Remarks on the Black Cloaks of the Ephebes

Abstract

In a remarkably interesting paper on the Black Hunter and the Athenian ephebeia, Vidal-Naquet has given one or two examples of the use of black or darkness in connection with the ephebes. Whereas I think the main points of his argument sound, in these details there may be some misunderstanding about which I should like to make a brief comment. We are told by Xenophon: ‘οἱ οὖν περὶ τὸν Θηεραμένη παρεσκεύασαν ἀνθρώπους μέλανα ἱμάτια ἔχοντας καὶ ἐν χρῷ κεκαρμένους πολλοὺς ἐν ταύτῇ τῇ ἑορτῇ, ἴνα πρὸς τὴν ἐκκλησίαν ἤκοιεν, ὡς δὴ συγγενεῖς ὄντες τῶν ἀπολωλότων.’ The appearance of these men in black at a festival where the processionists at least, according to Istros, wore their finest clothes, is certainly odd at first glance, but I do not think we are entitled to draw Vidal-Naquet's conclusion that they had the appearance of ephebes.