Z
Zabatus, a river of Media, falling into the Tigris, near which the 10,000 Greeks stopped in their return. Xenophon.
Zabdicēne, a province of Persia.
Zabirna, a town of Libya, where Bacchus destroyed a large beast that infested the country. Diodorus, bk. 3.
Zabus, a river of Assyria, falling into the Tigris.
Zacynthus, a native of Bœotia, who accompanied Hercules when he went into Spain to destroy Geryon. At the end of the expedition he was entrusted with the care of Geryon’s flocks by the hero, and ordered to conduct them to Thebes. As he went on his journey, he was bit by a serpent, and some time after died. His companions carried his body away, and buried it in an island of the Ionian sea, which from that time was called Zacynthus. The island of Zacynthus, now called Zante, is situate at the south of Cephalenia, and at the west of the Peloponnesus. It is about 60 miles in circumference. Livy, bk. 26, ch. 24.—Pliny, bk. 4, ch. 12.—Strabo, bks. 2 & 8.—Mela, bk. 2, ch. 7.—Homer, Odyssey, bk. 1, li. 246; bk. 9, li. 24.—Ovid, Ars Amatoria, bk. 2, li. 432.—Pausanias, bk. 4, ch. 23.—Virgil, Æneid, bk. 3, li. 270.——A son of Dardanus. Pausanias, bk. 8.
Zadris, a town of Colchis.
Zagræus, a son of Jupiter and Proserpine, the same as the first Bacchus, of whom Cicero speaks. Some say that Jupiter obtained Proserpine’s favours in the form of a serpent in one of the caves of Sicily, where her mother had concealed her from his pursuits, and that from this union Zagræus was born.
Zagrus, a mountain on the confines of Media and Babylonia. Strabo, bk. 11.
Zalates, an effeminate youth brought to Rome from Armenia as a hostage, &c. Juvenal, satire 20, li. 164.
Zaleucus, a lawgiver of the Locrians in Italy, and one of the disciples of Pythagoras, 550 B.C. He was very humane, and at the same time very austere, and he attempted to enforce his laws more by inspiring shame than dread. He had wisely decreed that a person guilty of adultery should lose both his eyes. His philosophy was called to a trial when he was informed that his son was an adulterer. He ordered the law to be executed; the people interfered, but Zaleucus resisted, and rather than violate his own institutions, he commanded one of his own eyes, and one of those of his son, to be put out. This made such an impression upon the people, that while Zaleucus presided over the Locrians, no person was again found guilty of adultery. Valerius Maximus, bk. 1, ch. 2; bk. 6, ch. 5.—Cicero, de Legibus, bk. 2, ch. 6; Letters to Atticus, bk. 6, ltr. 1.—Ælian, Varia Historia, bk. 2, ch. 37; bk. 3, ch. 17; bk. 13, ch. 24.—Strabo, bk. 6.
Zama, or Zagma, a town of Numidia, 300 miles from Carthage, celebrated for the victory which Scipio obtained there over the great Annibal, B.C. 202. Metellus besieged it, and was obliged to retire with great loss. After Juba’s death it was destroyed by the Romans. Hirtius, African War, ch. 91.—Cornelius Nepos, Hannibal.—Livy, bk. 30, ch. 29.—Sallust, Jugurthine War.—Florus, bk. 3, ch. 1.—Silius Italicus, bk. 3, li. 261.—Strabo, bk. 17.——A town of Cappadocia,——of Mesopotamia.
Zameis, a debauched king of Assyria, son of Semiramis and Ninus, as some report. He reigned 38 years.
Zamolxis, or Zalmoxis, a slave and disciple of Pythagoras. He accompanied his master in Egypt, and afterwards retired into the country of the Getæ, which had given him birth. He began to civilize his countrymen, and the more easily to gain reputation, he concealed himself for three years in a subterraneous cave, and afterwards made them believe that he was just raised from the dead. Some place him before the age of Pythagoras. After death he received divine honours. Diodorus.—Herodotus, bk. 4, ch. 19, &c.
Zancle, a town of Sicily, on the straits which separate that island from Italy. It received its name from its appearing like a scythe, which was called ξανκλον in the language of the country, or, as others say, because the scythe with which Saturn mutilated his father fell there, or because, as Diodorus reports, a person named Zanclus had either built it or exercised its sovereignty. Zancle fell into the hands of the Samians 497 years before the christian era, and three years after it was recovered by Anaxilaus the Messenian tyrant of Rhegium, who gave it the name of his native country, and called it Messana. It was founded, as most chronologers support, about 1058 years before the christian era, by the pirates of Cumæ in Italy, and peopled by Samians, Ionians, and Chalcidians. Strabo, bk. 6.—Diodorus, bk. 4.—Silius Italicus, bk. 1, li. 662.—Ovid, Fasti, bk. 4, li. 499; Metamorphoses, bk. 14, li. 6; bk. 15, li. 290.—Pausanias, bk. 4, ch. 23.
Zarax, a town of Peloponnesus.
Zarbiēnus, a petty monarch of Asia, who was gained to the interest of the Romans by one of the officers of Lucullus. Tigranes put him to death for his desertion, and his funeral was celebrated with great magnificence by the Roman general. Plutarch, Lucullus.
Zariaspes, a Persian who attempted to revolt from Alexander, &c. Curtius, bk. 9, ch. 10.——A river, now Dehash, on which Bactria, the capital of Bactriana, was built. It is called Bactrus by Curtius, bk. 7, ch. 4.—Pliny, bk. 6, chs. 15 & 16.
Zathes, a river of Armenia.
Zaueces, a people of Libya. Herodotus, bk. 4, ch. 193.
Zebīna Alexander, an impostor who usurped the throne of Syria, at the instigation of Ptolemy Physcon.
Zela, or Zelia, a town of Pontus near the river Lycus, where Cæsar defeated Pharnaces son of Mithridates. In expressing this victory, the general used the words, Veni, vidi, vinci. Suetonius, Cæsar, ch. 37.—Hirtius, Alexandrine War, ch. 72.——A town of Troas at the foot of Ida.——Another in Lycia.
Zelasium, a promontory of Thessaly. Livy, bk. 31, ch. 46.
Zeles, a town of Spain.
Zelus, a daughter of Pallas.
