TESSERA CONSULARES. 433 
a modern invention, accepted and used by those archeologists who 
read SP as spectatus, with reference to gladiators. As the explana- 
tion, which has been commonly received, is open to objections and 
cannot be satisfactorily sustained, I venture to offer a suggestion, 
which seems to me to give a more probable solution of the difficulty. 
Previously to stating my own view, I must briefly notice the con- 
jecture, which I have seen somewhere, that these objects were fes- 
sere frumentarie. On this it seems sufficient to remark, that the 
forms and inscriptions of those ¢tessere were not similar, and that such 
tickets were not given to slaves, as appears from Persius, Sat. v. 74: 
Ltbertate opus est: non hac qua quisque Velina Publius emeruit, 
scabiosum tesserula far Possidet. 
Nor does a reference to any usage amongst the Greeks throw any 
light on the subject. They had, certainly, in use small pieces of ivory; 
known as tessere theatrales, but they are entirely different from 
those objects called tessere gladiatorie or consulares. They gener- 
ally have on one side the name of a deity or man, with a number 
in both Greek and Latin, and on the other a head or other design, 
and were most probably* used as tickets of admission to the theatre, 
the row being designated by the number, and the block (euneus) 
being known by the name of the deity or mah. Thus: 
Vil 
APHC 
Z 
in which the seventh row of the cuneus, called Mars, is indicated. 
When I first examined the inscriptions on the fessere consulares, I 
had seen only those containing the names of slaves, and was inclined 
to conjecture that they might have been given to persons of that 
class as testimonials of approved character. Thus Terence, Adelphi, 
y- 6, 5, is mihi profecto est servos spectatus satis. On re-examination 
of the subject two or three years ago, I fonnd the names of free- 
men also; and observing the frequent mention of the Calends, 
Nones, and Ides, I was led to think that the tessere were in some 
way connected with money. Hence I conjectured, that the word 
was SPECTATOR, in the sense “examiner of money ;” and now, 
perceiving that this conjecture derives support from SPECTAT: 
* See Morcelli, ed. Labus, De alle tessere, &c.; Rochette, Wem. de L’ Inst. de France, xiv. 265; 
Henzen, Annat. Inst. arch. Rom, xx. 273; and Curtius, Corp. Inscrip. Grec. iv. 273. 
