Smith, William: A smaller dictionary of Greek and Roman antiquities (London, 1871)

CAFSARII.

71

CAPUT.

chests were called capsarii, and also custodes
xc.rinioruui, and the slaves who carried in a
capsa behind their young masters the books,

&c. of the sons of respectable Romans, when
they went to school, were called by the same
name.

The Hue Clio with a Capsa. (Fitture d'Ercolnno, vol. ta. pi. 2.)

CAPSARII, the name of three different | This capitis deminutio was sustained by those
classes of slaves. [Balneum ; Capsa.] i who refused t« be registered at the census, or

CAPUT, the head. The term "head" is , neglected the registration, and were thence
often used by the Roman writers as equiva- ] called incensi. The incensus was liable to
lent to "person," or "human being." By [ be sold, and so to lose his liberty. Those
an easy transition it was used to signify 1 who refused to perform military service might
"life:" thus, capite damnari, plecti, &c, are also be sold. — The loss of citizenship and
equivalent to capital punishment. Caput is | family only, as when a man was interdicted
also used to express a man's status, or civil | from fire and water, was the media capitis
condition; and the persons who were regis- | denrinutio. [Exsilicm.]— The change of fa-
tered in the tables of the censor are spoken \ mily by adoption, and by the in manum con-
of as capita, sometimes with the addition of | ventio, was the minima capitis deminutio.—
the word ciiium, and sometimes not. Thus A judicium capitate, or poena capitalis, was
to be registered in the census was the same one which affected a citizen's caput.

thing as caput habere: and a slave and a
filius familias, in this sense of the word, were
said to .have no caput. The sixth class of
Servius Tullius comprised the proletarii and

CAPUT. [Fenvs.]

CAPUT EXTORUM. The Roman sooth-
sayers (haruspices) pretended to a knowledge
of coming events from the inspection of tbe

the capite censi, of whom the latter, having ' entrails of victims slain for that purpose.

little or no property, were barely rated as so
many head of citizens. — He who lost or
changed his status was said to be capite
minutus, deminutus, or capitis minor. Capitis
minutio or deminutio was a change of a
person's status or civil condition, and con-
sisted of three kinds.—A Roman citizen pos-
sessed freedom (libertas), citizenship (civitas),
and family (familias) : the loss of all three
constituted the maxima capitis deminutio.

The part to which they especially directed
their attention was the liver, the convex
upper portion of which seems to have been
called the caput extorum. Any disease or
deficiency in this organ was considered an
unfavourable omen ; whereas, if healthy and
perfect, it was believed to indicate good fortune.
If no caput was found, it was a bad f gn
(nihil tristius accidere potuit) ; if well defined
or double, it was a lucky omen.