Zeno, a philosopher of Elia or Velia in Italy, the disciple, or, according to some, the adopted son of Parmenides, and the supposed inventor of dialectic. His opinions about the universe, the unity, incomprehensibility, and immutability of all things, were the same with those of Xenophanes and the rest of the Eleatic philosophers. It is said that he attempted to deliver his country from the tyranny of Nearchus. His plot was discovered, and he was exposed to the most excruciating torments to reveal the name of his accomplices, but this he bore with unparalleled fortitude, and not to be at last conquered by tortures, he cut off his tongue with his teeth, and spit it into the face of the tyrant. Some say that he was pounded alive in a mortar, and that in the midst of his torments he called to Nearchus, as if to reveal something of importance; the tyrant approached him, and Zeno, as if willing to whisper to him, caught his ear with his teeth, and bit it off. Cicero, Tusculanæ Disputationes, bk. 2, ch. 22; De Natura Deorum, bk. 3, ch. 33.—Diodorus Siculus, Fragment.—Valerius Maximus, bk. 3, ch. 3.—Diogenes Laërtius, bk. 9.——The founder of the sect of the stoics, born at Citium in the island of Cyprus. The first part of his life was spent in commercial pursuits, but he was soon called to more elevated employments. As he was returning from Phœnicia, a storm drove his ship on the coast of Attica, and he was shipwrecked near the Piræus. This moment of calamity he regarded as the beginning of his fame. He entered the house of a bookseller, and, to dissipate his melancholy reflections, he began to read. The book was written by Xenophon; and the merchant was so pleased and captivated by the eloquence and beauties of the philosopher, that from that time he renounced the pursuits of a busy life, and applied himself to the study of philosophy. Ten years were spent in frequenting the school of Crates, and the same number under Stilpo, Xenocrates, and Polemon. Perfect in every branch of knowledge, and improved from experience as well as observation, Zeno opened a school at Athens, and soon saw himself attended by the great, the learned, and the powerful. His followers were called Stoics, because they received the instructions of the philosopher in the portico called στοα. He was so respected during his lifetime, that the Athenians publicly decreed him a brazen statue and a crown of gold, and engraved their decree, to give it more publicity, on two columns in the academy, and in the Lyceum. His life was an example of soberness and moderation; his manners were austere, and to his temperance and regularity he was indebted for the continual flow of health which he always enjoyed. After he had taught publicly for 48 years, he died in the 98th year of his age, B.C. 264, a stranger to diseases, and never incommoded by a real indisposition. He was buried in that part of the city called Ceramicus, where the Athenians raised him a monument. The founder of the stoic philosophy shone before his followers as a pure example of imitation. Virtue he perceived to be the ultimate aim of his researches. He wished to live in the world as if nothing was properly his own; he loved others, and his affections were extended even to his enemies. He felt a pleasure in being kind, benevolent, and attentive, and he found that these sentiments of pleasure were reciprocal. He saw a connection and dependence in the system of the universe, and perceived that from thence arose the harmony of civil society, the tenderness of parents, and filial gratitude. In the attainment of virtue the goods of the mind were to be preferred to those of the body, and when that point was once gained, nothing could equal our happiness and perfection, and the stoic could view with indifference health or sickness, riches or poverty, pain and pleasure, which could neither move nor influence the serenity of his mind. Zeno recommended resignation; he knew that the laws of the universe cannot be changed by man, and therefore he wished that his disciples should not in prayer deprecate impending calamities, but rather beseech Providence to grant them fortitude to bear the severest trials with pleasure and due resignation to the will of Heaven. An arbitrary command over the passions was one of the rules of stoicism; to assist our friends in the hour of calamity was our duty, but to give way to childish sensations was unbecoming our nature. Pity, therefore, and anger, were to be banished from the heart, propriety and decorum were to be the guides in everything, and the external actions of men were the best indications of their inward feelings, their secret inclinations, and their character. It was the duty of the stoic to study himself; in the evening he was enjoined to review with critical accuracy the events of the day, and to regulate his future conduct with more care, and always to find an impartial witness within his own breast. Such were the leading characters of the stoic philosophy, whose followers were so illustrious, so perfect, and so numerous, and whose effects were productive of such exemplary virtues in the annals of the human mind. Zeno in his maxims used to say, that with virtue man could live happy under the most pressing calamities. He said that nature had given us two ears, and only one mouth, to tell us that we ought to listen more than speak. He compared those whose actions were dissonant with their professions, to the coin of Alexandria, which appeared beautiful to the eye, though made of the basest metals. He acknowledged only one God, the soul of the universe, which he conceived to be the body, and therefore he believed that those two together united, the soul and the body, formed one perfect animal, which was the god of the stoics. Amongst the most illustrious followers of his doctrine, and as the most respectable writers, may be mentioned Epictetus, Seneca, the emperor Antoninus, &c. Cicero, Academica, bk. 1, ch. 12; De Natura Deorum, bk. 1, ch. 14; bk. 2, chs. 8 & 24; bk. 3, ch. 24; For Marcellus; Orator, ch. 32, &c.; de Finibus Bonorum et Malorum.—Seneca.—Epictetus.—Arrian.—Ælian, Varia Historia, bk. 9, ch. 26.—Diogenes Laërtius.——An Epicurean philosopher of Sidon, who numbered among his pupils Cicero, Pomponius Atticus, Cotta, Pompey, &c. Cicero, de Natura Deorum, bk. 1, chs. 21 & 34.——A rhetorician, father to Polemon, who was made king of Pontus.——The son of Polemon, who was king of Armenia, was also called Zeno. Strabo, bk. 12.—Tacitus, Annals, bk. 2, ch. 56.——A native of Lepreos, son of Calliteles, crowned at the Olympic games, and honoured with a statue in the grove of Jupiter, and at Olympia. Pausanias, bk. 6, ch. 15.——A general of Antiochus.——A philosopher of Tarsus, B.C. 207.——The name of Zeno was common to some of the Roman emperors on the throne of Constantinople, in the fifth and sixth centuries.
