Illustrated Companion to the Latin Dictionary/Manipulus

This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Rich, Anthony (1849). The illustrated companion to the Latin dictionary, and Greek lexicon. p. vi. OCLC 894670115. https://archive.org/details/illustratedcompa00rich. 

MANIP'ULUS and MANIP'LUS (δράγμα, ἄμαλλα, οὖλος). Literally, a handful of any thing, but especially the number of stalks which the reaper takes in his left hand when cutting the corn; and as these were subsequently bound together into shocks or sheaves, in the same manner as now practised, the word is also used to designate a bundle of corn, straw, or more commonly hay, which the ancient farmers tied up into bundles before it was carried. (Plin. H. N. xviii. 72. Ov. Remed. 191. Varro, R. R. i. 49. 1. Columell. ii. 18. 2. xi. 2. 40.) The sheaf of wheat in the illustration (Manipulus/1.1) is copied from a device upon a terra-cotta lamp.

2. The standard or ensign of a company of soldiers; in the earlier periods of Roman history said to have been a wisp or handful of hay fixed to a pole, and carried before the men; a record of which was preserved in after times by the figure of a human hand placed on the top of the standard, as in the annexed example (Manipulus/2.1), from the Column of Trajan. Ov. Fast. iii. 115-118. Serv. ad Virg. Aen. xi. 870. Aurel. Vict. de Orig. P. R. 22.

3. Also a maniple of foot soldiers; that is, the number of men who followed one standard. A maniple of principes, hastati, or velites consisted of 120, but of the triarii only 60; and four maniples formed a cohort (cohors). (Caes. Tac. Virg. &c.) In a few cases, also used for a troop of horse; but that is contrary to the strict sense. Sil. Ital. iv. 316.

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  Manipulus/1.1
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  Manipulus/2.1