SARRĀCUM, a kind of common cart or waggon, which was used by the
country-people of Italy for conveying the produce of their fields,
trees, and the like, from one place to another.
SĂTŬRA, the root of which is _sat_, literally means a mixture of
all sorts of things. The name was accordingly applied by the Romans
in many ways, but always to things consisting of various parts or
ingredients, _e.g._ _lanx satura_, an offering consisting of various
fruits, such as were offered at harvest festivals and to Ceres; _lex
per saturam lata_, a law which contained several distinct regulations
at once, and to a species of poetry, afterwards called _Satira_.
SĀTURNĀLĬA, the festival of Saturnus, to whom the inhabitants of
Latium attributed the introduction of agriculture and the arts of
civilized life. Falling towards the end of December, at the season
when the agricultural labours of the year were fully completed, it
was celebrated in ancient times by the rustic population as a sort
of joyous harvest-home, and in every age was viewed by all classes
of the community as a period of absolute relaxation and unrestrained
merriment. During its continuance no public business could be
transacted, the law courts were closed, the schools kept holiday,
to commence a war was impious, to punish a malefactor involved
pollution. Special indulgences were granted to the slaves of each
domestic establishment; they were relieved from all ordinary toils,
were permitted to wear the _pileus_, the badge of freedom, were
granted full freedom of speech, and partook of a banquet attired in
the clothes of their masters, and were waited upon by them at table.
All ranks devoted themselves to feasting and mirth, presents were
interchanged among friends, _cerei_ or wax tapers being the common
offering of the more humble to their superiors, and crowds thronged
the streets, shouting, _Io Saturnalia_ (this was termed _clamare
Saturnalia_), while sacrifices were offered with uncovered head,
from a conviction that no ill-omened sight would interrupt the rites
of such a happy day. Many of the peculiar customs of this festival
exhibit a remarkable resemblance to the sports of our own Christmas
and of the Italian Carnival. Thus on the Saturnalia public gambling
was allowed by the aediles, just as in the days of our ancestors the
most rigid were wont to countenance card-playing on Christmas-eve;
the whole population threw off the toga, wore a loose gown, called
_synthesis_, and walked about with the pileus on their heads, which
reminds us of the dominos, the peaked caps, and other disguises worn
by masques and mummers; the _cerei_ were probably employed as the
_moccoli_ now are on the last night of the Carnival; and lastly,
one of the amusements in private society was the election of a mock
king, which at once calls to recollection the characteristic ceremony
of Twelfth-night. During the republic, although the whole month of
December was considered as dedicated to Saturn, only one day, the
XIV. Kal. Jan., was set apart for the sacred rites of the divinity.
When the month was lengthened by the addition of two days upon the
adoption of the Julian Calendar, the Saturnalia fell on the XVI.
Kal. Jan., which gave rise to confusion and mistakes among the more
ignorant portion of the people. To obviate this inconvenience, and
allay all religious scruples, Augustus enacted that three whole days,
the 17th, 18th, and 19th of December, should in all time coming be
hallowed, thus embracing both the old and new style. Under the empire
the merry-making lasted for seven days, and three different festivals
were celebrated during this period. First came the _Saturnalia_
proper, commencing on XVI. Kal. Dec., followed by the _Opalia_,
anciently coincident with the Saturnalia, on XIV. Kal. Jan.; these
two together lasted for five days, and the sixth and seventh were
occupied with the _Sigillaria_, so called from little earthenware
figures (_sigilla_, _oscilla_) exposed for sale at this season, and
given as toys to children.
SCALPTŪRA or SCULPTŪRA, originally signified cutting figures out of
a solid material, but was more particularly applied to the art of
cutting figures into the material (intaglios), which was chiefly
applied to producing seals and matrices for the mints; and 2. the
art of producing raised figures (cameos), which served for the most
part as ornaments. _Sculpture_ in our sense of the word was usually
designated by the term STATUARIA. The first artist who is mentioned
as an engraver of stones is Theodoras, the son of Telecles, the
Samian, who engraved the stone in the ring of Polycrates. The most
celebrated among them was Pyrgoteles, who engraved the seal-rings
for Alexander the Great. Several of the successors of Alexander and
other wealthy persons adopted the custom of adorning their gold and
silver vessels, craters, candelabras, and the like, with precious
stones on which raised figures (cameos) were worked. The art was
in a particularly flourishing state at Rome under Augustus and his
successors, in the hands of Dioscurides and other artists, many of
whose works are still preserved. Numerous specimens of intaglios and
cameos are still preserved in the various museums of Europe.
SCAMNUM, _dim._ SCĂBELLTUM, a step which was placed before the beds
of the ancients in order to assist persons in getting into them, as
some were very high: others which were lower required also lower
steps, which were called _scabella_. A scamnum was also used as a
footstool. A scamnum extended in length becomes a bench, and in
this sense the word is frequently used. The benches in ships were
sometimes called scamna.