[image ALT: Much of my site will be useless to you if you've got the images turned off!]
mail:
Bill Thayer

[image ALT: Cliccare qui per una pagina di aiuto in Italiano.]
Italiano

[Link to a series of help pages]
Help
[Link to the next level up]
Up
[Link to my homepage]
Home

p846 P

The entries on pp846‑978 of

William Smith, D.C.L., LL.D.:
A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities, John Murray, London, 1875.

PACTIO, PACTUM. [Obligationes.]

p847 Paean

PAEDAGOGIA [Paedagogus.]

p848 PAEDAGOGUS: see separate page.

PAENULA: see separate page.

PAGI: see separate page.

PALA: see separate page.

PALAESTRA: see separate page.

p850 PALILIA: see separate page.

pp851‑853 PALLIUM: see separate page.

PALMIPES, i.e. pes et palmus, a Roman measure of length, equal to a foot and a palm; or a foot and a quarter, or 15 inches, or 20 digits (Plin. H. N. XVII.20 s32; Vitruv. V.6).

PALMUS: see separate page.

PALUDAMENTUM: see separate page.

PALUS: see separate page.

p855 PAMBOEOTIA: see separate page.

pp856‑857 PANATHENAEA: see separate page.

PANCRATIASTAE [Pancratium.]

p858 PANCRATIUM: see separate page.

pp859‑861 PANDECTAE: see separate page.

PANDIA: see separate page.

p862 Panegyris

PANELLENIA: see separate page.

p862 PANIONIA: see separate page.

p863 PANTOMIMUS: see separate page.

PAPYRUS [Liber.]

PASTOPHORUS: see separate page.

PECTEN: see separate page.

PECUARII, the name given to persons who pastured their cattle on the public lands (pascua), for which they were bound to pay a tax to the state, called Scriptura. But in the earlier times of the republic many persons supported their cattle on the public pastures without paying this tax at all, or paying less than was legally due; and hence the word pecuarii was frequently employed to signify those persons who thus illegally made use of the public pastures. They were often prosecuted by the aediles and fined (Ov. Fast. V.283‑294; Liv. X.23, 47, XXXIII.42, XXXV.10; Festus, p238, ed. Müller).

PECULATUS: see separate page.

PEDISEQUI: see separate page.

PEDUM: see separate page.

PENTATHLON: see separate page.

PENTECONTERUS [Navis, p784A.]

p885 Pentecoste • Pentecostys

PEPLUM: see separate page.

PER CONDICTIONEM: see separate page.

PER JUDICIS POSTULATIONEM was one of the Legis Actiones. The passage in Gaius is wanting in which this form of action is described. There are some remarks on this Actio by Puchta, Inst. II § 154, 612.

PER MANUS INJECTIONEM [Manus Injectio.]

PER PIGNORIS CAPIONEM: see separate page.

PERA: see separate page.

PERDUELLIO [Majestas, p725.]

PERDUELLIONIS DUUMVIRI: see separate page.

PERIACTOS (περίακτος), a theatrical machine, consisting of three scenes, placed in the form of a triangle (or rather, triangular prism) on a revolving platform, so that, by simply turning the machine, the scene could be changed. It was chiefly used when a god was to be introduced with the accompaniment of thunder. The name was also applied to the space which was provided for the machine in the erection of the theatre ( Vitruv. V.7; Pollux, IV.126).

pp888‑889 Perideipnon • Peridromides • Perioeci • Peripoli

PERIPTEROS [Templum.]

PERISCELIS: see separate page.

Peristiarchus

PERISTROMA [Tapes; Velum.]

PERISTYLIUM (περιστύλιον), as its name implies, was a continued row or series of rows of columns all round a court or building, in contradistinction to Porticus (στόα), in which the pillars did not surround a space, but were arranged in one or more parallel lines. The enclosed court was also called peristylium. The chief specific use of the word is in relation to the ancient dwelling-houses [Domus, p428A.]

PERO: see separate page.

