CORNU COPIAE

cornu copiae, later cornucopia ("horn of plenty"), a horn; generally twisted, filled with fruit and flowers, or an ornament representing it. it was used as a symbol of prosperity and abundance, and hence in works of art it is placed in the hands of plutus, fortuna and similar divinities (for the mythological account see amaltheia). the symbol probably originated in the practice of using the horns of oxen and goats as drinking-cups; hence the _rhyton_ (drinking-horn) is often confounded with the _cornu copiae_. for its representation in works of art, in which it is very common, especially in those belonging to the roman period, see article in daremberg and saglio's _dictionnaire des antiquites_.