Album (Ancient Rome)
An album (Latin: albus, "white"), in ancient Rome, was a board chalked or painted white, on which decrees, edicts and other public notices were inscribed in black.[1]
History
[edit]The Annales maximi of the Pontifex maximus, the annual edicts of the praetor, the lists of Roman and municipal senators (decuriones) and jurors (album indicum) were exhibited in this manner.[1] The Acta Diurna, a sort of daily government gazette, containing an officially authorized narrative of noteworthy events in Rome was also published this way.[2]
Legacy
[edit]The medieval and modern meaning of album, as a book of blank pages in which verses, autographs, sketches, photographs and the like are collected, derives from the Roman use.[1] This in turn led to the modern meaning of an album as a collection of audio recordings issued as a single item on CD, record, audio tape or another medium.
Another deviation is also applied to the official list of matriculated students in a university, and to the roll in which a bishop inscribes the names of the diocese's clergy. In law, the word is the equivalent of mailles blanches, for rent paid in silver ("white") money.[1]
Notes
[edit]- ^ a b c d Chisholm 1911a, p. 513.
- ^ Chisholm 1911b, p. 159.
References
[edit]This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Album". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 1 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 513.
- Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 1 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 513.
- Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 1 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 159.
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