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

UXCIA.

405

URAGUS.

against the sun. They seem not to have
been carried generally by the ladies them-
selves, but by female slaves, who held them
over their mistresses. The daughters of the
aliens (jxc'toikoi) at Athens had to carry para-
sols after the Athenian maidens at the Pana-
thenaea, as is mentioned under Hydria-
phoria. The parasols of the ancients seem
to have been exactly like our own parasols
or umbrellas in form, and could be shut up
and opened like ours. It was considered a
mark of effeminacy for men to make use of
parasols. The Roman ladies used them in
the amphitheatre to defend themselves from
the sun or some passing shower, when the
wind or other circumstances did not allow
the velarium to be extended. [Amphithea-
trum.] To hold a parasol over a lady was
one of the common attentions of lovers, and
it seems to have been very common to give
parasols as presents. Instead of parasols, the

Umbraculum, Faraaol. (From an ancient Van.)

Greek women in later times wore a kind of
straw hat or bonnet, called tholia (floAi'a)
The Romans also wore a hat with a broad
brim (petasus) as a protection against the
sun.

UXCIA (oyKi'a, ouyia'a, ovyyt'a), the twelfth
part of the As or Libra, is derived hy Varro
from unus, as being the unit of the divisions
of the as. Its value as a weight was 433'666
grains, or § of an ounce and 105-36 grains
avoirdupois. [Libra.] In connecting the

Roman system of weights and money with
the Greek another division of the uncia was
used. When the drachma was introduced
into the Roman system as equivalent to the
denarius of 96 to the pound [Denarius ;
Drachma], the uncia contained 8 drachmae,
the drachma 3 scrupula, the scrupulum 2
oboli (since 6 oboli made up the drachma),
and the obolos 3 siliquae (^Keparia). In this
division we have the origin of the modern
Italian system, in which the pound is divided
into 12 ounces, the ounce into 3 drams, the
dram into 3 scruples, and the scruple into
6 carats. In each of these systems 1728
xeparta, siliquae, or carats, make up the
pound. The Romans applied the uncial di-
vision to all kinds of magnitude. [As.] In
length the uncia was the twelfth of a foot,
whence the word inch [Pes], in area the
twelfth of a jugerum [Jvgerum], in content
the twelfth of a sextarius [Sextarius ; Cta-
thus], in time the twelfth of an hour.

UN'CIARIUM FEN'US. [Fexus.]

UNCTORES. [Balneum.]

UNGUENTA, ointments, oils, or salves.
The application of unguenta in connection
with the bathing and athletic contests of the
ancients is stated under Balneum and Ath-
letae. But although their original object
was simply to preserve the health and elas-
ticity of the human frame, they were in later
times used as articles of luxury. They were
then not only employed to impart to the body
or hair a particular colour, but also to give
to them the most beautiful fragrance pos-
sible ; they were, moreover, not merely ap-
plied after a hath, but at any time, to render
one's appearance or presence more pleasant
than usual. In short, they were used then
as oils and pomatums are at present. At
Rome these luxuries did not become very
general till towards the end of the republic,
while the Greeks appear to have been familiar
with them from early times. The wealthy
Greeks and Romans carried their ointments
and perfumes with them, especially when
they bathed, in small boxes of costly ma-
terials and beautiful workmanship, which
were called Narthecia. The traffic which
was carried on in these ointments and per-
fumes in several towns of Greece and southern
Italy was very considerable. The persons
engaged in manufacturing them were called
by the Romans Unguentarii, or, as they .fre-
quently were women, Unguentariac, and the
art of manufacturing them Vngucntarxa. In
the wealthy and effeminate city of Capua
there was one great street, called the Seplasia,
which consisted entirely of shops in which
ointments and perfumes were sold.

URAGUS. [Centurio.]