CONGĬĀRĬUM

( scil. vas , from congius ), a ve el containing a congius . [ Congius . ] In the early times of the Roman republic the congius was the usual measure of oil or wine which was, on certain occasions, distributed among the people; and thus congiarium became a name for liberal donations to the people, in general, whether consisting of oil, wine, corn, money, or other things, while donations made to the soldiers were called donativa , though they were sometimes also termed congiaria . Many coins of the Roman emperors were struck in commemoration of such congiaria. Congiarium was, moreover, occasionally used simply to designate a present or a pension given by a person of high rank, or a prince, to his friends. IMG:6459379820872971714_ill113.jpg: Congiarium. (Coin of Trajan.)