Zenobia, a queen of Iberia, wife to Rhadamistus. She accompanied her husband when he was banished from his kingdom by the Armenians; but as she was unable to follow him on account of her pregnancy, she entreated him to murder her. Rhadamistus long hesitated, but fearful of her falling into the hands of his enemy, he obeyed, and threw her body into the Araxes. Her clothes kept her up on the surface of the water, where she was found by some shepherds, and as the wound was not mortal, her life was preserved, and she was carried to Tiridates, who acknowledged her as queen. Tacitus, Annals, bk. 12, ch. 51.——Septimia, a celebrated princess of Palmyra, who married Odenatus, whom Gallienus acknowledged as his partner on the Roman throne. After the death of her husband, which, according to some authors, she is said to have hastened, Zenobia reigned in the east as regent of her infant children, who were honoured with the title of Cæsars. She assumed the name of Augusta, and she appeared in imperial robes, and ordered herself to be styled the queen of the east. The troubles which at that time agitated the western parts of the empire, prevented the emperor from checking the insolence and ambition of this princess, who boasted to be sprung from the Ptolemies of Egypt. Aurelian was no sooner invested with the imperial purple than he marched into the east, determined to punish the pride of Zenobia. He well knew her valour, and he was not ignorant that in her wars against the Persians she had distinguished herself no less than Odenatus. She was the mistress of the east; Egypt acknowledged her power, and all the provinces of Asia Minor were subject to her command. When Aurelian approached the plains of Syria, the Palmyrean queen appeared at the head of 700,000 men. She bore the labours of the field like the meanest of her soldiers, and walked on foot fearless of danger. Two battles were fought; the courage of the queen gained the superiority, but an imprudent evolution of the Palmyrean cavalry ruined her cause; and while they pursued with spirit the flying enemy, the Roman infantry suddenly fell upon the main body of Zenobia’s army, and the defeat was inevitable. The queen fled to Palmyra, determined to support a siege. Aurelian followed her, and after he had almost exhausted his stores, he proposed terms of accommodation, which were rejected with disdain by the warlike princess. Her hopes of victory, however, soon vanished, and though she harassed the Romans night and day by continual sallies from her walls, and the working of her military engines, she despaired of success when she heard that the armies which were marching to her relief from Armenia, Persia, and the east, had partly been defeated and partly bribed from her allegiance. She fled from Palmyra in the night, but Aurelian, who was apprised of her escape, pursued her, and she was caught as she was crossing the river Euphrates. She was brought into the presence of Aurelian, and though the soldiers were clamorous for her death, she was reserved to adorn the triumph of the conqueror. She was treated with great humanity, and Aurelian gave her large possessions near Tibur, where she was permitted to live the rest of her days in peace, with all the grandeur and majesty which became a queen of the east, and a warlike princess. Her children were patronized by the emperor, and married to persons of the first distinction at Rome. Zenobia has been admired not only for her military abilities, but also for her literary talents. She was acquainted with every branch of useful learning, and spoke with fluency the language of the Egyptians, the Greeks, and the Latins. She composed an abridgment of the history of the oriental nations, and of Egypt, which was greatly commended by the ancients. She received no less honour from the patronage she afforded to the celebrated Longinus, who was one of her favourites, and who taught her the Greek tongue. She has also been praised for her great chastity, and her constancy, though she betrayed too often her propensities to cruelty and intoxication when in the midst of her officers. She fell into the hands of Aurelian about the 273rd year of the christian era. Aurelius Victor.—Zosimus, &c.——A town of Syria on the Euphrates.
Zenobii insulæ, small islands at the mouth of the Arabian gulf.
Zenodōrus, a sculptor in the age of Nero. He made a statue of Mercury, as also a colossus for the emperor, which was 110 or 120 feet high, and which was consecrated to the sun. The head of this colossus was some time after broken by Vespasian, who placed there the head of an Apollo surrounded with seven beams, each of which was seven feet and a half long. From this famous colossus the modern coliseum, whose ruins are now so much admired at Rome, took its name. Pliny, bk. 54, ch. 7.
Zenodotia, a town of Mesopotamia, near Nicephorium. Plutarch, Crassus.
Zenodōtus, a native of Trœzene, who wrote a history of Umbria. Dionysius of Halicarnassus, bk. 2.——A grammarian of Alexandria, in the age of Ptolemy Soter, by whom he was appointed to take care of the celebrated library of Alexandria. He died B.C. 245.
Zenothemis, a Greek writer. Ælian, Varia Historia, bk. 17, ch. 30.
Zephyrium, a promontory of Magna Græcia towards the Ionian sea, whence, according to some, the Locrians are called Epizephyrii.——A town of Cilicia. Livy, bk. 33, ch. 20.——A cape of Crete, now San Zuane.——Of Pontus, &c.
Zephy̆rum, a promontory in the island of Cyprus, where Venus had a temple built by Ptolemy Philadelphus, whence she was called Zephyria. It was in this temple that Arsione made an offering of her hair to the goddess of beauty.
Zephy̆rus, one of the winds, son of Astreus and Aurora, the same as the Favonius of the Latins. He married a nymph called Chloris, or Flora, by whom he had a son called Carpos. Zephyr was said to produce flowers and fruits by the sweetness of his breath. He had a temple at Athens, where he was represented as a young man of delicate form, with two wings on his shoulders, and with his head covered with all sorts of flowers. He was [♦]supposed to be the same as the west wind. Hesiod, Theogony, li. 377.—Virgil, Æneid, bk. 1, li. 135; bk. 2, li. 417; bk. 4, li. 223, &c.—Ovid, Metamorphoses, bk. 1, li. 64; bk. 15, li. 700.—Propertius, bk. 1, poem 16, li. 34, &c.
[♦] ‘suppossd’ replaced with ‘supposed’
Zerynthus, a town of Samothrace, with a cave sacred to Hecate. The epithet of Zerynthius is applied to Apollo, and also to Venus. Ovid, Tristia, bk. 1, poem 9, li. 19.—Livy, bk. 38, ch. 41.
Zethes, Zetes, or Zetus, a son of Boreas king of Thrace and Orithyia, who accompanied, with his brother Cailas, the Argonauts to Colchis. In Bithynia, the two brothers, who are represented with wings, delivered Phineus from the continual persecution of the Harpies, and drove these monsters as far as the islands called Strophades, where at last they were stopped by Iris, who promised them that Phineus should no longer be tormented by them. They were both killed, as some say, by Hercules during the Argonautic expedition, and were changed into those winds which generally blow eight or ten days before the dog-star appears, and are called Prodromi by the Greeks. Their sister Cleopatra married Phineus king of Bithynia. Orpheus, Argonautica.—Apollodorus, bk. 1, ch. 9; bk. 3, ch. 15.—Hyginus, fable 14.—Ovid, Metamorphoses, bk. 8, li. 716.—Pausanias, bk. 3, ch. 18.—Valerius Flaccus.
