DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.13855#0051
AS.
wise unknown to them. After this the girls
were dismissed and others were chosen to sup-
ply their place in the acropolis.
AJRROGATIO. [Adoptio.]
ARTABA (apTa/3i7), a Persian measure of
capacity = 1 medimnus and 3 choenices (At-
tic)=102 Roman sextarii —12 gallons, 5-092
pints.
ARTEMISIA (apTeftio-Ki), a festival cele-
brated at Syracuse in honour of Artemis
Potamia and Soteira. It lasted three days,
which were principally spent in feasting and
amusements. Festivals of the same name,
and in honour of the same goddess, were held
in many places in Greece, but principally at
Delphi.
ARTOPTA. [Pistor.]
A.RURA (dpovpa), a Greek measure of sur-
face, mentioned by Herodotus, who says that
it is a hundred Egyptian cubits in every di-
rection. Now the Egyptian cubit contained
nearly 17^ inches; therefore the square of
100 by 17J inches, i.e. nearly 148 feet, gives
the number of square feet (English) in the
arura, viz. 21,904.
ARUSPEX. [Haruspex.]
ARVALES FRATRES, formed a college or
company of twelve priests, and were so called
from offering public sacrifices for the fertility
of the fields. That they were of extreme an-
tiquity is proved by the legend which refers
their institution to Romulus, of whom it is
said, that when his nurse Acca Laurentia lost
one of her twelve sons, he allowed himself
to be adopted by her in his place, and called
himself and the remaining eleven " Fratres
Arvales." We also find a college called the
Sodales Titii, and as the latter were con-
fessedly of Sabine origin, and instituted for
the purpose of keeping up the Sabine reli-
gious rites, it is probable that these colleges
corresponded one to the other—the Fratres
Arvales being connected with the Latin, and
the Sodales Titii with the Sabine element of
the Roman state. The office of the fratres
arvales was for life, and was not taken away
even from an exile or captive. One of their
annual duties was to celebrate a three days'
festival in honour of Dea Dia, supposed to be
Ceres, sometimes held on the 17th, 19th, and
20th, sometimes on the 27th, 29th, and 30th
of May. But besides this festival of the Dea
Dia, the fratres arvales were required on va-
rious occasions, under the emperors, to make
vows and offer up thanksgivings. Under Ti-
berius, the Fratres Arvales performed sacri-
fices called the Ambarvalia, at various places
on the borders of the ager Romanus, or ori-
ginal territory of Rome; and it is probable
that this was a custom handed down from
time immemorial, and, moreover, that it was
a duty of the priesthood to invoke a blessing
on the whole territory of Rome. There were
also the private ambarralia, which were so
called from the victim (hostia ambariaiis)
that was slain on the occasion being led three
times round the corn-fields, before the sickle
was put to the corn. This victim was ac-
companied by a crowd of merry-makers, the
reapers and farm-servants dancing and sing-
ing, as they marched, the praises of Ceres,
and praying for her favour and presence,
while they offered her the libations of milk,
honey, and wine. This ceremony was also
called a lustratio, or purification.
ARX signifies a height within the walls of
a city, upon which a citadel was built, and
thus came to be applied to the citadel itself.
Thus one of the summits of the Capitoline
hill at Rome is called Arx. The Arz was the
regular place at Rome for taking the auspices,
and was hence likewise called auguraculum ;
or, more probably, the auguraculum was a
place in the Arx.
AS, or Libra, a pound, the unit of weight
among the Romans. [Libra.]
AS, the unit of value in the Roman and
old Italian coinages, was made of copper, or
of the mixed metal called Aes. It was ori-
ginally of the weight of a pound of twelve
ounces, whence it was called as libra!is and
acs grave. The oldest form of the as is that
which bears the figure of an animal (a bull,
ram, boar, or sow). The next and most com-
mon form is that which has the two-faced
head of Janus on one side, and the prow of a
ship on the other (whence the expression
used by Roman boys in tossing up, Capita aut
navim.) Pliny informs us, that in the time
of the first Punic war (b. c. 264-241), in or-
der to meet the expenses of the state, this
weight of a pound was diminished, and asses
were struck of the same weight as the sex-
tans (that is, two ounces, or one sixth of the
ancient weight) ; and that thus the republic
paid off its debts, gaining five parts in six ;
that afterwards, in the second Punic war, in
the dictatorship of Q. Fabius Maxim us (b. c.
217), asses of one ounce were made, and the
denarius was decreed to be equal to sixteen
asses, the republic thus gaining one half; but
that in military pay the denarius was always
given for ten asses ; and that soon after, by
the Papirian law (about b.c. 191), asses of
half an ounce were made. The value of the
as, of course, varied with its weight. Before
the reduction to two ounces, ten asses were
equal to the denarius = about 8j pence Eng-
lish [Denarius]. Therefore the as = 3-4
farthings. By the reduction the denarius
was made equal to sixteen asses ; therefore
the as = 2^ farthings. The as was divided
wise unknown to them. After this the girls
were dismissed and others were chosen to sup-
ply their place in the acropolis.
