Illustrated Companion to the Latin Dictionary/Sambuca

This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Rich, Anthony (1849). The illustrated companion to the Latin dictionary, and Greek lexicon. p. vi. OCLC 894670115. https://archive.org/details/illustratedcompa00rich. 

SAMBU'CA (σαμβύκη). A stringed instrument with chords of different lengths and substance, similar to our harp. (Scipio African. ap. Macrob. Sat. ii. 10. Persius v. 95. Porphyr. in Ptol. Harm.) It was sometimes of small dimensions, like the Welsh harp; at others a large and powerful instrument, like our own, and highly ornamented, as shown by the annexed example (Sambuca/1.1), from an Egyptian painting, now well-known as Bruce's harp, who first made it public.

2. A military engine employed for scaling walls. (Festus s. v. Veg. Mil. iv. 21. Vitruv. x. 16. 9.) In the absence of any representation of the machine, we may easily conceive its use and character from the above figure, as a moveable platform raised up and down by a number of ropes attached to pullies on the top of the frame, like the strings of a harp.

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  Sambuca/1.1