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

CETRA.

CHIROGRAPHUM.

a most lormidable weapon, being frequently
covered with knots and nails, and loaded
with lead and iron.-—(2) A band or tie of any

Ccatus. (Fabrctti, dc Col. Tny., p. 201.)

kind, but more particularly the zone or girdle
of Venus, on which was represented every
thing that could awaken love.

CETRA, or CAETRA, a target, ». e. a small
round shield, made of the hide of a quadru-
ped. It formed part of the defensive armour
of the Osci, and of the people of Spain, Mau-
ritania, and Britain, and seems to have been
much the same as the target of the Scotch
Highlanders. The Romans do not appear to
have used the cetra ; but we find mention of
cetratae eohortes levied in the provinces.
Livy compares it to the pelta of the Greeks
and Macedonians, which was also a small
light shield.

CHALCIOECIA (xaAxioi'icta), an annual
festival, with sacrifices, held at Sparta in
honour of Athena, surnamed Chalcioecus
(XaAxioucos), i. e. the goddess of the brazen-
house. Young men marched on the occasion
in full armour to the temple of the goddess;
and the ephors, although not entering the
temple, but remaining within its sacred pre-
cincts, were obliged to take part in the
sacrifice.

CHALCUS (xaAxovs), a denomination of
Greek copper-money. Bronze or copper (x^-
kos) was very little used by the Greeks for
money till after the time of Alexander the
Great. The xa^KLa novr\pa at Athens issued
in u. c. 406 were a peculiar exception ; and
they were soon afterwards called in, and the
silver currency restored. It is not improbable,
however, that the copper coin called x11^*0"?
was in circulation in Athens still earlier.
The smallest silver coin at Athens was the
quarter obol, and the xa^*°us was the half of
that, or the eighth of an obol. Its value was
somewhat more than 3—Iths of a farthing.
The xaA*°is in later times was divided into
lepta, of which it contained seven. In later
times the obol was coined of copper as well as
silver.

CIIARISTIA (from xaP'^°M-a', to grant a
favour or pardon), a solemn feast among the
Romans, to which none but relations and
members of the same family were invited, in
order that any quarrel or disagreement which
had arisen amongst them might be made up.
The day of celebration was the l'Jth of Feb-
ruary.

CHEIROXOMIA (xeipoyofiia), a mimetic
movement of the hands, which formed a part
of the art of dancing among the Greeks and
Romans. In gymnastics it was applied to
the movements of the hands in pugilistic
combat.

CHEIROTONIA (xeiporoKi'a). In the
Athenian assemblies two modes of voting were
practised, the one by pebbles (i/njcju'fecrflai),
the other by a show of hands (xeiporoveiv).
The latter was emploj'ed in the election of
those magistrates who were chosen in the
public assemblies, and who were hence called
XeipoTovi]Toi, in voting upon laws, and in
some kinds of trials on matters which con-
cerned the people. We frequently find, how-
ever, the word tyri'pi&aBa.i used where the
votes were really given by show of hands.
The manner of voting by a show of hands
was as follows :—The herald said : " Who-
ever thinks that Meidias is guilty, let him
lift up his hand." Then those who thought
so stretched forth their hands. Then the
herald said again : " Whoever thinks that
Meidias is not guilty, let him lift up his
hand ;" and those who were of this opinion
stretched forth their hands. The number of
hands was counted each time by the herald ;
and the president, upon the herald's report,
declared on which side the majority voted.
It is important to understand clearly the
compounds of this word. A vote condemning
an accused person is Karaxeiporoi'ia: one ac-
quitting him, an-oxeipoToi/ia ; iirLxeipoToveiv is
to confirm by a majority of votes : eirtxeipo-
Tovi'a tCjv vopZiv was a revision of the laws,
which took place at the beginning of every year :
iwLx^^poTovia tu)i> apx<ii> was a vote taken in the
first assembly of each prytany on the conduct
of the magistrates ; in these cases, those who
voted for the confirmation of the law, or for
the continuance in office of the magistrate,
were said e7ri.xeipoToi/eIi>, those on the other
side aTroxeipoTovecj/: SiaxeipOTOi'ia is a vote for
one of two alternatives : avTixeiporoveiv, to
vote against a proposition. The compounds
of i//t)^i'fecryai have similar meanings.

CHIROGRAPHUM (xeipoypacpoy), meant
first, as its derivation implies, a hand-writing
or autograph. In this its simple sense, xetP
in Greek and manus in Latin are often sub-
stituted for it. From this meaning was easily
derived that of a signature to a will or other

g 2