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

YALYAE.

407

YECTIGALIA.

ciroumvallation, of 'which some of the "best
examples are that of Carthage by Scipio, that of
Numantia hy Scipio, and that of Alesia by Cae-
sar. The towers in such lines -were similar to
those used in attacking fortified places, hut not
so high, and of course not moveable. [Turris.]
YALYAE. [Janua.]

VANNUS (A.iku.6s, XCkvov), a winnowing-
van, i. e. a broad basket, into which the corn
mixed with chaff was received after thrash-

ing, and was then thrown in the direction of
the wind. Virgii dignifies this simple imple-
ment by calling it mystica vannus Iacclii.
The rites of Bacchus, as well as those of
Ceres, having a continual reference to the
occupations of rural life, the vannus was
borne in the processions celebrated in honour
of both these divinities. In the cut annexed
the infant Bacchus is carried in a vannus by
two dancing bacchantes clothed in skins.

Bacchus carried in a Vannus. (From an Antefixa in the British Museum.)

YAS (pi. vasa), a general term for any
kind of vessel. Thus we read of vas vinarium,
vas argenteum, vasa Corinthia et Deliaca,
vasa Samia, that is, made of Samian earthen-
ware, vasa Murrhina. [Murrhixa Yasa.]
The word vas was used in a still wider signi-
fication, and was applied to any kind of
utensil used in the kitchen, agriculture, &c.
The utensils of the soldiers were called vasa,
and hence vasa colligere and vasa conclamare
signify to pack up the baggage, to give the
signal for departure.

YECTIGALIA, the general term for all the
regular revenues of the Roman state. It
means anything which is brought (vehitw)
into the public treasury, like the Greek <£opoc.
The earliest regular income of the state was
in all probability the rent paid for the use of
the public land and pastures. This revenue
was called pascua, a name which was used as
late as the time of Pliny, in the tables or
registers of the eensors for all the revenues of
the state in general. The senate was the
supreme authority in all matters of finance,
but as the state did not occupy itself with
collecting the taxes, duties, and tributes,
the censors were entrusted with the actual
business. These officers, who in this respect
may not unjustly be compared to modern
ministers of finance, used to let the various

branches of the revenue to the publicani for a
fixed sum, and for a certain number of years.
[Censor ; Publicani.] As most of the
branches of the public revenues of Rome are
treated of in separate articles, it is only ne-
cessary to give a list of them here, and to ex-
plain those which have not been treated of
separately. 1. The tithes paid to the state
by those who occupied the ager publicus.
[Decumae; Acer Publicus.] 2. The sums
paid by those who kept their cattle on the
public pastures. [Scriftura.] 3. The har-
bour duties raised upon imported and ex-
ported commodities. [Portorium.] 4. The
revenue derived from the salt-works. [Sai.i-
nae.] 5. The revenues derived from the
mines (mctalla). This branch of the public
revenue cannot have been very productive
until the Romans had become masters of
foreign countries. Until that time the mines
of Italy appear to have been worked, but this
was forbidden by the senate after the con-
quest of foreign lands. The mines of con-
quered countries were treated like the salinac.
6. The hundredth part of the value of all
things which were sold [centcsima rerum ve-
nalium). This tax was not instituted at
Rome until the time of the civil wars ; the
persons who collected it were called edaetores.
Tiberius reduced this tax to a two-hundrenm