Illustrated Companion to the Latin Dictionary/Ovile
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.
OVI'LE. Literally, a fold or pen for sheep or goats; thence used to designate an enclosure in the Campus Martius, in which each of the tribes and centuries was separately mustered, before the members proceeded to give their votes (Liv. xxvi. 22. Lucan. ii. 197. Juv. vi. 527.); so called because it was partitioned off with a railing, like a sheep pen, which is indicated by the palisade at the bottom of the annexed engraving (Ovile/1.1), from a coin of Nerva; the figures above are intended to represent the voters as they come out of the ovile, and pass over the bridge (pons suffragiorum), to throw their balloting cards (tabellae) into the balloting basket (cista).
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Ovile/1.1