a monument of stone

āra, ae, f. (Osc. form aasa; Umbr. asa: PELLEX. ASAM. IVNONIS. NE. TAGITO., Lex Numae ap. Gell. 4, 3, 3; cf. Serv. ad Verg. A. 4, 219; Macr. S. 3, 2) [perh. Sanscr. ās, Gr. hêmai, Dor. hêsmai = to sit, as the seat or resting-place of the victim or offering; v. Curt. p. 381 sq.], an altar.

Lit.: Jovis aram sanguine turpari, Enn. ap. Cic. Tusc. 1, 35, 85 (Trag. v. 125 Vahl.):

Inde ignem in aram, ut Ephesiae Dianae laeta laudes,

Plaut. Mil. 2, 5, 1:

omnīs accedere ad aras... aras sanguine multo Spargere,

Lucr. 5, 1199 sq.; so id. 1, 84:

turicremas aras,

id. 2, 353 (adopted by Verg. A. 4, 453);

2, 417: multo sanguine maesti Conspergunt aras adolentque altaria donis,

id. 4, 1237 al.:

ara Aio Loquenti consecrata,

Cic. Div. 1, 45, 101:

ara condita atque dicata,

Liv. 1, 7; cf. Suet. Claud. 2:

ara sacrata,

Liv. 40, 22; cf. Suet. Tib. 14:

exstruere,

id. Aug. 15; so Vulg. 4 Reg. 21, 4:

construere,

ib. 2 Par. 33, 3:

facere,

ib. ib. 33, 15:

erigere,

ib. Num. 23, 4:

aedificare,

ib. 3 Reg. 14, 23:

ponere,

ib. ib. 16, 32:

destruere,

ib. Exod. 34, 13, and ib. Jud. 6, 25:

subvertere,

ib. Deut. 7, 5:

dissipare,

ib. ib. 12, 3:

suffodere,

ib. Jud. 31, 32:

demolire,

ib. Ezech. 6, 4:

depopulari, ib. Osee, 10, 2: interibunt arae vestrae,

ib. Ezech. 6, 6 et saep.—Altars were erected not only in the temples, but also in the streets and highways, in the open air, Plaut. Aul. 4, 1, 20.—Esp. were altars erected in the courts of houses (impluvia), for the family gods (Penates), while the household gods (Lares) received offerings upon a small hearth (focus) in the family hall (atrium); hence, arae et foci, meton. for home, or hearth and home, and pro aris et focis pugnare, to fight for altars and fires, for one's dearest possessions:

urbem, agrum, aras, focos seque dedere,

Plaut. Am. 1, 1, 71:

te amicum Deiotari regis arae focique viderunt,

Cic. Deiot. 3:

de vestris conjugibus ac liberis, de aris ac focis, decernite,

id. Cat. 4, 11, 24; id. Sest. 42:

nos domicilia, sedesque populi Romani, Penates, aras, focos, sepulcra majorum defendimus,

id. Phil. 8, 3:

patriae, parentibus, aris atque focis bellum parare,

Sall. C. 52, 3:

pro patriā, pro liberis, pro aris atque focis suis cernere,

id. ib. 59, 5:

sibi pro aris focisque et deūm templis ac solo, in quo nati essent, dimicandum fore,

Liv. 5, 30 et saep.—Criminals fled to the altars for protection, Don. ad Ter. Heaut. 5, 2, 22:

interim hanc aram occupabo,

Plaut. Most. 5, 1, 45:

Priamum cum in aram confugisset, hostilis manus interemit,

Cic. Tusc. 1, 35, 85:

eo ille confugit in arāque consedit,

Nep. Paus. 4, 4:

