or Ballistrea, in Antiquity, a military song or dance used on occasions of victory. Vopiscus has preserved the ballisteum sung in honour of Aurelian, who, in the Sarmatian war, was said to have killed forty-eight of the enemy in one day with his own hand. Mille, mille, mille, mille, mille, mille decollaverimus: Unus homo mille, mille, mille, mille decollavit; mille, mille, mille vicat, qui mille, mille occidit. Tantum vini habet nemo, quantum fidelis sanguinis. The same writer subjoins another popular song of the same kind: Mille Francos, mille Sarmatos, semel occidimus; mille, mille, mille, mille, mille Persas quærimus. It took the denomination ballisteum from the Greek βαλλειν, jacio, or jacto, to cast or toss, on account of the motions used in this dance, which consisted in elevating, swinging, and throwing round the hands. The ballistica were a kind of popular ballads, composed by poets of the lower class, without much regard to the laws of metre.