Zetta, a town of Africa, near Thapsus, now Zerbi. Strabo, bk. 17.—Hirtius, African War, ch. 68.
Zetus, or Zethus, a son of Jupiter and Antiope, brother to Amphion. The two brothers were born on mount Cithæron, where Antiope had fled to avoid the resentment of her father Nycteus. When they had attained the years of manhood, they collected a number of their friends to avenge the injuries which their mother had suffered from Lycus, the successor of Nycteus on the throne of Thebes, and from his wife Dirce. Lycus was put to death, and his wife tied to the tail of a wild bull, that dragged her over rocks and precipices till she died. The crown of Thebes was seized by the two brothers, not only as the reward of this victory, but as their inheritance, and Zethus surrounded the capital of his dominions with a strong wall, while his brother amused himself with playing on his lyre. Music and verses were disagreeable to Zethus, and, according to some, he prevailed upon his brother no longer to pursue so unproductive a study. Hyginus, fable 7.—Pausanias, bk. 2, ch. 6, &c.—Apollodorus, bk. 3, chs. 5 & 10.—Horace, bk. 1, ltr. 18, li. 41.
Zeugis, a portion of Africa, in which Carthage was. The other division was called Byzacium. Isidorus, bk. 14, ch. 5.—Pliny, bk. 5, ch. 4.
Zeugma, a town of Mesopotamia, on the western bank of the Euphrates, where was a well-known passage across the river. It was the eastern boundary of the Roman empire, and in Pliny’s age a chain of iron was said to extend across it. Pliny, bk. 5, ch. 24.—Strabo, bk. 16.—Curtius, bk. 3, ch. 7.—Tacitus, Annals, bk. 12, ch. 12.——A town of Dacia.
Zeus, a name of Jupiter among the Greeks, expressive of his being the father of mankind, and by whom all things live. Diodorus, bk. 5.
Zeuxidămus, a king of Sparta, of the family of the Proclidæ. He was father of Archidamus and grandson of Theopompus, and was succeeded by his son Archidamus. Pausanias, bk. 3, ch. 7.
Zeuxidas, a pretor of the Achæan league, deposed because he had promised to his countrymen an alliance with the Romans.
Zeuxippe, a daughter of Eridanus, mother of Butes, one of the Argonauts, &c. Apollodorus, bk. 3, ch. 15.——A daughter of Laomedon. She married Sicyon, who after his father-in-law’s death became king of that city of Peloponnesus, which from him has been called Sicyon. Pausanias, bk. 2, ch. 6.
Zeuxis, a celebrated painter, born at Heraclea, which some suppose to be the Heraclea of Sicily. He flourished about 468 years before the christian era, and was the disciple of Apollodorus, and contemporary with Parrhasius. In the art of painting he surpassed not only all his contemporaries, but also his master, and became so sensible, and at the same time so proud, of the value of his pieces, that he refused to sell them, observing that no sum of money, however great, was sufficient to buy them. His most celebrated paintings were his Jupiter sitting on a throne, surrounded by the gods; his Hercules strangling the serpents in the presence of his affrighted parents; his modest Penelope; and his Helen, which was afterwards placed in the temple of Juno Lacinia, in Italy. This last piece he had painted at the request of the people of Crotona, and that he might not be without a model, they sent him the most beautiful of their virgins. Zeuxis examined their naked beauties, and retained five, from whose elegance and graces united, he conceived in his mind the form of the most perfect woman in the universe, which his pencil at last executed with wonderful success. His contest with Parrhasius is well known [See: [Parrhasius]]; but though he represented nature in such perfection, and copied all her beauties with such exactness, he often found himself deceived. He painted grapes, and formed an idea of the goodness of his piece from the birds which came to eat the fruit on the canvas. But he soon acknowledged that the whole was an ill-executed piece, as the figure of the man who carried the grapes was not done with sufficient expression to terrify the birds. According to some, Zeuxis died from laughing at a comical picture which he had made of an old woman. Cicero, de Inventione, bk. 2, ch. 1.—Plutarch, Parallela minora, &c.—Quintilian.
Zeuxo, one of the Oceanides. Hesiod.
Zilia, or Zelis, a town in Mauritania, at the mouth of a river of the same name. Pliny, bk. 5, ch. 1.
Zimara, a town of Armenia Minor, 12 miles from the sources of the Euphrates. Pliny, bk. 5, ch. 24.
Zingis, a promontory of Æthiopia, near the entrance of the Red sea, now cape Orfui.
Ziobĕris, a river of Hyrcania, whose rapid course is described by Curtius, bk. 6, ch. 4.
Zipætes, a king of Bithynia, who died in his 70th year, B.C. 279.
Zitha, a town of Mesopotamia.
Ziza, a town of Arabia.
Zōĭlus, a sophist and grammarian of Amphipolis, B.C. 259. He rendered himself known by his severe criticisms on the works of Isocrates and Plato, and the poems of Homer, for which he received the name of Homeromastic, or the chastiser of Homer. He presented his criticisms to Ptolemy Philadelphus, but they were rejected with indignation, though the author declared that he starved for want of bread. Some say that Zoilus was cruelly stoned to death, or exposed on a cross by order of Ptolemy, while others support that he was burnt alive at Smyrna. The name of Zoilus is generally applied to austere critics. The works of this unfortunate grammarian are lost. Ælian, Varia Historia, bk. 11, ch. 10.—Dionysius of Halicarnassus.—Ovid, Remedia Amoris, li. 266.——An officer in the army of Alexander.
Zoippus, a son-in-law of Hiero of Sicily.
Zona, a town of Africa. Dio Cassius, bk. 48.——Of Thrace, on the Ægean sea, where the woods are said to have followed the strains of Orpheus. Mela, bk. 2, ch. 2.—Herodotus.
Zonăras, one of the Byzantine historians, whose Greek Annals were edited, 2 vols., folio, Paris, 1686.
Zopy̆rio, one of Alexander’s officers left in Greece when the conqueror was in Asia, &c. Curtius, bk. 10, ch. 1.
Zopy̆rion, a governor of Pontus, who made war against Scythia, &c. Justin, bk. 2, ch. 3.
