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

SAMBUCA.

329

SATURNALIA.

times of the republic, and under the empire,
to a class of men who obtained their living by
visiting the houses of the wealthy early in
the morning, to pay their respects to them
(salutare), and to accompany them when they
went abroad. This arose from the visits
which the clients were accustomed to pay to
their patrons, and degenerated in later times
into the above-mentioned practice : such per-
sons seem to have obtained a good living
among the great number of wealthy and vain
persons at Rome, who were gratified by this
attention. [Sporti-la.]

SAMBUCA (<rafi./3u'KT)), a harp, was of
oriental origin. The performances of sambu-
cistriae (o-afi^uKt'cn-piai) were only known to
the early Romans as luxuries brought over
from Asia. Sambuca was also the name of a
military engine, used to scale the walls and
towers of besieged cities. It was called by
this name on account of its general resem-
blance to the form of a harp.

SAMMTES. [Gladiatores.]

SANDALIUM (craj'SaAioj/ or aavhakov), a
kind of shoe worn only by women. The
sandalium must be distinguished from the
hypodema (w-65i;/ia), which was a simple
sole bound under the foot, whereas the san-
dalium was a sole with a piece of leather
covering the toes, so that it formed the tran-
sition from the hypodema to real shoes. The
piece of leather over the toes was called £vyos
or fuyof.

SAXDAPILA. [Funts.]

SARCOPHAGUS. [Funis.]

SARISSA. [Hasta.]

SARRACUM, a kind of common cart or
waggon, which was used by the country-
people of Italy for conveying the produce of
their fields, trees, and the like, from one
place to another.

SATURA, the root of which is sat, literally
means a mixture of all sorts of things. The
name was accordingly applied by the Romans
in man}- ways, but always to things consist-
ing of various parts or ingredients, e. g. lanx
satura, an offering consisting of various
fruits, such as were offered at harvest festi-
vals and to Ceres; lex per saturam lata, a
law which contained several distinct regula-
tions at once, and to a species of poetry, after-
wards called Sntira.

SATURNALIA, the festival of Saturnus, to
whom the inhabitants of Latium attributed
the introduction of agriculture and the arts
of civilized life. Falling towards the end of
December, at the season when the agricul-
tural labours of the year were fully com-
pleted, it was celebrated in ancient times by
the rustic population as a sort of joyous
harvest-home, and in every age was viewed

by all classes of the community as a period of
absolute relaxation and unrestrained merri-
ment. During its continuance no public
business could be transacted, the law courts
were closed, the schools kept holiday, to
commence a war was impious, to punish a
malefactor involved pollution. Special in-
dulgences were granted to the slaves of each
domestic establishment ; they were relieved
from all ordinary toils, were permitted to
wear the pilcus, the badge of freedom, were
granted full freedom of speech, and partook
of a banquet attired in the clothes of their
masters, and were waited upon by them at
table. All ranks devoted themselves to
feasting and mirth, presents were inter-
changed among friends, cerei or wax tapers
being the common offering of the more
humble to their superiors, and crowds
thronged the streets, shouting, Io Saturnalia
(this was termed clamare Saturnalia), while
sacrifices were offered with uncovered bead,
from a conviction that no ill-omened sight
would interrupt the rites of such a happy
day. Many of the peculiar customs of this
festival exhibit a remarkable resemblance to
the sports of our own Christmas and of the
Italian Carnival. Thus on the Saturnalia
public gambling was allowed by the aediles,
just as in the days of our ancestors the most
rigid were wont to countenance card-playing
on Christmas-eve ; the whole population
threw off the toga, wore a loose gown, called
synthesis, and walked about with the pilena
on their heads, which reminds us of the
dominos, the peaked caps, and other disguises
worn by masques and mummers ; the cerei
were probably employed as the muccoli now
are on the last night of the Carnival ; and
lastly, one of the amusements in private
society was the election of a mock king,
which at once calls to recollection the charac-
teristic ceremony of Twelfth-night. During
the republic, although the whole month of
December was considered as dedicated to
Saturn, only one day, the XIV. Kal. Jan., was
set apart for the sacred rites of the divinity.
When the month was lengthened by the addi-
tion of two days upon the adoption of the
Julian Calendar, the Saturnalia fell on the
xvi. Kal. Jan., which gave rise to confusion
and mistakes among the more ignorant por-
tion of the people. To obviate this inconve-
nience, and allay all religious scruples,
Augustus enacted that three whole days, the
17th, 18th, and 19th of December, should in
all time coming be hallowed, thus embracing
both the old and new style. Under the em-
pire the merry-making lasted for seven days,
and three different festivals were celebrated
during this period. First came the Satw-