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

o944 PORTICUS. PORTORI UAt,
(WVyttenbach's Roman Ant. of Treves, pp. 9-39.) great fondness for such covered walks from the
Its rows of ornamental windows and the general Greeks; and as luxuries among them were carried
style of its architecture, afford sufficient indica- in everything to a greater extent than in Greece,
tions, that although very strong, it was not intended wealthy Romans had their private porticoes, somesolely, nor principally, for the purposes of defence, times in the city itself, and sometimes in their
but to be applied in time of peace to the various country-seats. In the public porticoes of Rome,
obljects of civil government. To these latter pur- which were exceedingly numerous and very exposes the gate house (7rvXA&) was commonly de- tensive (as that around the Forum and the Campus
voted, more especially in Eastern countries. Hence Martius), a variety of business was occasionally
Polybius (xv. 29) calls a building at Alexandria transacted: we find that law-suits were conducted
TOYb Xp7FIUaTLsTKbCy rIviu rYX r TY BaoL-Aecov, i. e. here, meetings of the senate held, goods exhibited
11 the gate-house of the palace, used for the trans- for sale, &c. (See Pitiscus, Lexicon, s. v. Porticus,
action of public business." In the Old Testa- who has given a complete list of all the porticoes
ment the references to this custom are very fre- of Rome.) [L. S.]
quent. By metonymy " the gates" meant those PORTI'SCULUS (sceeEva-rTs), an officer in a
who administered justice at the gates and wielded ship, who gave the signal to the rowers, that they
the powers of government. (Hom. Ii. ix. 312; might keep time in rowing. The same name was
MIatt. xvi. 18.) also given to the pole or hammer, by the striking
Statues of the gods were often placed near the of which lie regulated the motion of the oars.
gate, or even within it in the barbican, so as to (Festus, s. a.) The duties of this officer are thus
be ready to receive the adoration of those who described by Silius Italicus (vi. 360, &c.) -
entered the city. (Paus. iv. 33. ~ 4; Lucret. i. stat margine puppi
314; Acts, xiv. 13.) The probable position of the Q v edae stat marum te pupr s,
statue was the point S in the above plan. The Qti roce aiternos nautarum temperet ictus,
gate was sometimes much ornamented. Sculp- rc sonitum plauat esonantia caterula tonsis.
tured elephants, for example, were placed upon
the Porta Aurea at Constantinople. [J. Y.] This officer is sometimes called loertator (Ovid,
PORTENTUM. [PsronDIGIUM.] Aiet. iii. 618; Plaut. lerlc. iv. 2. 5; Virg. Aen.
PO'RTICUS (-Trod), a walk covered with a iii. 128) or PAvs RIuvs. (Compare Blomfield, ad
roof, which is supported by columnns, at least on Aesch. Pers. 403.)
one side. A porticus was either attached to PORTITO'RES. [PORTORIUM; PUBLICANIM.]
temples and other public buildings, or it was built PORTO'RIUIl was one branch of the regular
independent of any other edifice. Such shaded revenues of the Roman state, consisting of the
walks and places of resort are almost indispensable duties paid on imported and exported goods:
in the southern countries of Europe, where people sometimes, however, the name portorium is also
live much in the open air, as a protection from the applied to the duties raised upon goods for being
heat of the sun and from rain. This was the case carried through a country or over bridges. (Plin.
in ancient times to a much greater extent than at HII. N. xii. 31; Sueton. Fitell. 14.) A portorium,
present. The porticoes attached to the temples or duty upon imported goods, appears to have
were either constructed only in front of them, or been paid at a very early period, for it is said that
went round the whole building,and temples received Valerins Publicola exempted the plebes from the
different names according to these different porticoes, portoria at the time when the republic was threatand according to the arrangement of the columns ened with an invasion by Porsenna. (Liv. ii. 9
of the porticoes. [TEMPIPU.I.] They were origin- compare Dionys. v. 22.) The time of its introally intended as places for those persons to assemble duction is uncertain; but the abolition of it asand converse in who visited the temple for various cribed to Publicola caii onlyhave been a temporary
purposes. As such temple-porticoes, however, were measure; and as the expenditure of the republic
found too small or not suited for the various pur- increased, new portoria must have been introposes of private and public life, most of the Greek duced. Thus the censors M. Aemilius Lepidus
towns had independent porticoes, some of which and M. Fulvius Nobilior instituted portoria et vecwere very extensive, especially in their places of tqtialia multa (Liv. xl. 51), and C. Gracchus again
public assembly [AnoRA]; and as the Greeks, increased the number of articles which had to pay
in all their public teorks, soon went beyond the portoria. (Vell. Pat. ii. 6.) In conquered places
limits of mere utility, these public walks were not and in the provinces the import and export duties,
only built in the most magnificent style, but were which had been paid there before, were generally
adorned with pictures and statues by the best not only retained, but increased, and appropriated
masters. Of this kind were the Poecile (oi-eo to the aerarium. Thus we read of portoria being
7roisciXre) and oroa &aXs1r0os at Athens (Athen. paid at Capua and Puteoli on! goods which were
xiii. p. 577; Pans. i. 3. ~ 1, &c.), and the o-oa imported by merchants. (Liv. xxxii. 7.) Sicily,
Ilepsonch at Sparta. (Paus. iii. 11. ~ 3.) The and above all, Asia furnished_ to the Roiman treaSkias at Sparta, where the popular assemblies sury large sums vhlich were raised as portoria.
were held, seems to have been a building of the (Cic. c. Ferr. ii. 75, pro Leg. Mlahzil. 6.) In some
same kind. (Pans. iii. 12. ~ 8.) In most of these cases, however; the Romans allowed a subject
stoae, seats [EXEDRAE] were placed, that those nation, as a particular favour, to raise for theemwh}o were tired might sit down. They were fre- selves whatever- portoria they pleased in their
quented not only by idle loungers, but also by ports, and only stipulated that Roman citizens
philosophers, rhetoricians, and other persons fond and socii Latini should be exempted from them.
of intellectual conversation. The Stoic school of (Liv. xxxviii. 44; Gruter, Inscript. p. 500.) Inl
philosophy demlved its name from the circumstance, the year 60 a. c. all the portoria in the ports of
that the founder of it used to converse with his Italy were done amway with, by a lex Caecilia
disciples in a stoa. The Romans derived their carried bythe praetor Q. Metellus Nepos. (Dioe