Illustrated Companion to the Latin Dictionary/Desultor

Illustrated Companion to the Latin Dictionary, and Greek Lexicon (Rich, 1849)

DESUL'TOR (μεταβάτης, ἄμφιππος). A person who exhibited feats of horsemanship in the Circus upon horses trained for the purpose, like our performers at Astley's, and the figure in the preceding engraving (Desultor/1.1), which is copied from a bas-relief in the museum at Verona. He sometimes had as many as four horses under his command (Agostini, Gemme, 193.); but the more usual number was two. (Liv. xiii. 29.), which he rode without reins or saddle, as shown by the annexed example (Desultor/1.2), from a terra-cotta lamp, and received the name of desultor from the practice of leaping from one to the other, while the animals were at their full speed. (Isidor. Orig. xviii. 39. Compare Prop. iv. 35.) He wore the cap termed pileus on his head (Hygin. Fab. 81.), which is observable in both the illustrations; and frequently rode in the Circus by the side of the chariots (see the illustration s. SPINA); but sometimes a performance of desultores was exhibited alone. Liv. xliv. 9.

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  Desultor/1.1
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  Desultor/1.2