# What is the job title of the galley-slave drum beater? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 4, 2003, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-job-title-of-the-galley-slave-drum-beater/179670 "2003-06-04T19:06:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2003, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-job-title-of-the-galley-slave-drum-beater/179670/1 "2003-06-04T19:06:56Z")
I guess he’s sorta like the coxswain of the galley slaves. Also, in the silent version of “Ben-Hur,” it looks as though the drummer looks to the left with one beat, then looks to the right with the next, and so on. Anyone else notice this??? ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2003, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-job-title-of-the-galley-slave-drum-beater/179670/2 "2003-06-04T19:15:26Z")
Hortator ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2003, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-job-title-of-the-galley-slave-drum-beater/179670/3 "2003-06-04T19:17:56Z")
I believe he was called a slave driver. I can’t find a clear cite, but many of the pages I’ve googled up suggest this. ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2003, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-job-title-of-the-galley-slave-drum-beater/179670/4 "2003-06-04T19:48:54Z")
In the novel _Ben-Hur_ he is called the **hortator** a Latin word meaning “one who encourages.” In Latin he is also called a **portisculus** , which originally referred to the hammer used by him or **pausarius** meaning something like “he who calls the pauses.” In Greek he was called **keleustes** [http://www.ku.edu/history/index/europe/ancient\_rome/E/Roman/Texts/secondary/SMIGRA\*/Portisculus.html](http://www.ku.edu/history/index/europe/ancient_rome/E/Roman/Texts/secondary/SMIGRA*/Portisculus.html) ---
**Author:** ![FranticMad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c68b51/32.png) [@FranticMad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FranticMad)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2003, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-job-title-of-the-galley-slave-drum-beater/179670/5 "2003-06-04T20:46:00Z")
And I believe the word “exhort” is derived from the Latin word. “to urge strongly” ---
**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2003, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-job-title-of-the-galley-slave-drum-beater/179670/6 "2003-06-04T21:28:41Z")
In my office she’s called the metrics analyst. ---
**Author:** ![ltfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ea924/32.png) [@ltfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ltfire)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2003, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-job-title-of-the-galley-slave-drum-beater/179670/7 "2003-06-05T00:22:25Z")
…and the HORTATOR says that he has good news and bad news. The good news is that the Emporer is sleeping and that there will be a very slow cadence for a few hours. The bad news, when the Emporer awakens, he wants to water ski…😃 ---
**Author:** ![Llama\_Llogophile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@Llama\_Llogophile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Llama_Llogophile)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2003, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-job-title-of-the-galley-slave-drum-beater/179670/8 "2003-06-05T01:15:15Z")
Executive Assistant in charge of Human Resources and Morale ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2003, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-job-title-of-the-galley-slave-drum-beater/179670/9 "2003-06-05T01:37:27Z")
“Ringo-Wannabe” ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2003, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-job-title-of-the-galley-slave-drum-beater/179670/10 "2003-06-05T01:58:09Z")
Since this thread started out with a Ben Hur reference, it should probably be noted that the Romans did not actually use slaves\* to power their quinqueremes. The practice of using chained slaves for propulsion does not seem to have become widespread until around 1500 (possibly a little before). Of course, Lew Wallace was writing exciting fiction with a moral, not history, so we have now had about 100 years of people accepting the notion of galley slaves one and a half millenia before they appeared. \*From the perspective that nearly the entire labor and artisan class of people in Rome tended to be slaves, many of the oarsmen may have been slaves, but there was no practice of chaining criminals and prisoners of war to the ship and putting oars in their hands. ---
**Author:** ![Cuteulala](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b3f665/32.png) [@Cuteulala](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cuteulala)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2018, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-job-title-of-the-galley-slave-drum-beater/179670/11 "2018-12-15T20:46:31Z")
The role of the drummer is to make sure all the slaves are in sync because if they go out of sync the ship will turn if one side is underperforming. And uneven rowing will create less power to drag the ship forward. So music encourages the brain to become in sync hence there motions. ---
**Author:** ![MikeF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MikeF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeF)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2018, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-job-title-of-the-galley-slave-drum-beater/179670/12 "2018-12-17T16:01:22Z")
Dwarfish creatures captured when cities were conquered were often conscripted for this duty. They became known as Metro-Gnomes. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2018, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-job-title-of-the-galley-slave-drum-beater/179670/13 "2018-12-17T16:40:49Z")
> [@MikeF](#): > > Dwarfish creatures captured when cities were conquered were often conscripted for this duty. They became known as Metro-Gnomes. You know, they make the skins for those drums from the hides of people like you. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2018, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-job-title-of-the-galley-slave-drum-beater/179670/14 "2018-12-17T19:18:28Z")
> [@Cuteulala](#): > > The role of the drummer is to make sure all the slaves are in sync because if they go out of sync the ship will turn if one side is underperforming. And uneven rowing will create less power to drag the ship forward. So music encourages the brain to become in sync hence there motions. Welcome to the board. Just to let you know that you revived a 15-year old thread. ---
**Author:** ![MikeF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MikeF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeF)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2018, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-job-title-of-the-galley-slave-drum-beater/179670/15 "2018-12-17T20:16:52Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > You know, they make the skins for those drums from the hides of people like you. The beat goes on, the beat goes on Drums keep pounding a rhythm to the brain La de da de de, la de da de da. ---
**Author:** ![Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/channing_idaho_banks/32/250_2.png) [@Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Channing_Idaho_Banks)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2018, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-job-title-of-the-galley-slave-drum-beater/179670/16 "2018-12-18T02:15:47Z")
You don’t want to know what happens when the beat stops. ---
**Author:** ![DSYoungEsq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c6cbf5/32.png) [@DSYoungEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSYoungEsq)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2018, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-job-title-of-the-galley-slave-drum-beater/179670/17 "2018-12-18T04:49:47Z")
What happens when you turn it around? ---
**Author:** ![furryman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/furryman/32/99_2.png) [@furryman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furryman)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2018, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-job-title-of-the-galley-slave-drum-beater/179670/18 "2018-12-18T18:57:42Z")
Hortator Beats a Who. ---
**Author:** ![tullsterx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e9bcb4/32.png) [@tullsterx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tullsterx)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2018, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-job-title-of-the-galley-slave-drum-beater/179670/19 "2018-12-18T21:33:45Z")
> [@MikeF](#): > > Dwarfish creatures captured when cities were conquered were often conscripted for this duty. They became known as Metro-Gnomes. Ignorance fought. Ignorance defeated! ---
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2018, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-job-title-of-the-galley-slave-drum-beater/179670/20 "2018-12-18T21:50:23Z")
> [@DSYoungEsq](#): > > What happens when you turn it around? It’s not nearly as bad as when you turn it upside down. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-job-title-of-the-galley-slave-drum-beater/179670.md?page=2)