BALLISTEUM, OR BALLISTREA, in antiquity, a military song or dance used on occasions of victory. Vopiscus has preserved the ballistrea song in honour of Aurelian, who, in the Sarmatian war, was said to have
Ballistic. have killed 48 of the enemy in one day with his own hand. Mille, mille, mille, mille, mille, mille decollavimus: Unus homo mille, mille, mille, mille decollavit; mille, mille, mille vicit, qui mille, mille occidit. Tonus vini habet nemo, quantum fudit sanguinis. The same writer subjoins another popular song of the same kind: Mille Francos, mille Sarmatas, semel occidimus; mille, mille, mille, mille, mille, Perfas quærimus. It took the denomination ballisticeum from the Greek βαλλω, facio, or jacto, to cast or toss, on account of the motions used in this dance, which was attended with great elevations and swingings of the hands. The ballisticeum were a kind of popular ballads, composed by poets of the lower class, without much regard to the laws of metre.