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Baba Bathra 73a-b We are told of several fantastic experiences that Rabba bar bar Hanna had. At least one of them is not quite so fantastic as it may initially appear. He saw two mules saddled for Hormin bar Lilith, each one on a bridge spanning the Dognag river. Hormin was able to jump repeatedly from one to the other (while they were moving, presumably) and at the same time to be pouring the contents of one wine goblet into a second and back again, without spilling a drop. Now, irrespective of the motive and meaning of this tale, we should note that both aspects of the feat described, the ability to leap back and forth between two moving horses (mules) and the ability to perform acrobatic/juggling feats with cups are both attested in antiquity. They were in fact the deeds of circus-per- formers in the Roman world. The first class even had a specific name: they were desultores . 1 The second were known for their ability to juggle ( inter alia ) cups. 2 Indeed, there is even evidence of performers who could enhance their acts by combining several actions at once. Thus, in a remarkable fresco from Herculaneum we see a tightrope walker who pours wine from a flask into a goblet while on the rope, much as Hormin pours wine while moving from mule to mule (Daremberg-Saglio s.v. funambulus p. 1346). Howard Jacobson University of Ilinois, Urbana 15 © 2004 Kluwer Academic Publishers. Printed in The Netherlands. 1 See e.g. Livy 23.29.5, Isid., Orig. 18.39. Note that the skill was already familiar to Homer. See Iliad 15.679-84. 2 So apparently Seneca, EM 45.8. S. Berger, M. Brocke and I. Zwiep (eds), Zutot 2003, 15
Zutot – Brill
Published: Jan 1, 2003
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