Οἰδίπους Τύραννος (3)

ἱκτηρίοις κλάδοισιν The suppliant carried a branch of olive or laurel (ἱκετηρία), round which were twined festoons of wool(στέφη, στέμματα, —which words can stand for the ἱκετηρία itself, below 913, Hom. Il. 1.14): Plut. Thes. 18 ἦν δὲ [ἡ ἱκετηρία] κλάδος ἀπὸ τῆς ἱερᾶς ἐλαίας, ἐρίῳ λευκῷ κατεστεμμένος. He laid his branch on the altar ( Eur. Her. 124 βωμὸν καταστέψαντες ), and left it there, if unsuccessful in his petition (Eur. Supp. 259); if successful, he took it away (Eur. Supp. 359, below 143). ἱκτηρίοις κλάδοισιν ἐξεστεμμένοι =ἱκτηρίους κλάδους ἐξεστεμμένους ἔχοντες: Xen. Anab. 4.3.28 διηγκυλωμένους τοὺς ἀκοντιστὰς καὶ ἐπιβεβλημένους τοὺς τοξότας, “the javelin-throwers with javelins grasped by the thong(ἀγκύλη), and the archers with arrows fitted to the string.” So 18 ἐξεστεμμένον absol., = provided with στέφη (i.e. with ἱκετηρίαι: see last note). Triclinius supposes that the suppliants, besides carrying boughs, wore garlands(ἐστεφανωμένοἰ, and the priests may have done so: but ἐξεστεμμ. does not refer to this.