A DICTIONARY
OF
CLASSICAL LITERATURE AND ANTIQUITIES.
A
A, the first letter in both the Greek and Latin alphabets. The principal uses of the letter in abbreviations found in MSS. and inscriptions, or on coins, are given below.
In Greek.—Abbreviations of one or even of two letters are of extreme rarity on Greek coins and inscriptions of the pre-Euclidean period; after this time a few instances occur, owing doubtless to Roman influence, their use being chiefly confined to a few Roman proper names, e.g. Α=Αὐλός, Αὐρήλιος, Ἀντωνι̑νος. With the general introduction of alphabetic numerals, about the beginning of the fifth century B.C., the letter Α, ά, is also used as a numeral for 1 and 1000 (α). Cf. S. Reinach, Traité d'Épigraphie Grecque (1885), pp. 220 ff. 225 ff.
In Latin.—The Romans made an astonishingly extensive use of abbreviations.[1] Only a very few out of many thousands recorded in the indexes of the C.I.L. (ii. 777. iii. 1185, v. 1201, vii. 342, viii. 1103, ix. 795, x. 1165, xii. 945, xiv. 583) can be given here under each letter. On Roman abbreviations in general, cf. R. Mowat, Bull. Épigraph. IV. p. 127 ff. (1884); E. Hübner, in Iwan Müller's Handbuch, i. 496 ff., 523 ff.; R. Cagnat, Cours d'Épigraphie Latine (1889), p. 351 ff.
A = absolvo, written on voting tablets, "I favor acquittal;" hence called littera salutaris. (Cic. pro Mur. vi. 15).
A = antiquo, designates a nay vote in the Roman comitia, in rejection of a proposed change.
A = auditor, or adulescens in some of the MSS. of Cic. Tusc. Disp., to denote one of the interlocutors as opposed to M = Marcus or magister.
A = Aulus, Augustus, Aurelius, Antoninus, Africa, Aprilis, aedilis.
A = Aurelia (inverted letter always used to designate female names).
A = accipiet, actum, aeternus, annus, annona, ara, armatura, argento, auro, as.
A·A = Aquae, Aponi, Auli duo.
AAGG = Augusti duo.
AAAGGG = Augusti tres.
Abacænum. An ancient town of Sicily, west of Messana and south Tyndaris. See Diod. Sic. xiv. 78, 90.
Abactōres, Abigeatōres, or Abigei are terms used to signify those guilty of cattle-stealing (abigeatus), which the Roman practice distinguished from ordinary furtum (q. v.), when the theft was of a sufficiently serious kind. The stealing of a single horse of ox was abigeatus, but to steal less than ten sheep or four pigs was only furtum. It was an aggravation of the offence to steal the animals froma pen or other encluosure, or for the abactor to carry weapons. The punishment was at the discretion of the magistrate, and ranges from banishment and degradation from rank to penal servitude and death. Cf. Dig. 47,
- ↑ The original name for these abbreviations seems to have litterae singulares or singulariae ().
