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

ATRAMENTUM. ATTICURGES. 171
perhaps, it may be said that the inks of the an- I'ound or hexagonal. They had covers to keep the
cients were more durable than our own; that they dust from the ink. The annexed cuts represent
were thicker and more unctuous, in substance and inkstands found at Pompeii. [CALAMUS.] (Canedurability more resembling the ink now used by parius, DeAtramcentis cajusque Generis, Loend. 1660;
printers. An inkstand was discovered at Hercu- Beckmann, flistory of Inventions, vol. i. p. 106,
laneum, containing ink as thick as oil, and still vol. ii. p. 266, London, 1846; Becker, Clerikles,
usable for writing. vol. ii. p. 222, &c., Gallus, vol. i. p. 166, &c.)
It would appear also that this gummy character [A. A.]
of the ink, preventing it from running to the point
of the pen, was as much complained of by the ancient Romans as it is by ourselves. Persius (Sat.
iii. 12) represents a foppish writer sitting down to )
compose, but, as the ideas do not run freely, — a d
"Tune queritur, crassus calamo quod pendeat humor; i
Nigra quod infusa vanescat sepia lympha."
They also added water, as we do sometimes, to
thin it.
From a phrase used by Demosthenes, it would I
appear as if the colouring ingredient was obtained
by rubbing from some solid substance (7 /e.av'I
TpLenlY, Dem. de Cor. p. 313), perhaps much as we
rub Indian ink. It is probable that there were
many ways of colouring ink, especially of different A'TRIUM is used in a distinctive as well as
colours. Red ink (made of minuium, vermilion)
w~as used for Mwriting the titles and beginnings of collective sense, to designate a particular part in the
books (Ovid, Trist. i. 1. 7), so also was ink madeprivate houses of the Romans [Dous] and also
of rurzica, "c red ochre " (Siden. vii. 12); and be- a class of public buildings, so called from their
cause the headings of laws were written with rublica, general resemblance in construction to the atrium
the word rubric came to be used for the civil law, of a private house. There is likewise a distinction
(Quintil. xii. 3.) So albumn, a white or whited between atrium and area; the former being an
table, on which the praetors' edicts were written, open area surrounded by a colonnade, whilst the
latter had no such ornament attached to it. The
himself to ainbun and s rubr ica, was a person devoting atrium, moreover, was sometimes a building by it.
himself to the law. [ALaUaM.] There was also a self, resembling in some respects the open basilica
very expensive red-coloured ink with which the [BASILICA], but consisting of three sides. Such
emperor used to write his signature, but which any was the Atrium Publicui in the capitol, which
one else was by an edict (Cod. 1. tit. 23.. 6) Livy informs us, was struck with lightnin B. a.
forbidden to use, excepting the sons or near rela- ched to some temple o other edifice, and in such
tions of the emperor, to whom the privilege was ex- cached to somiste mple o other edifice, and surrounding
pressly granted. But if the emperor was under age, case consisted of an open area and surrounding
presslynted. But if the emperor was under age, portico in front of the structure, like that before
his guardian used a green ink for writing his signa- the church of St. Peter, in the Vatican. Several
ture. (Montfaucon, Palaeog. p. 3.) On the banners
of Crassus there were pl letters O of these buildings are mentioned by the ancient
ofprausTa. (Dion Cass. xl. 18.) Osletters- p oaand historians, two of which were dedicated to the same
monuments letters of gold and silver, or letters goddess, Libertas; but an accolmt of these buildcovered with gilt and silver, were sometimes used. ings belongs to Roman topography, which is treated
(Cic. Verr. iv. 27; Suet. Aug. 7.) In writing also o TTCURGES ('Amrr o ovpysf Geogapy Attic
this was done at a later period. Suetonius (Arer.URGES (A ovpS, te Attic
style), is an architectural term, which only occurs
10) says, that of the poems which Nero recited at style), is an architectural term, which only occurs
10) says, that of the poems which Nero recise at in Vitruvius (iii. 5. ~ 2, iv. 6. 8~ 1. 6, Schn.: as
Rome one part was written in gold (or gilt) lettersius (iii. 5. ~ 26, Schn.: a
and consecrated to Jupiter Capi- a common adjective, the word only occurs in a
(uis litteris), and consecrated to Jupiter Cap- fragment of Menander, No. 628, Meineke). The
tolinus. This kind of illuminated writing was word is evidently used not to describe a distinct
more practised afterwards in religious compositions, order of architecture, but any of those variations
which were considered as worthy to be written which the genius of the Athenian architects made
in letters of gold (as we say even now), and there whihon the estoblishe Athenian architets mader
fore were actually written so. Something like upon the established forms. In the former paswhat we call sympathetic ink, which is invisible sage, Vitruvius applies it to a sort of base of
till heat, or some preparation be applied, appears to
lave been not uncommon. So Ovid (Ast. Amn. iii.
627, &c.) advises writing love-letters with fresh
milk, which would be unreadable, until the letters
were sprinkled with coal-dust. Ausonius (ELoist.
xxiii. 21) gives the same direction. Pliny (xxvi.
8) suggests that the milky sap contained in some
plants might be used in the same way.
An inkstand (rv'tlo~,,EXav6'Xov, Pollux, iv.
18, x. 59) was either single or double. The double _
inkstands were probably intended to contain both
black and red ink, much in the modern fashion. a column, which he describes as consisting of two
They were also of various shapes, as for example, tori divided by a scotia or trochilus, with a fillet