AJRROGATIO. [Adoptio.]
ARTABA (apTa/3i7), a Persian measure of
capacity = 1 medimnus and 3 choenices (At-
tic)=102 Roman sextarii —12 gallons, 5-092
pints.
ARTEMISIA (apTeftio-Ki), a festival cele-
brated at Syracuse in honour of Artemis
Potamia and Soteira. It lasted three days,
which were principally spent in feasting and
amusements. Festivals of the same name,
and in honour of the same goddess, were held
in many places in Greece, but principally at
Delphi.
ARTOPTA. [Pistor.]
A.RURA (dpovpa), a Greek measure of sur-
face, mentioned by Herodotus, who says that
it is a hundred Egyptian cubits in every di-
rection. Now the Egyptian cubit contained
nearly 17^ inches; therefore the square of
100 by 17J inches, i.e. nearly 148 feet, gives
the number of square feet (English) in the
arura, viz. 21,904.
ARUSPEX. [Haruspex.]
ARVALES FRATRES, formed a college or
company of twelve priests, and were so called
from offering public sacrifices for the fertility
of the fields. That they were of extreme an-
tiquity is proved by the legend which refers
their institution to Romulus, of whom it is
said, that when his nurse Acca Laurentia lost
one of her twelve sons, he allowed himself
to be adopted by her in his place, and called
himself and the remaining eleven " Fratres
Arvales." We also find a college called the
Sodales Titii, and as the latter were con-
fessedly of Sabine origin, and instituted for
the purpose of keeping up the Sabine reli-
gious rites, it is probable that these colleges
corresponded one to the other—the Fratres
Arvales being connected with the Latin, and
the Sodales Titii with the Sabine element of
the Roman state. The office of the fratres
arvales was for life, and was not taken away
even from an exile or captive. One of their
annual duties was to celebrate a three days'
festival in honour of Dea Dia, supposed to be
Ceres, sometimes held on the 17th, 19th, and
20th, sometimes on the 27th, 29th, and 30th
of May. But besides this festival of the Dea
Dia, the fratres arvales were required on va-
rious occasions, under the emperors, to make
vows and offer up thanksgivings. Under Ti-
berius, the Fratres Arvales performed sacri-
fices called the Ambarvalia, at various places
on the borders of the ager Romanus, or ori-
ginal territory of Rome; and it is probable
that this was a custom handed down from
time immemorial, and, moreover, that it was
a duty of the priesthood to invoke a blessing
on the whole territory of Rome. There were
also the private ambarralia, which were so
called from the victim (hostia ambariaiis)
that was slain on the occasion being led three
times round the corn-fields, before the sickle
was put to the corn. This victim was ac-
companied by a crowd of merry-makers, the
reapers and farm-servants dancing and sing-
ing, as they marched, the praises of Ceres,
and praying for her favour and presence,
while they offered her the libations of milk,
honey, and wine. This ceremony was also
called a lustratio, or purification.
ARX signifies a height within the walls of
a city, upon which a citadel was built, and
thus came to be applied to the citadel itself.
Thus one of the summits of the Capitoline
hill at Rome is called Arx. The Arz was the
regular place at Rome for taking the auspices,
and was hence likewise called auguraculum ;
or, more probably, the auguraculum was a
place in the Arx.
AS, or Libra, a pound, the unit of weight
among the Romans. [Libra.]
AS, the unit of value in the Roman and
old Italian coinages, was made of copper, or
of the mixed metal called Aes. It was ori-
ginally of the weight of a pound of twelve
ounces, whence it was called as libra!is and
acs grave. The oldest form of the as is that
which bears the figure of an animal (a bull,
ram, boar, or sow). The next and most com-
mon form is that which has the two-faced
head of Janus on one side, and the prow of a
ship on the other (whence the expression
used by Roman boys in tossing up, Capita aut
navim.) Pliny informs us, that in the time
of the first Punic war (b. c. 264-241), in or-
der to meet the expenses of the state, this
weight of a pound was diminished, and asses
were struck of the same weight as the sex-
tans (that is, two ounces, or one sixth of the
ancient weight) ; and that thus the republic
paid off its debts, gaining five parts in six ;
that afterwards, in the second Punic war, in
the dictatorship of Q. Fabius Maxim us (b. c.
217), asses of one ounce were made, and the
denarius was decreed to be equal to sixteen
asses, the republic thus gaining one half; but
that in military pay the denarius was always
given for ten asses ; and that soon after, by
the Papirian law (about b.c. 191), asses of
half an ounce were made. The value of the
as, of course, varied with its weight. Before
the reduction to two ounces, ten asses were
equal to the denarius = about 8j pence Eng-
lish [Denarius]. Therefore the as = 3-4
farthings. By the reduction the denarius
was made equal to sixteen asses ; therefore
the as = 2^ farthings. The as was divided