This is what Athenians called the laws of
Solon, because of the fact they had been inscribed on wooden axles. They were square in shape.
Demosthenes in the [speech]
Against Aristokrates mentions the word.[1]
Axones and
kyrbeis are different.[2]
Homer speaks of the 'axle' of a wagon.[3]
Axones: houtôs ekalesan Athênaioi tous Solônos nomous, dia to engraphênai autous en xulinois axosin. êsan de tetragônoi to schêma. memnêtai tês lexeôs Dêmosthenês en tôi kata Aristokratous. Axones de kai kurbeis diapherei. Axona de legei Homêros ton tês hamaxês.
The first and principal part of this entry derives from Harpokration s.v.
a)/coni (sic: dative singular, from the
Demosthenes passage quoted -- see below).
The headword applies not only to the axles on which wheels, cones, etc. rotate, but, as we see here, to the objects rotating upon them, such as the tablets on which the law code of
Solon was inscribed at
Athens (OCD(4) p.217). See again at
nu 485 (end); also
kappa 2744.
[1]
Demosthenes 23.31.
[2] If so, it is not clear how (see the LSJ entries at web address 1 and web address 2).
Kurbeis were apparently triangular objects, while this entry asserts that
axones were square, but most authorities regard the two terms as interchangeable.
[3] So in e.g.
Homer,
Iliad 5.838.
No. of records found: 1
Page 1