sold under the spear

Reading notes

• The History of Rome, Book 4 §53 sold under the spear

  Public auction (especially of war-booty), conducted beneath a planted spear, the symbol of lawful Roman ownership by conquest.

• The History of Rome, Book 5 §16 sold under the spear

  Public auction of booty 'under the spear,' the spear planted as the sign of a state sale.

• The History of Rome, Book 23 §32 his slaves he would sell under the spear

  Public auction (especially of war-booty), conducted beneath a planted spear, the symbol of lawful Roman ownership by conquest.

• The History of Rome, Book 24 §42 they sold under the crown

  Sale of war-captives by public auction; captives sold 'under the crown' (sub corona) wore a garland as the mark of sale into slavery.