PERSAE or STATUAE PERSICAE were figures which were used in place of columns, like the Caryatides, Atlantes, and Telamones. The tradition respecting their invention is that they were first used in the Porticus Persica which was built at Sparta out of the spoils of the battle of Plateae (Vitruv. I.1 § 6). Pausanias, however, (III.2) describes the statues of the conquered Persians, as being ἐπὶ τῶν κιόνων.

pp890‑893 PERSONA: see separate page.

PERTICA, the pole, used by the Agrimensores, was also called Decempeda because it was ten feet long. On account of its use in assigning lands to the members of a colony, it is sometimes represented on medals by the side of the augurial plough (Propert. IV.1.30). [J.Y.]

PES: see separate page.

PESSI (jjj) [ Latrunculi.]

PETAURUM: see separate page.

PLEBES or PLEBS: see separate page.

PLEBISCITUM: see separate page.

PLINTHUS (jjj), any rectangular parallelopiped. 1. A brick or tile. [Later.] 2. The quadrangular piece of stone which should properly form the lowest member of the base of a column, and which may be supposed to have originated in it use of a tile or a flat piece of wood to prevent the shaft from sinking into the ground; although very frequently the plinth is wanting, the highest step or other basement forming a sort of continuous plinth or podium. [Spira.] [P.S.]

PLUMARII, a class of persons, mentioned by Vitruvius (VI.7, p177, ed. Bip.), Varro (ap. Nonium, II p716), and in inscriptions. It cannot be decided with certainty what their exact occupation was: their name would lead us to suppose that it had something to do with feathers (plumae). Salmasius (ad Vopisc. Carin. c20) supposes that they were persons who wove in garments golden or purple figures made like feathers. The word, however, probably signifies all those who work in feathers, as lanarii those who work in wool, and argentarii those who work in silver. Seneca (Ep. 90) speaks of dresses made of the feathers of birds (Becker, Gallus, vol. I, pp44‑48).

PLUTEUS: see separate page.

PLYNTERIA: see separate page.

Pnyx

POCULUM was any kind of drinking-cup. It must be distinguished from the Crater or vessel in which the wine was mixed [Crater], and from the Cyathus, a kind of ladle or small cup, which was used to convey the wine from the Crater to the Poculum or drinking-cup [Cyathus]. Thus Horace (Carm. III.19.11) —

"tribus aut novem

Miscentur cyathis pocula commodis."

PODIUM in architecture, is a continued pedestal, for supporting a row of columns, or serving for a parapet, or forming a sort of terrace, as the podium in the theatre and amphitheatre (Vitruv. III.3, V.7, VII.4; Amphitheatrum).

POENA: see separate page.

Polemarchus • Poletae • Politeia • Politophylaces

POLUS: see separate page.

POMOERIUM: see separate page.

POMPA: see separate page.

PONS: see separate page.

PONTIFEX: see separate page.

POPULIFUGIA: see separate page.

PORTA: see separate page.

PORTICUS: see separate page.

PORTISCULUS: see separate page.

PORTORIUM: see separate page.

PORTUMNALIA: see separate page.

POSEIDONIA: see separate page.

POSSESSIO: see separate page.

POSTLIMINIUM: see separate page.

PRAECONES: see separate page.

PRAEDA: see separate page.

PRAEDIUM: see separate page.

PRAEFECTUS ANNONAE: see separate page.

PRAEFECTUS CLASSIS: see separate page.

PRAEFECTUS PRAETORIO: see separate page.

PRAEFECTUS URBI: see separate page.

PRAEJUDICIUM: see separate page.

PRAES: see separate page.

PRAETOR: see separate page.

PRAETORIANI: see separate page.

PROCONSUL: see separate page.

PROCURATOR: see separate page.

PRODIGIUM: see separate page.

p963 PROMETHEIA: see separate page.

PROSCRIPTIO: see separate page.

PROTRYGAEA: see separate page.

PROVINCIA: see separate page.

PUBLICANI: see separate page.

PUBLICIANA IN REM ACTIO: see separate page.

PUGILATUS: see separate page.

PUGIO: see separate page.

PUTEAL: see separate page.

pp977‑978 PYTHIA: see separate page.

PYXIS: see separate page.

Page updated: 7 Apr 11