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

TABELLA.

360

TAGUS.

racter, and the contribution of each member
of a mess (<f)eiSmj9) was settled by law. The
principal dish was the black broth (fie'Aas
poinds), with pork. Moreover, the entertain-
ment was enlivened by cheerful conversation,
though on public matters. Singing also was
frequently introduced. The arrangements
were under the superintendence of the po-
lemarehs.

TABELLA, dim. of TABULA, a billet or
tablet, with which each citizen and judex
voted in the comitia and courts of justice.
For details see pp. 107, 236.

TABELLA1UUS, a letter-carrier. As the
Komans had no public post, they were obliged
to employ special messengers, who were called
tabellarii, to convey their letters (tabellae,
literae), when they had not an opportunity
of sending them otherwise.

TABEKNACULUM. [Templum.]
TABLIXUM. [Domus.]
TABULAE. This word properly means
planks or boards, whence it is applied to
several objects, as gaming-tables, pictures,
but more especially to tablets used for writing.
Generally, tabulae and tabellae signify waxen
tablets (tabulae ccratae), which were thin
pieces of wood, usually of an oblong shape,
covered over with wax (cera). The wax was
written on by means of the stilus. These
tabulae were sometimes made of ivory and
citron-wood, but generally of the wood of a
more common tree, as the beech, fir, &c. The
outer sides of the tablets consisted merely of
the wood ; it was only the inner sides that
were covered over with wax. They were
fastened together at the back by means of
wires, which answered the purpose of hinges,
so that they opened and shut like our books;
and to prevent the wax of one tablet rubbing
against the wax of the other, there was a
raised margin around each, as is clearl)' seen
in the woodcut on p. 354. There were
sometimes two, three, four, five, or even
more, tablets fastened together in the above-
mentioned manner. Two such tablets were
called diptycha (SiVtvxo), which merely
means " twice-folded " (from nTvacno, " to
fold"), whence we have -rrruKTiov, or with
the t omitted, twktlov. The Latin word pu-
gillares, which is the name frequently given
to tablets covered with wax, may perhaps be
connected with the same root, though it is
usually derived from pugillus, because they
were small enough to be held in the hand.
Three tablets fastened together were called
triptycha ; in the same way we also read of
ven'.aptycha, and of polyptycha or multiplices

(cerae). The pages of these tablets were
frequently called by the name of cerae alone ,
thus we read of prima cera, altera cera,
"first page," "second page." In tablets
containing important legal documents, espe-
cially wills, the outer edges were pierced
through with boles (foramina), through
which a triple thread (linum) was passed,
and upon which a seal was then placed.
This was intended to guard against forgery,
and if it was not done such documents were
null and void. Waxen tablets were used
among the Komans for almost every species
of writing, where great length was not re-
quired. Thus letters were frequently written
upon them, which were secured by being
fastened together with packthread and sealed
with wax. Legal documents, and especially
wills, were almost always written on waxen
tablets. Such tablets were also used for ac-
counts, in which a person entered what he
received and expended (tabulae or codex
acccpti et expensi), whence novae tabulae
mean an abolition of debts either wholly or
in part. The tablets used in voting in the
comitia and the courts of justice were also
called tabulae, as well as tabellae. [Tabella.]

TABULARII were notaries or accountants,
who are first mentioned under this name in
the time of the empire. Public notaries,
who had the charge of public documents,
were also called tabularii. They were first
established by M. Antoninus in the provinces,
who ordained that the births of all children
were to be announced to the tabularii within
thirty days from the birth.

TABULAKIUM, a place where the public
records (tabulae publicae) were kept. These
records were of various kinds, as for instance
senatusconsulta, tabulae censoriae, registers
of births, deaths, of the names of those who
assumed the toga virilis, &c. There were
various tabularia at Rome, all of which were
in temples; we find mention made of ta-
bularia in the temples of the Nymphs, of
Lucina, of Juventus, of Libitina, of Ceres,
and more especially in that of Saturn, which
was also the public treasury.

TAGUS (Va-yds), a leader or general, was
more especially the name of the military
leader of the Thessalians. lie is sometimes
called king (/SacrtAev?). His command was of
a military rather than of a civil nature, and
he seems only to have been appointed when
there was a war or one was apprehended.
We do not know the extent of the power
which the Tagus possessed constitutionally,
nor the time for which he held the office ;
probably neither was precisely fixed, and de-
pended on the circumstances of the times
and the character of the individual.