harpax

The harpax or harpago or harpaga ( lit. "grabber, seizer, robber"; GEN harpagos) was a grappling-iron. Its name, derived from the Greek verb harpazo (ἁρπάζω), meaning "to seize" or "to snatch". It was a versatile tool used in both domestic and military contexts in ancient Greece and Rome.

==Domestic Use== In domestic life, the harpago was most commonly used as a flesh-hook or grappling-iron. This instrument was particularly useful in the kitchen, where it was employed to remove boiled meat from a cauldron. Described as resembling a hand with fingers bent inward, the harpago allowed cooks to easily lift large pieces of meat from the pot. According to the Scholiast on Aristophanes, it was “an instrument used in cookery.” Greeks also called it λύκος (meaning wolf), κρεάγρα and κρεαγρίς (both meaning "flesh-hook" or "meat hook).