Veneris sanctae considam vinctus ad aras: haec supplicibus favet,

Tib. 4, 13, 23.—Hence, trop., protection, refuge, shelter:

tamquam in aram confugitis ad deum,

Cic. N. D. 3, 10, 25:

ad aram legum confugere,

id. Verr. 2, 2, 3:

hic portus, haec ara sociorum,

id. ib. 2, 5, 48; Ov. Tr. 4, 5, 2; 5, 6, 14; id. H. 1, 110; id. P. 2, 8, 68.—One who took an oath was accustomed to lay hold of the altar, in confirmation of it, Plaut. Rud. 5, 2, 46:

qui si aram tenens juraret, crederet nemo,

Cic. Fl. 36, 90; Nep. Hann. 2, 4 (cf. Liv. 21, 1):

tango aras, medios ignes et numina testor,

Verg. A. 12, 201; 4, 219: ara sepulcri, a funeral pile, regarded as an altar, Verg. A. 6, 177; Sil. 15, 388.—

Meton.

The Altar, a constellation in the southern sky, Gr. Thutêrion (Arat. 403 al.): Aram, quam flatu permulcet spiritus austri, poët. ap. Cic. N. D. 2, 44, 114; so Cic. Arat. 202; 213 Orell.; Hyg. Astr. 2, 39, and id. ib. 3, 38:

pressa,

i. e. low in the south, Ov. M. 2, 139. —

Arae, The Altars.

Rocky cliffs in the Mediterranean Sea, between Sicily Sardinia and Africa, so called from their shape, Varr. ap. Serv. ad Verg. A. 1, 108;

Quadrig. Ann. ib.: saxa vocant Itali, mediis quae in fluctibus, Aras,

Verg. A. 1, 109.—

Arae Philaenorum, v. Philaeni.—

Transf., in gen., a monument of stone:

ara virtutis,

Cic. Phil. 14, 13:

Lunensis ara,

of Lunensian marble, Suet. Ner. 50 fin. —Also [p. 150] a tombstone:

ARAM D. S. P. R. (de suā pecuniā restituit),

Inscr. Orell. 4521; so ib. 4522; 4826.

* * *

* * *

mōles, is, f. [prob. for mog-les; root magh-; cf. magnus; Gr. mochthos, mogein, mogis; cf.: mochlos, molīri, molestus; Germ. Mühe], a shapeless, huge, heavy mass, huge bulk.

Lit.

In gen. ( poet.):

Chaos, rudis indigestaque moles,

Ov. M. 1, 7:

vastā se mole moventem Pastorem Polyphemum,

Verg. A. 3, 656:

taurus et ipsa mole piger,

Juv. 12, 12:

stetit aequore moles Pinea,

i. e. a fleet of large ships, Prop. 4 (5), 6, 19.—

Esp.

A mass, pile, a cliff or ridge of rock:

in mole sedens,

Ov. M. 2, 12; 13, 923.—

A mass or pile of waves:

venti, tantas audetis tollere moles,

Verg. A. 1, 134; 5, 790.—

A huge, massive structure, esp. of stone; a dam, pier, mole; a foundation, etc. (freq. and class.):

molem atque aggerem ab utrāque parte litoris jaciebat,

Caes. B. C. 1, 25:

moles oppositae fluctibus,

moles, Cic. Off. 2, 4, 14; cf. id. Verr. 2, 4, 53, § 118:

aditus insulae muniti mirificis molibus,

id. Att. 4, 16, 13:

exstructa moles opere magnifico, incisaeque litterae, virtutis testes sempiternae,

a monument, id. Phil. 14, 12, 33:

moles propinqua nubibus,

Hor. C. 3, 29, 10:

insanae substructionum moles,

huge buildings, piles, Cic. Mil. 31, 85; Hor. C. 3, 1, 34:

sepulcri moles,

i. e. a tomb, Luc. 8, 865:

molem aggeris ultra venire,

Juv. 16, 26.—

A huge engine or machine, used at sieges:

velut celsam oppugnat qui molibus urbem,

Verg. A. 5, 439.—

Warlike apparatus, munitions of war:

belli,

Tac. H. 1, 61:

non alias majore mole concursum,

with a greater mass, id. A. 2, 46.—

Trop.

