ephebus

ephebus
/i fee"beuhs/, n., pl. ephebi /-buy/.
a youth of ancient Greece just entering manhood or commencing training for full Athenian citizenship.
[ < L; see EPHEBE]

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▪ ancient Greek institution
      in ancient Greece, any male who had attained the age of puberty. In Athens it acquired a technical sense, referring to young men aged 18–20. From about 335 BC they underwent two years of military training under the supervision of an elected kosmetes and 10 sōphronistai (“chasteners”). At the end of the first year each ephebus received a sword and shield from the state; probably at this stage he took the ephebic oath. During their service, ephebi were exempt from civic duties and deprived of most civic rights. During the 3rd century BC, ephebic service ceased to be compulsory and the duration was reduced to one year. The ephebia became an institution for the wealthy classes only. By the 1st century BC foreigners were admitted, and the curriculum was expanded to include philosophic and literary studies, although the military character of the ephebia was not wholly lost. The system began to decay late in the 3rd century AD. In other Hellenistic cities the term ephebi was applied to youths aged 15–17.

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  • ephebus — [e fē′bəs] n. pl. ephebi [e fē′bī΄] [L < Gr ephēbos < epi , at, upon + hēbē, early manhood] in ancient Athens, a young citizen (18 to 20 years) undergoing physical and military training ephebic adj …   English World dictionary

  • Ephebus, S. (1) — 1S. Ephebus, M. (14. Febr.) Vom Griech. Εφηβος = mannbar etc. – Dieser hl. Ephebus kam mit Apollonius und Proculus von Athen nach Rom, wurde Schüler des Croton, dessen krüppelhaften Sohn der hl. Valentin heilte. Durch diese Wunderthat bekehrte… …   Vollständiges Heiligen-Lexikon

  • Ephebus, S. (2) — 2S. Ephebus, (14. April), ein Martyrer zu Terni, welcher aber wahrscheinlich identisch ist mit dem Vorhergehenden. S. S. Apollonius7. (II. 211.) …   Vollständiges Heiligen-Lexikon

  • Ephebus (personal name) — As well as being a general epithet, Ephebus (ancient Greek adolescent) often occurs as an individual name, as in the cases of: *Ephebus, a martyr from Terni, a city in central Italy *Claudius Ephebus, mentioned in the first letter of Clement to… …   Wikipedia

  • ephebus — noun (plural ephebi) Etymology: Latin, from Greek ephēbos, from epi + hēbē youth, puberty Date: 1627 a youth of ancient Greece; especially an Athenian 18 or 19 years old in training for full citizenship …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • ephebus — n. (In ancient Greece) ephebe, young Athenian man between 18 and 20 years old who had just reached manhood or full citizenship …   English contemporary dictionary

  • ephebus — ephe·bus …   English syllables

  • ephebus — e•phe•bus [[t]ɪˈfi bəs[/t]] n. pl. bi [[t] baɪ[/t]] cvb anh a youth of ancient Greece just entering manhood or commencing training for full Athenian citizenship • Etymology: 1885–95; < L; see ephebe …   From formal English to slang

  • ephebus — …   Useful english dictionary

  • éphèbe — [ efɛb ] n. m. • 1544; lat. ephebus, du gr. ephêbos, rac. hêbê « jeunesse » 1 ♦ Jeune garçon arrivé à l âge de la puberté, dans l Antiquité grecque. ⇒ adolescent. Types d éphèbes représentés par la statuaire grecque classique. 2 ♦ (fin XIXe) Iron …   Encyclopédie Universelle

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