Zopy̆rus, a Persian, son of Megabyzus, who, to show his attachment to Darius the son of Hystaspes, while he besieged Babylon, cut off his ears and nose, and fled to the enemy, telling them that he had received such a treatment from his royal master because he had advised him to raise the siege, as the city was impregnable. This was credited by the Babylonians, and Zopyrus was appointed commander of all their forces. When he had totally gained their confidence, he betrayed the city into the hands of Darius, for which he was liberally rewarded. The regard of Darius for Zopyrus could never be more strongly expressed than in what he used often to say, that he had rather have Zopyrus not mutilated than 20 Babylons. Herodotus, bk. 3, ch. 154, &c.—Plutarch, Regum et imperatorum apophthegmata, ch. 3.—Justin, bk. 1, ch. 10.——An orator of Clazomenæ. Quintilian, bk. 3, ch. 6.——A physician in the age of Mithridates. He gave the monarch a description of an antidote which would prevail against all sorts of poisons. The experiment was tried upon criminals, and succeeded.——A physician in the age of Plutarch.——An officer of Argos, who cut off the head of Pyrrhus. Plutarch.——A man appointed master of Alcibiades, by Pericles. Plutarch.——A physiognomist. Cicero, de Fato, ch. 5.——A rhetorician of Colophon. Diogenes Laërtius.
Zoroanda, a part of Taurus between Mesopotamia and Armenia, near which the Tigris flows. Pliny, bk. 6, ch. 27.
Zoroaster, a king of Bactria, supposed to have lived in the age of Ninus king of Assyria, some time before the Trojan war. According to Justin, he first invented magic, or the doctrines of the Magi, and rendered himself known by his deep and acute researches in philosophy, the origin of the world, and the study of astronomy. He was respected by his subjects and contemporaries for his abilities as a monarch, a lawgiver, and a philosopher, and though many of his doctrines are puerile and ridiculous, yet his followers are still found in numbers in the wilds of Persia, and the extensive provinces of India. Like Pythagoras, Zoroaster admitted no visible object of devotion except fire, which he considered as the most proper emblem of a supreme being; which doctrines seem to have been preserved by Numa, in the worship and ceremonies which he instituted in honour of Vesta. According to some of the moderns, the doctrines, the laws, and regulations of this celebrated Bactrian are still extant, and they have been lately introduced in Europe in a French translation by Marcus Anquetil. The age of Zoroaster is so little known that many speak of two, three, four, and even six lawgivers of that name. Some authors, who support that two persons only of this name flourished, describe the first as an astronomer living in Babylon, 2459 years B.C., whilst the era of the other, who is supposed to have been a native of Persia, and the restorer of the religion of the Magi, is fixed 589, and by some 519 years B.C. Justin, bk. 1, ch. 1.—Augustine, City of God, bk. 21, ch. 14.—Orosius, bk. 1.—Pliny, bk. 7, ch. 10; bk. 30, ch. 1.
Zosĭmus, an officer in the reign of Theodosius the younger, about the year 410 of the christian era. He wrote the history of the Roman emperors in Greek, from the age of Augustus to the beginning of the fifth century, of which only the five first books, and the beginning of the sixth, are extant. In the first of those he is very succinct in his account from the time of Augustus to the reign of Diocletian, but in the succeeding he becomes more diffuse and interesting. His composition is written with elegance, but not much fidelity, and the author showed his malevolence against the christians in his history of Constantine, and some of his successors. The best editions of Zosimus are that of Celarius, 8vo. Jenæ, 1728, and that of Reiemier, 8vo, Lipscomb, 1784.
Zosine, the wife of king Tigranes, led in triumph by Pompey. Plutarch.
Zoster, a town, harbour, and promontory of Attica. Cicero, Letters to Atticus, bk. 5, ltr. 12.
Zosteria, a surname of Minerva. She had two statues under that name in the city of Thebes, in Bœotia. The word signified girt, or armed for battle, words synonymous among the ancients. Pausanias, bk. 9, ch. 17.—Homer, Iliad, bk. 2, li. 478; bk. 11, li. 15.
Zotale, a place near Antiochia in Margiana, where the Margus was divided into small streams. Pliny, bk. 6, ch. 16.
Zothraustes, a lawgiver among the Arimaspi. Diodorus.
Zuchis, a lake to the east of the Syrtis Minor, with a town of the same name, famous for a purple dye, and salt-fish. Strabo, bk. 17.
Zygantes, a people of Africa.
Zygia, a surname of Juno, because she presided over marriage (a ζευγνυμι jungo). She is the same as the Pronuba of the Latins. Pindar.—Pollux, bk. 3, ch. 3.
Zygii, a savage nation at the north of Colchis. Strabo, bk. 11.
Zygopŏlis, a town of Cappadocia, on the borders of Colchis. Strabo, bk. 12.
Zygrītæ, a nation of Libya.
| English paces. | ft. | in. | dec. | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dactylus or Digit | 0 | 0 | 0 | 755411⁄16 | |||||||||||
| 4 | Doron | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0218¾ | ||||||||||
| 10 | 2½ | Lichas | 0 | 0 | 4 | 5546⅞ | |||||||||
| 11 | 2¾ | 11⁄10 | Orthodoron | 0 | 0 | 8 | 31019⁄16 | ||||||||
| 12 | 3 | 1⅕ | 11⁄11 | Spithame | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0656¼ | |||||||
| 16 | 4 | 16⁄10 | 51⁄11 | 1⅓ | Foot | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0875 | ||||||
| 18 | 4½ | 1⅘ | 17⁄11 | 1½ | 1⅛ | Cubit (πυγμη) | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5984⅜ | |||||
| 20 | 5 | 2 | 19⁄11 | 1⅔ | 1¼ | 1½ | Pygon | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1093⅜ | ||||
| 24 | 6 | 2⅖ | 22⁄11 | 2 | 1½ | 1⅓ | 1⅕ | Larger Cubit (πηχυς) | 0 | 1 | 6 | 13125 | |||
| 96 | 24 | 9⅖ | 88⁄11 | 8 | 6 | 5⅓ | 4⅕ | 4 | Pace (οργυια) | 0 | 6 | 0 | 525 | ||
| 9600 | 2400 | 960 | 8728⁄11 | 800 | 600 | 533½ | 480 | 400 | 100 | Stadium | 100 | 4 | 4 | 5 | |
| 76800 | 19200 | 7680 | 69819⁄11 | 6400 | 4800 | 4266⅔ | 3840 | 3200 | 800 | 8 | Milion | 805 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| English paces. | ft. | in. | dec. | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Digitus transversus | 0 | 0 | 0 | 725¼ | |||||||||
| 1⅓ | Unica | 0 | 0 | 0 | 967 | ||||||||
| 4 | 3 | Palmus minor | 0 | 0 | 2 | 901 | |||||||
| 16 | 12 | 4 | Pes | 0 | 0 | 11 | 604 | ||||||
| 20 | 15 | 5 | 1¼ | Palmpipes | 0 | 1 | 2 | 505 | |||||
| 24 | 18 | 6 | 1½ | 1⅕ | Cubitus | 0 | 1 | 5 | 406 | ||||
| 40 | 30 | 10 | 2½ | 2 | 1 | Gradus | 0 | 2 | 5 | 01 | |||
| 80 | 60 | 20 | 5 | 4 | 3⅓ | 2 | Passus | 0 | 4 | 10 | 02 | ||
| 10000 | 7500 | 2500 | 625 | 500 | 416⅔ | 250 | 125 | Stadium | 120 | 4 | 4 | 5 | |
| 80000 | 60000 | 20000 | 5000 | 4000 | 3333⅓ | 2000 | 1000 | 8 | Milliare | 967 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
The Grecian square measures were the plethron, or acre, containing 1444, as some say, or as others report, 10,000 square feet; the aroura, which was half the plethron. The aroura of the Egyptians was the square of 100 cubits.