Greatness, might, power, strength, great quantity, heap:

moles pugnae,

Liv. 26, 6:

molem invidiae austinere,

Cic. Cat. 1, 9, 23; cf.:

moles mali,

id. ib. 3, 7, 17: vis consili expers mole ruit suā, Hor. [p. 1158] C. 3, 4, 65:

rerum,

Suet. Aug. 84:

fortunae,

Tac. A. 15, 52:

Herculea,

Sil. 12, 143:

densā ad muros mole feruntur,

a vast crowd, immense body, Verg. A. 12, 575:

curarum,

multitude, crowd, Tac. A. 12, 66:

tantae corporum moles in fugam consternati sunt,

Liv. 38, 46, 4.—

Difficulty, labor, trouble:

transveham naves haud magnā mole,

without great difficulty, Liv. 25, 11:

tantae molis erat Romanam condere gentem,

so much labor did it cost, Verg. A. 1, 33:

Corbuloni plus molis adversus ignaviam militum, quam, etc.,

Tac. A. 13, 35.

trŏpaeum or trŏphaeum, i, n., = tropaion.

Lit., a sign and memorial of victory, a trophy; orig. a trunk of a tree, on which were fixed the arms, shields, helmets, etc., taken from the enemy;

afterwards made of stone and ornamented in the same manner,

Cic. Pis. 38, 92:

statuere,

id. Inv. 2, 23, 69:

devictis Hispanis tropaea in jugis constituit,

Sall. H. 4, 29 Dietsch:

in modum tropaeorum arma imposuit,

Tac. A. 2, 18 fin.:

sistere Romae tropaea de Parthis,

id. ib. 15, 18; Suet. Caes. 11; id. Claud. 1; id. Calig. 45; Verg. A. 11, 7; Val. Fl. 4, 379; Val. Max. 6, 1, ext. 3; 2, 2, 3.—

Transf.

A victory:

nova Cantemus Augusti tropaea Caesaris,

Hor. C. 2, 9, 19:

tulit e capto nota tropaea viro,

Ov. H. 9, 104; 17, 242; id. R. Am. 158:

victoria, quae cum Marathonio possit compararitropaeo,

Nep. Them. 5, 3; cf.:

nostra sunt tropaea, nostra monimenta, nostri triumphi,

Cic. Arch. 9, 21; Val. Max. 8, 14, ext. 1. —

A mark, token, sign, memorial, monument:

tropaeum necessitudinis atque hospitii,

Cic. Verr. 2, 2, 47, § 115:

Maecenatis erunt vera tropaea fides,

Prop. 3, 9 (4, 8), 34.

trŏpaeum or trŏphaeum, i, n., = tropaion.

Lit., a sign and memorial of victory, a trophy; orig. a trunk of a tree, on which were fixed the arms, shields, helmets, etc., taken from the enemy;

afterwards made of stone and ornamented in the same manner,

Cic. Pis. 38, 92:

statuere,

id. Inv. 2, 23, 69:

devictis Hispanis tropaea in jugis constituit,

Sall. H. 4, 29 Dietsch:

in modum tropaeorum arma imposuit,

Tac. A. 2, 18 fin.:

sistere Romae tropaea de Parthis,

id. ib. 15, 18; Suet. Caes. 11; id. Claud. 1; id. Calig. 45; Verg. A. 11, 7; Val. Fl. 4, 379; Val. Max. 6, 1, ext. 3; 2, 2, 3.—

Transf.

A victory:

nova Cantemus Augusti tropaea Caesaris,

Hor. C. 2, 9, 19:

tulit e capto nota tropaea viro,

Ov. H. 9, 104; 17, 242; id. R. Am. 158:

victoria, quae cum Marathonio possit compararitropaeo,

Nep. Them. 5, 3; cf.:

nostra sunt tropaea, nostra monimenta, nostri triumphi,

Cic. Arch. 9, 21; Val. Max. 8, 14, ext. 1. —

A mark, token, sign, memorial, monument:

tropaeum necessitudinis atque hospitii,

Cic. Verr. 2, 2, 47, § 115:

Maecenatis erunt vera tropaea fides,

Prop. 3, 9 (4, 8), 34.