Illustrated Companion to the Latin Dictionary/Sagum

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. 

SAG'UM and -US (σάγος, ἐφαπτίς). Properly a Celtic word, the original of our "shag," and adopted in the same sense by the Romans to designate a mantle made of coarse wool, or of goat's hair, with the nap left on. It consisted of a square, or at least rectangular, piece of cloth (Afran. ap. Charis, 1. 81.), which when off the person could be spread out like a sheet (Suet. Otho, 2.), but when put on was folded in two and fastened by a brooch (fibula, Varro ap. Non. s. v. p. 538., whence sagum fibulatorium. Trebell. Poll. Trig. Tyrann. 10.), or tied in a knot (nodus, and woodcut s. v.) on the top of the left shoulder, the brooch being fixed through one edge of the drapery at the distance of about one third from each of the corners, so that the left arm and side were covered and protected, the right being left open and free, while the two upper corners fell upon the breast and arm, and the two lower ones depended before and behind on the level of the knees, as is plainly exhibited by the annexed figure (Sagum/1.1), from a bas-relief in the Museum at Verona, representing a lictor in the sagum, which was his appropriate costume when in attendance upon the governor of a province. (Cic. in Pis. 23.) As the sagum was more especially a military costume, both for the officers and common soldiers, it was for that very reason assumed by the citizens generally instead of the cumbrous and stately toga, in times of tumult or threatened invasion; whence such expressions as saga sumere  — in sagis esse  — ad saga ire  — are always indicative of turbulent and troubled times or of a state of actual warfare. Caes. B. C. i. 75. Sallust. Fragm. ap. Non. s. v. p. 538. Cic. Phil. viii. 11. Liv. Epit. 72.

2. A saddle-cloth; composed of coarse shag placed under the tree-saddle (sella bajulatoria) or the pack-saddle (sagma), to prevent the hard substance from galling the animal's back (Veget. Vet. iii. 59. 2.), as exhibited by the annexed illustration (Sagum/2.1) from a painting at Herculaneum.

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  Sagum/1.1
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  Sagum/2.1