The Roman square measure was the jugerum, which, like their libra and their as, was divided into twelve parts called unciæ, as the following table shows:—
| Unciæ. | Square feet. | Scruples. | English roods. | Square poles. | Square feet. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | As or | 12 | 28800 | 288 | 2 | 18 | 250,05 |
| 11⁄12 | Deunx | 11 | 26400 | 264 | 2 | 10 | 183,85 |
| ⅚ | Dextans | 10 | 24000 | 240 | 2 | 2 | 117,64 |
| ¾ | Dodrans | 9 | 21600 | 216 | 1 | 34 | 51,42 |
| ⅔ | Bes | 8 | 19200 | 192 | 1 | 25 | 257,46 |
| 7⁄12 | Septunx | 7 | 16800 | 168 | 1 | 17 | 191,25 |
| ½ | Semis | 6 | 14400 | 144 | 1 | 9 | 125,03 |
| 5⁄12 | Quincunx | 5 | 12000 | 120 | 1 | 1 | 58,82 |
| ⅓ | Triens | 4 | 9600 | 96 | 0 | 32 | 264,85 |
| ¼ | Quadrans | 3 | 7200 | 72 | 0 | 24 | 198,64 |
| ⅙ | Sextans | 2 | 4800 | 48 | 0 | 16 | 132,43 |
| 1⁄12 | Uncia | 1 | 2400 | 24 | 0 | 8 | 66,21 |
N.B. The Actus Major was 14,400 square feet, equal to a Semis. The Clima was 3600 square feet, equal to a sescuncia, or an uncia and a half, and the actus minimus was equal to a sextans.
The Roman as or æs was called so because it was made of brass.
| gals. | pts. | sol. in. | dec. | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cochlearion | 0 | 1⁄120 | 0 | 03565⁄12 | |||||||||
| 2 | Cheme | 0 | 1⁄60 | 0 | 0712⅝ | ||||||||
| 2½ | 1¼ | Mystron | 0 | 1⁄48 | 0 | 08911⁄48 | |||||||
| 5 | 2½ | 2 | Conche | 0 | 1⁄24 | 0 | 17811⁄24 | ||||||
| 10 | 5 | 4 | 2 | Cyathus | 0 | 1⁄12 | 0 | 35611⁄12 | |||||
| 15 | 7½ | 6 | 3 | 1½ | Oxybaphon | 0 | ⅛ | 0 | 335⅜ | ||||
| 60 | 30 | 24 | 12 | 6 | 4 | Cotyle | 0 | ½ | 2 | 141½ | |||
| 120 | 60 | 48 | 24 | 12 | 8 | 2 | Xestes | 0 | 1 | 4 | 283 | ||
| 720 | 360 | 388 | 144 | 72 | 48 | 12 | 6 | Chous | 0 | 6 | 25 | 698 | |
| 8640 | 4320 | 3456 | 1728 | 864 | 576 | 144 | 72 | 12 | Metretes | 10 | 2 | 19 | 626 |
| gals. | pts. | sol. in. | dec. | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ligula | 0 | 1⁄48 | 0 | 1176⁄12 | |||||||||
| 4 | Cyathus | 0 | 1⁄12 | 0 | 469⅔ | ||||||||
| 6 | 1½ | Acetabulum | 0 | ⅛ | 0 | 704½ | |||||||
| 12 | 3 | 2 | Quartarius | 0 | ¼ | 1 | 409 | ||||||
| 24 | 6 | 4 | 2 | Hemina | 0 | ½ | 2 | 818 | |||||
| 48 | 12 | 8 | 4 | 2 | Sextarius | 0 | 1 | 5 | 636 | ||||
| 288 | 72 | 48 | 24 | 12 | 6 | Congius | 0 | 7 | 4 | 942 | |||
| 1152 | 288 | 192 | 96 | 48 | 24 | 4 | Urna | 3 | 4½ | 5 | 33 | ||
| 2304 | 576 | 384 | 192 | 96 | 48 | 8 | 2 | Amphora | 7 | 1 | 10 | 66 | |
| 46080 | 11520 | 7680 | 3840 | 1920 | 960 | 160 | 40 | 20 | Culeus | 143 | 3 | 11 | 095 |
N.B. The quadrantal is the same as the amphora. The Cadus, Congiarius, and Dolium denote no certain measure. The Romans divided the Sextarius, like the libra, into 12 equal parts, called Cyathi, and therefore their calices were called sextantes, quadrantes, trientes, &c., according to the number of cyathi which they contained.
| pecks. | gals. | pts. | sol. in. | dec. | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cochlearion | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2767⁄20 | ||||||
| 1 | Cyathus | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 763½ | |||||
| 15 | 1½ | Oxybaphon | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 144¾ | ||||
| 60 | 6 | 4 | Cotyle | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 579 | |||
| 120 | 12 | 8 | 2 | Xestes | 0 | 0 | 0 | 33 | 158 | ||
| 180 | 18 | 12 | 3 | 1½ | Chœnix | 0 | 0 | 1 | 15 | 705¾ | |
| 8040 | 864 | 576 | 144 | 72 | 48 | Medimnus | 4 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 501 |
N.B. Besides this Medimnus, which is the Medicus, there was a Medimnus Georgicus, equal to six Roman Modii.
