. 435.) Diagoras is said to have provoked
formed from 7rios, " box-wood," came to be ap- the highest indignation of the Athenians by his
plied to any tablets, whether they were made of having made these and other mysteries public.
this wood or any other substance; in which sense (Athenag. Leg. ii. 5.) The most celebrated were
the word occurs in the Septuagint (rah rvuia ~r those of the island of Samothrace, which, if we
MAiOa, Exod. xxiv. 12; compare Is. xxx. 8; Hac. may judge from those of Lemnos, were solemnised
ii. 2). every year, and lasted for nine days. The admisTops were made of box-wood (volzlTile zsxuzm, sion was not confined to men, for we find instances
Virg. Aen. vii. 382; Pers. iii. 51); and also all of women and boys being initiated. (Schol. ad
Rwind instruments, especially the flute, as is the case El-ip. l-'oen. 7; Plut. Alex. 2; Donatus ad Terent,
in the present day (Ov. Ex Pont. i. 1. 45,.llet. xii. P /zorm. i. 15.) Persons on their admission seem
158, Fast. vi. 697; Virg. Ace. ix. 619). Combs to have undergone a sort of examination respectalso were made of the same wood; whence Juvenal ing the life they had led hitherto (Plut. Laced.
(xiv. 194) speaks of caput inactum? buxro. Apopldlt. Antalcid. p. 141. ed. Tauchnitz), and
BYSSUS (/3o'voes). It has been a subject of were then purified of all their crimes, even if they
some dispute whether the byssus of the ancients had committed murder. (Livy. xlv. 5; Schol. ad
was cotton or linen. HIeroldotus (ii. 86) says that Tlieocrit. ii. 12; Hesych. s. v. Koi-qs.) The priest
the mummies were wrapped up in lyqssine sindon who undertook the purification of murderers bore
(omvadvos f3uoevs Em,i TEiXajOC ), which Rosellini the name of KO'-Ts. The persons who were iniand many modern writers maintain to be cotton. tiated received a purple ribbon, which was worn
The only decisive test, however, as to the material around their bodies as an amulet to preserve them
of mummy cloth is the microscope; and from the against all dangers and storms of the sea. (Schol.
numerous examinations which have been made, it ad Apollon. 1. c.; Diodor. v. 49.)
is quite certain that the mummy cloth was made Respecting the Lennian Caleiria we know that
of flax and not of cotton, and therefore whenever their annual celebration took place at night (Cic.
the ancient writers apply the trmn byssus to the De NAt. Deeor. i. 42), and lasted for nine days,
mummy cloth, we must understand it to mean during which all fires of the island, which were
linen, thought to be impure, were extinguished, sacrifices
The word byssus appears to come from the were offered to the dead, and a sacred vessel was
Hebrew butz, and the Greeks probably got it sent out to fetch new fire from Delos. During these
through the Phoenicians. (See Gesenius's 27se- sacrifices the Cabeiri were thought to be absent with
sam'us.) Pausanias (vi. 26. ~ 4) says that the the sacred vessel; after the return of which, the
district of Elis was well adapted for growing pure fire was distributed, and a new life began,
byssus, and remarks that all the people, whose probably with banquets. (Schol. ad Apollon. RMod.
land is adapted for it, sow hemp, flax, and byssus. i. 608.)
In another passage (v. 5. ~ 2) he says that Elis is The great celebrity of the Samothracian maysthe only place in Greece in which byssus grows, teries seem to have obscured and thrown into oband remarks that the byssus of Elis is not inferior livion those of Lemnos, from which Pythagoras is
to that of the Hebrews in fineness, but not so yel- said to have derived a part of his wisdom. (Iamlow (~ayO -). The wonmen in Patrae gained their blich. Vit. Pibth. c. 151; compare Miller's Prolego
living by making head-dresses (1cercptqanAo,), and mena, p. 150.) Concerning the celebration of the
weaving cloth from the byssus gromn iu Elis. Cabeiria in other places nothing is known, and they
(Paus. vii. 21. ~ 7.) seem to have fallen into decay at a very early
Among later writers, the word byssus may per- period. (Comp. Guthberlet, De Msysteriis Deorerm
haps be used to indicate either cotton or linen Ccabirorumn Franequerae, 1704, 4to.; Welcker, Die
cloth. Bittiger (Sabina, vol. ii. p 105) supposes Aeseleyl. Tril. p. 160, &c.; E. G. Haupt, De Relithat the byssus was a kind of muslin, which was gione Cabiriaca, 1834, 4to.; Lobeck, Aglaophamnes,
employed in making the celebrated Coan garments. p. 1 281, &c.; Kenrick, Tze Egypt of-Iereod, p. 264,
It is mentioned in the Gospel of St. Luke (xvi. 9) &c.) [L. S.]
as part of the dress of a rich mnan. (Compare Rer. CACA3US. [AtsTHePsA.]