Illustrated Companion to the Latin Dictionary/Velatus

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. 

VELA'TUS. Veiled (Cic. N. D. ii. 3. Sen. Octav. 702.); that is, wearing the loose outer drapery, or amictus, arranged over the head like a veil, in the manner exhibited by the two figures (Velatus/1.1) on the top of the following column; the left one from a bas-relief, the other from a painting of Pompeii. It was usual for both sexes to arrange their external drapery in this manner, more especially at religious ceremonies and when in mourning.

2. Clothed or draped, in our sense of dressed; and applied indiscriminately to both sexes and to every kind of dress, whether in the nature of an amictus or an indumentum; as to the toga (Liv. iii. 26.), the tunica (Ov. Fast. iii. 645.), the stola (Hor. Sat. i. 2. 71.).

3. Encircled round the brows with a chaplet (Ov. Pont. iv. 14. 55. CORONA), riband (Id. Met. v. 110. VITTA), woollen fillet (Liv. i. 32. INFULA), &c.

4. Hung with drapery (vela) or festoons (serta), as applied to streets, houses, temples, &c., which were thus decorated upon days of solemn festivity along the line of streets where a procession passed. Ov. Am. iii. 13. 12.

5. Bearing symbols of supplication (velamenta) in the hands; such as branches of olive, woollen bands, &c. Plaut. Amph. 1. 1. 104. Virg. Aen. xi. 101. Servius ad l.

6. Velati, in the army, supernumeraries who accompanied the troops in order to fill up vacancies in the ranks occasioned by death or wounds. Amongst these were comprised the Accensi, Ferentarii, and Rorarii, who were all so termed, because they were merely draped in a tunic (velatus, 2.), without any body armour or defensive weapons (Festus, s. v. Id. s. Adscripticii), as exhibited by the annexed figure (Velatus/6.1) from the column of Trajan.

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  Velatus/1.1
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  Velatus/6.1