| pecks. | gals. | pts. | sol. in. | dec. | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ligula | 0 | 0 | 1⁄48 | 0 | 01 | ||||||
| 4 | Cyathus | 0 | 0 | 1⁄12 | 0 | 04 | |||||
| 6 | 1½ | Acetabulum | 0 | 0 | ⅛ | 0 | 06 | ||||
| 24 | 6 | 4 | Hemina | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | 24 | |||
| 48 | 12 | 8 | 2 | Sextarius | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 48 | ||
| 384 | 96 | 64 | 16 | 8 | Semimodius | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 84 | |
| 768 | 192 | 128 | 32 | 16 | 2 | Modius | 1 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 68 |
| lb. | oz. | dwt. | gr. | dec. | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drachma | 0 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 22⁄49 | ||
| 100 | Mina | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 44⁄49 | |
| 6000 | 60 | Talentum | 65 | 0 | 12 | 5 | 43⁄49 |
| lb. | oz. | dwt. | gr. | dec. | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lentes | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 85⁄112 | |||||||||
| 4 | Siliquæ | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1⁄28 | ||||||||
| 12 | 3 | Obolus | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 3⁄28 | |||||||
| 24 | 6 | 2 | Scriptulum | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 3⁄14 | ||||||
| 72 | 18 | 6 | 3 | Drachma | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 9⁄14 | |||||
| 96 | 24 | 8 | 4 | 1⅓ | Sextula | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 6⁄7 | ||||
| 144 | 36 | 12 | 6 | 2 | 1½ | Sicilius | 0 | 0 | 4 | 13 | 2⁄7 | |||
| 192 | 48 | 16 | 8 | 2⅔ | 2 | 1⅓ | Duella | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 5⁄7 | ||
| 576 | 144 | 48 | 24 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 3 | Unica | 0 | 0 | 18 | 5 | 1⁄7 | |
| 6912 | 1728 | 576 | 288 | 96 | 72 | 48 | 36 | 12 | Libra | 0 | 10 | 18 | 13 | 5⁄7 |
N.B. The Roman ounce is the English avoirdupois ounce, which was anciently divided into seven denarii, and eight drachmæ, and as they reckoned the denarius equal to an Attic drachma, the Attic weights were one-eighth heavier than the correspondent weights among the Romans.
The Greeks divided their obolus into chalci and smaller proportions; some into six chalci, and every chalcus into seven smaller parts; and others divided into eight chalci, and each chalcus into eight parts.
| lb. | oz. | dwt. | gr. | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Libra | 0 | 10 | 18 | 135⁄7 | |||
| 11⁄24 | Mina Attica communis | 0 | 11 | 7 | 162⁄7 | ||
| ⅓ | 17⁄25 | Mina Attica media | 1 | 2 | 11 | 102⁄7 | |
| 62½ | 60 | 46⅞ | Talentum Atticum commune | 56 | 11 | 0 | 171⁄7 |
N.B. There was also another Attic talent which consisted of 80, or, according to some, of 100 minæ. It must, however, be remembered, that every mina contains 100 drachmæ, and every talent 60 minæ. The talents differ according to the different standard of their minæ and drachmæ, as the following table indicates:—
| lb. | oz. | dwt. | gr. | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Mina Ægyptiaca Antiochica Cleopatræ Ptolemaica Alexandrina Dioscoridis |  | Consists of Attic drachmæ |  | 133⅓ | | Equivalent to English troy weight | | 1 | 5 | 6 | 2226⁄49 |
| 133⅓ | 1 | 5 | 6 | 2226⁄49 | |||||||
| 144 | 1 | 6 | 14 | 1632⁄49 | |||||||
| 160 | 1 | 8 | 16 | 741⁄49 | |||||||
| The Talentum Ægyptiacum Antiochicum Ptolemaicum Cleop. Alexandriæ Insulanum Antiochiæ | | Consists of Atticminæ | | 80 | | Equivalent to English troy weight | | 86 | 8 | 16 | 8 |
| 80 | 86 | 8 | 16 | 8 | |||||||
| 86⅔ | 93 | 11 | 11 | 0 | |||||||
| 96 | 104 | 0 | 19 | 14 | |||||||
| 120 | 130 | 1 | 4 | 12 | |||||||
| 360 | 390 | 3 | 13 | 11 | |||||||
| £ | s. | d. | q. | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lepton | 0 | 0 | 0 | 031⁄336 | ||||||||||
| 7 | Chalcus | 0 | 0 | 0 | 031⁄48 | |||||||||
| 14 | 2 | Dichalcus | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17⁄24 | ||||||||
| 28 | 4 | 2 | Hemiobolus | 0 | 0 | 0 | 27⁄12 | |||||||
| 56 | 8 | 4 | 2 | Obolus | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1⅙ | ||||||
| 112 | 16 | 8 | 4 | 2 | Diobolus | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2⅓ | |||||
| 224 | 32 | 16 | 8 | 4 | 2 | Tetrobolus | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0⅔ | ||||
| 336 | 48 | 24 | 12 | 6 | 3 | 1½ | Drachma | 0 | 0 | 7 | 3 | |||
| 662 | 96 | 48 | 24 | 12 | 6 | 3 | 2 | Didrachmon | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2 | ||
| 1324 | 112 | 96 | 48 | 24 | 12 | 6 | 4 | 2 | Tetradrachmon | 0 | 2 | 7 | 0 | |
| 1660 | 384 | 120 | 60 | 30 | 15 | 7½ | 5 | 2½ | 1¼ | Pentadrachmon | 0 | 3 | 2 | 3 |
N.B. The drachma, and the didrachmon, were silver, the others generally of brass. The tridrachmon, triobolus, &c., were sometimes coined. The drachma and the denarius are here supposed to be equal, though often the former exceeded in weight.
