Note: / After the passing of centuries, it is often difficult, even well-nigh impossible, to come to a definite decision with regard to certain phases of everyday life amongst the ordinary folk: of ancient peoples, if archaeological remains are not very helpful and literary references few and far between. Thus it follows that the question as to the wide-spread prevalence of many customs is one which we are often content to settle by an occasional misinterpreted statement, or at least by two or three chance references which, perhaps, were the exception rather than the established rule.