Dictionary of Greek and Roman antiquities. Ed. by William Smith. Illustrated by numerous engravings on wood.

1010 SCALPTURA. SCALPTURA.
struction and use of ladders was the same among. figures into the material (intaglio). and scualr
the ancients as in modern times, and therefore re- (-yAvwo) to produce raised figures, as in cameoa
quires no explanation, with the exception of those But it is very doubtful whether the ancients themused in besieging a fortified place and in making selves made or observed such a distinction. From
an assault upon it. The ladders were erected the passages in which the words occur, both ill
against the walls (adizovere, ponere, apponere, or Greek and Latin writers, it seems that, in their
erigere scalds), and the besiegers ascended them widest sense, they were used, almost indifferently,
under showers of darts and stones thrown upon for what we call sculpture, in its various forms, in
them by the besieged. (Sallust. Jug. 6, 64; Caes. wood, marble, ivory, or other materials, more parde Bell. Civ. i. 28, 63; Tacit. Hist. iv. 29, &c.; ticularly for reliefs, for carving, that is, the exeVeget. de Re Milit. iv. 21; Polyb. ix. 18.) Some cution of small works by cutting, and for e7ry-avicg
of these ladders were formed like our common preciozs stones; but, of these senses, the last was
ones; others consisted of several parts (tcleIaKcs the most specific and usual; the first, in which
7rpKcral or 3aXvrTal) which might be put together modern writers use the word scllpture, was the
so as to form one large ladder, and were taken to most unusual. STrvATUAIA.] (See the Greek
pieces when they were not used. Sometimes also and Latin Lexicons).
they were made of ropes or leather with large iron It may be expedient, however, in accordance
]looks at the top, by which they were fastened to with the above distinction to divide the art into two
the walls to be ascended. The ladders made departments: 1. the art of cutting figures into the
s holly of leather consisted of tubes sowed up air- material (intaglios), which was chiefly applied to
tight, and when they were wanted, these tubes producing seals and matrices for the mints; and 2.
were filled with air. (Heron, c. 2.) HIeron also the art of producing raised figures (camrneos), whiclh
mentions a ladder which was constructed in such a served for the most part as ornaments.
manner, that it might be erected with a man The former of these two branches was much
standing on the top, whose, object was to observe more extensively practised among the ancients
what was going on in the besieged town. (Heron, than in modern times, which arose chiefly fionm
c. 12.) Others again were provided at the top the general custom of every free man wearing a
with a small bridge, which might be let down seal-ring. [ANNULUS.] The first engravings inl
upon the wall. (Heron, 19.) In ships small lad- metal or stone, which served as seals, were simple
ders or steps were likewise used for the purpose of and rude signs without any meaning, sometimes
ascending into or descending from them. (Virg. merelyconsisting of a round or square hole. (Meyer,
Aens. x. 654; Heron, c. 11.) Ksnatsqe scicicte, i. 10.) In the second stage of the
In the houses of the Romans the name Scalae art, certain symbolical or conventional forms, as in
was applied to the stairs or staircase, leading from the worship of the gods, were introduced, until at
the lower to the upper parts of a house. The last, about the age of Pheidias and Praxiteles, this,
steps were either of wood or stone, and, as in mo- like the other branches of the fine arts, had comndern times, fixed on one side in the wall. (Vitrnvf pleted its free and unrestrained career of developeix. 1. ~ 7, &c.) It appears that the staircases in ment, and was carried to such a degree of perfecRoman houses were as dark as those of old houses tion that, in the beauty of design as well as of exein modern times, for it is very often ineationed, cution, the works "f the ancients remain unrivalled
that a person concealed himself is scalis or mi sca- down to the present day. But few of the names
larumlz tenzebris (Cic. pro Mnil. 15, Philip. ii.'9; of the artists, who excelled in this art, have
HIorat. Epist. ii. 2. 15), and passages like these come down to us. Some intaglios, as well as
need not be interpreted, as some commentators cameos, have a name engraved upon them, but it
have done, by the supposition that inz scalis is the is in many cases more probable that such are the
same as sub scalis. The Roman houses had two names of the owners than of the artists. The first
kinds of staircases: the one were the common artist who is mentioned as an engraver of stones is
scalae, which were open on one side; the others Theodorus, the son of Telecles, the Samian, who
were called scalae Graecae or Kfimaces, which were engraved the stone in the ring of Polycrates.
closed on both sides. Massurius Sabinus (ap. Gell. (Herod. iii. 41.) The most celebrated among
x. 15. ~ 29) states, that the Flaminica was not al- them was Pyrgoteles, who engraved the seal-rings
lowed to ascend higher than three steps on a com- for Alexander the Great. (Winckelmann, vi. p.
mnoon scala, but that she might make use of a climax 107, &c.; see the articles in the Diet. of Bioq.)
like every other person, as here she was concealed The art continued for a long time after Pyrgoteles
when going up. (Serv. ad Aen. iv. 664.) [L. S.] in a very high state of perfection, and it appears
SCALPTU'RA or SCULPTU'RA. There are to have been applied about this period to ornatwo different forms of this word both in Greelk mental works. For several of the successors of
and Latin, viz. scallo, seclptura, and sculpo, scuzl- Alexander and other wealthy persons adopted the
t'ea (in Greek yXadw and yxi(pw), and there is custom, which was and is still very prevalent in
much doubt respecting their precise meaning. The the East, of adorning their gold and silver vessels,
original meaning, common to them, is undoubtedly craters, candelabras, and the like, with precious
the cutting figures out of a solid material. The stones on which raised figures (cameos) wvere
general opinion is, that both scalpo and sculpo, with worked. (Ath. xi. p. 781; Cic. c. Vesrr. ii. 4. 27,
their derivatives, signify the salne thing, only dif- &c.) Among the same class of ornamental works
ferent in degree of perfection, so that scalputrl' we may reckon such vessels and paterae as conwould signify a coarse or rude, sculptturc an elabo- sisted of one stone, upon which there was in many
rate and perfect engraving. This opinion is chiefly cases a whole series of raised figures of the most
based upon the following passages: Horat. Sat. ii. exquisite workmanship. (Appian. MAlitlhrid. 115;
3. 22; Ovid, Met. x. 248; Vitruv. iv. 6. (Coin- Cic. 1. c.; Plin. H. N. xxxvii. 3.) The art was in
pare the commentators on Suet. Galb. 10.) Others a particularly flourishing state at Romle under Auagain believe that scalpo (yAhSq:t) signifies to cut gustus and his successors, in the hands of Dioscu