The gold coin among the Greeks was the stater aureus, which weighed two Attic drachmæ, or half the stater argenteus, and was worth 25 Attic drachmæ, of silver, or in
| £ | s. | d. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| English money | 0 | 16 | 1¾ |
| Or according to the proportion of gold to silver, at present | 1 | 0 | 9 |
| The Stater Cyzicenus exchanged for 28 Attic drachmæ, or | 0 | 18 | 1 |
| The Stater Philippi and Stater Alexandri were of the same value. | |||
| The Stater Daricus, according to Josephus, was worth 50 Attic drachmæ, or | 1 | 12 | 3½ |
| The Stater Cræsi was of the same value. | |||
| £ | s. | d. | q. | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Terentius | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0775⁄1000 | |||||
| 2 | Sembella | 0 | 0 | 0 | 111⁄20 | ||||
| 4 | 2 | Libella, or As | 0 | 0 | 0 | 31⁄10 | |||
| 10 | 5 | 2½ | Sestertius | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3¾ | ||
| 20 | 10 | 5 | 2 | Quinarius, or Victoriatus | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3½ | |
| 40 | 20 | 10 | 4 | 2 | Denarius | 0 | 0 | 7 | 3 |
N.B. The denarius, victoriatus, sestertius, and sometimes the as, were of silver, the others were of brass. The triens, sextans, uncia, sextula, and dupondius, were sometimes coined of brass.
| £ | s. | d. | q. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Drachma | 0 | 0 | 7 | 3 |
| 10 | Drachmæ | 0 | 6 | 5 | 2 |
| 100 | Drachmæ equal to a Mina | 3 | 4 | 7 | |
| 10 | Minæ | 32 | 5 | 10 | |
| 60 | Minæ equal to a Talent | 193 | 15 | 0 | |
| 10 | Talents | 1937 | 10 | 0 | |
| 100 | Talents | 19375 | 0 | 0 | |
| £ | s. | d. | q. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | Sestertius | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1½ |
| 10 | Sestertii | 0 | 1 | 7 | 1¾ |
| 1000 | Sestertii equal to one Sestertium | 8 | 1 | 5 | 2 |
| 10 | Sestertia | 80 | 14 | 7 | 0 |
| 100 | Sestertia | 807 | 5 | 10 | 0 |
| 1000 | Sestertia or decies Sestertiûm (centies und.) or decies centena millia nummûm | 8072 | 18 | 4 | 0 |
| Centies vel centies H. S. | 80729 | 3 | 4 | 0 | |
| Millies H. S. | 807291 | 13 | 4 | 0 | |
| Millies centies H. S. | 888020 | 16 | 8 | 0 | |
| The Mina Syria | | Was worth of Attic drachmæ | | 25 |
| Ptolemaica | 33⅓ | |||
| Antiochica | 100 | |||
| Euboica | 100 | |||
| Babylonica | 116 | |||
| Attica major | 133⅓ | |||
| Tyria | 133⅓ | |||
| Æginæa | 166⅔ | |||
| Rhodia | 166⅔ | |||
| The Talentum Syrium | | Was worth of Attic minæ | | 15 |
| Ptolemaicum | 20 | |||
| Antiochicum | 60 | |||
| Euboicum | 60 | |||
| Babylonicum | 70 | |||
| Atticum majus | 80 | |||
| Tyrium | 80 | |||
| Æginæum | 100 | |||
| Rhodium | 100 | |||
| Ægyptium | 80 |
The Roman gold coin was the aureus, which generally weighed double the denarius. The value of it was,
| £ | s. | d. | q. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| according to the first proportion of coinage mentioned by Pliny | 1 | 4 | 3 | 3 |
| Or according to the proportion of coinage at present | 1 | 0 | 9 | |
| According to the decuple proportion mentioned by Livy and Julius Pollux | 0 | 12 | 11 | |
| According to Tacitus, as it was afterwards valued and exchanged for 25 denarii | 0 | 16 | 1 | 3 |
The value of coin underwent many changes during the existence of the Roman republic, and stood, as Pliny mentions it, as follows:
| In the reign of Servius | | The as weighed of brass | | 1 pound |
| A.U.C. 490 | 2 ounces | |||
| A.U.C. 537 | 1 ounce | |||
| A.U.C. 586 | ½ ounce | |||
| A.U.C. 485 | | The denarius exchanged for | | 10 asses |
| A.U.C. 537 | 16 asses | |||
| A.U.C. 547, a scruple of gold was worth 20 sestertii; coined afterwards of the pound of gold, 20 denarii aurei; and in Nero’s reign of the pound of gold, 45 denarii aurei. | ||||
N. B. In the above tables of money, it is to be observed that the silver has been reckoned at 5s. and gold at £4 per ounce.
A talent of gold among the Jews was worth £5475, and one of silver £342 3s. 9d.
The greater talent of the Romans was worth £99 6s. 8d., and the less £60, or, as some say, £75, and the great talent £1125.
The value of the Roman pondo is not precisely known, though some suppose it equivalent to an Attic mina, or £3 4s. 7d. It is used indifferently by ancient authors for æs, as, and mina, and was supposed to consist of 100, or 96 denarii. It is to be observed, that whenever the word pondo is joined to numbers, it signifies the same as libra, but when it is used with other words it bears the same signification as the σταθμη or ὁλκη of the Greeks, or the pondus of the Latins. The word nummus, when mentioned as a sum of money, was supposed to be equivalent to a sestertius, and though the words sestertius and nummus are often joined together, yet their signification is the same, and they intimate no more than either does separately.
We must particularly remark, that in reckoning their sesterces, the Romans had an art which can be rendered intelligible by the observation of these rules: If a numeral noun agreed in case, gender, and number with the word sestertius, it denoted precisely as many sestertii; as for example, decem sestertii was ten sestertii. If a numeral noun of another case was joined with the genitive plural of sestertius, it denoted so many thousand, as decem sestertiûm signifies so many thousand sestertii. If the adverb numeral was joined, it denoted so many hundred thousand, as decies sestertiûm was ten hundred thousand sesterii. If the numeral adverb was put by itself, the signification was not altered; therefore decies, vigesies, &c., in a sentence, imply as many hundred thousand sestertii, or hundred sestertia, as if the word sestertiûm was expressed.
The denarius, which was the chief silver coin used at Rome, received its name because it contained denos æris, ten asses.
The as is often expressed by an Lucius because it was one pound weight; and the sestertius, because it was equivalent to two pounds and a half of brass, is frequently denoted by H. S. or L. L. S.
The Roman libra contained twelve ounces of silver, and was worth about £3, sterling.
The Roman talent was supposed to be equivalent to twenty-four sestertia, or nearly £193 sterling.
THE END.
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