(from the Greek, σχοῖνος, a rope; and βάνω, I walk), a name which the Greeks gave to their rope-dancers: by the Romans called funambuli. See ROPE-DANCER and FUNAMBULUS.

The schanobates were slaves whose masters made money of them, by entertaining the people with their feats of activity. Mercurialis de arte gymnastica, lib. iii. gives us five figures of schanobates engraved after ancient stones.