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From the application of this term to tokens of various kinds, it was transferred to the word used as a token among soldiers. For example, when the Romans sent to give the Carthaginians their choice of peace or war, they sent two tesserae, one marked with a spear, the other with a Caduceus, requesting them to take either the one or the other (Gellius, X.27). Similar tokens were used on various occasions, as they arose in the course of events. Tessera frumentariae and nummariae were tokens given at certain times by the Roman magistrates to the poor, in exchange for which they received a fixed amount of cornº or money (Sueton. But as the citizens became more and more dependent and enfranchised, "The Roman Empire used tiles called tesserae to identify slaves, soldiers, and citizens over 2,000 years ago." The Roman symbol was the eagle, and they used these tiles for centuries for many purposes. Above the doors of the Colosseum in Rome are numbers corresponding to those stamped into a spectator's tessera. Stamped into a clay shard was an entrance aisle and row number for spectators attending an event at an amphitheater or arena. These clay tiles that became a titulus in a welfare state were not a new thing to Romans.Ī tessera was the ancient Roman equivalent of a theater ticket. They often are a key to sealing the fate of society and nations. There has always been two basic Welfare types in societies throughout history. It is clear that these are almost precisely the duties and practices devolving upon members of the Roman Empire and its Imperial Cult of Rome as it degenerated from a Republic to a despotic regime of force, persecution and violence.Īs history repeats itself we me see a shadow of these same policies in "our own great benevolent societies at the present time, when appealed to by a citizen in distress." Tessera vs Titulus "This same systems was used to provide government welfare. If it was found to be genuine, he was entitled to all the privileges that the best-known guest-friend could expect. When a stranger claimed hospitium, his tessera had to be produced and submitted for examination. This token was probably, in many cases, of earthenware, having the head of Jupiter Hospitalis stamped upon it. The tessera hospitalis was the token of mutual hospitality, and is spoken of under Hospitium, p619A. As a means of identification, the original parties exchanged tokens tesserae hospitālēs. These ties were hereditary, descending from father to son, so that persons might be hospitēs who had never so much as seen each other, whose immediate ancestors even might have had no personal intercourse. In the Obligations of Hospitium there are obligations imposed by a covenant, and these were of the most sacred character any failure to regard its provisions was considered sacrilege, bringing upon the offender the anger of Iupiter Hospitālis. Such was the tokens of tesserae hospitālēs. But originally these tokens were created as a record of appreciation or as commemoration of eternal debt of familial appreciation rather than a legal obligation. As a means of identification, or expression of right or privilege the original parties often exchanged or agreed to something in exchange and consummated that agreement upon displaying them.
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