Illustrated Companion to the Latin Dictionary/Panis

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. 

PANIS (ἄρτος). Bread; a loaf of bread; binos panes, two loaves (Plaut. Pers. iv. 3. 2.); mollia panis, the crumb (Plin. H. N. xiii. 36.); panis crusta, the crust (Id. xxix. 23.). The illustration (Panis/1.1) represents some loaves as they were discovered in a baker's shop at Pompeii; they are about eight inches in diameter, have a crust at top and bottom, are scored above, and one has a stamp upon the top.

2. Panis gradilis. Bread distributed gratuitously to the people, from the top of a flight of steps, as a largess from the emperor. For this purpose flights of steps were erected in different parts of the city contiguous to the bakers' shops, and each person who had obtained a billet or order (tessera) ascended the steps in turn, and there received the donation from the distributing officer in change for his ticket; the plan being adopted as a means of preventing frauds and mobbing, by only admitting the recipients to come up in regular order, and one by one. (Prudent. in Symm. i. 584. Id. ii. 984. Cod. Theodos. 14. 17. 3. and 4.) The whole process is shown by the illustration (Panis/2.1), from a medal of Nerva; on the left hand sits the emperor in person upon a curule chair placed on top of an elevated platform (suggestum); in front of him is the relieving officer giving the bread to a citizen ascending the steps, while another figure behind him holds up for the emperor's inspection the billet containing the order handed in by the recipient.

• 
  Panis/1.1
• 
  Panis/2.1