porta

portam aperite
open the gate

porta , ae, f.: a gate, 1.294, et al.; passage, avenue, door, 1.83.

porta, ae (portabus for portis, Cn. Gell. ap. Charis. p. 40 P.), f. [from root par-, to pierce, pass through; Gr. περάω, πείρω, πόρος, ford; Lat.: peritus, ex-perior, and v. periculum], a city-gate, a gate.

• I Lit.: hic (miles) portas frangit, at ille (amans) fores, Ov. Am. 1, 9, 20: rectā portā invadam extemplo in oppidum antiquom et vetus, Plaut. Bacch. 4, 4, 60 (699); id. Ps. 2, 2, 3 (596): si Hannibal ad portas venisset, Cic. Fin. 4, 9, 22: pedem portā efferre, id. Att. 8, 2, 4; 7, 2, 6; Verg. A. 4, 130: ad portam praesto esse, Cic. Pis. 23, 55: portā introire, id. ib. 23, 55: egressus portā Capenā, id. Tusc. 1, 7, 13: extra portam Collinam, id. Leg. 2, 23, 58: porta Carmentalis, Liv. 2, 49, 8: pars egressa portis erat, id. 3, 60, 9; 23, 46, 10: omnibus portis effundi, id. 24, 1, 3: portā Capenā Romam ingressus, id. 26, 10, 1; 33, 26, 9: signa portis efferre, id. 27, 2, 5: portis ruere, id. 27, 41, 8: eādem portā signa infesta urbi inferre, id. 28, 3, 13: patefactā portā Romani erumpunt, id. 28, 36, 8: subito omnibus portis eruptione factā, Caes. B. G. 3, 6; 19; 5, 51: omnibus portis prorumpunt, Tac. H. 4, 20; 34: portarum claustra, Verg. A. 7, 185: limina portarum, id. ib. 2, 803: portas obice firmā claudere, Ov. M. 14, 780: portas reserare hosti, id. A. A. 3, 577: portā triumphali ducere funus, Tac. A. 3, 47: sanctae quoque res, veluti muri et portae, quodammodo divini juris sunt, Gai. Inst. 2, 8: vidi Portas (Carthaginis) non clausas, a proof that the people were fearless, Hor. C. 3, 5, 23.—Connected with urbis: qui urbis portas occuparent, Cic. Phil. 14, 6, 15: bellum a portis hujus urbis avolsum, id. Rep. 1, 1, 1.—With per (rare except in Livy): per unam portam praesidium Romanum irrumpit, Liv. 9, 24, 12: paulo ante lucem per effractam portam urbem ingreditur, id. 24, 46, 7: per aversam portam silentio excedere, id. 10, 34, 4; 4, 46, 6; 23, 47, 8: elapsus per eam portam quae ... ad Darii castra pervenit, Curt. 4, 10, 25; Vulg. Gen. 34, 20: in fastigio portae, id. 2 Reg. 18, 24.—Prov.: porta itineri longissima, the way to the gate is the longest (sc. in making a journey), i. e. it is the first step that costs, Varr. R. R. 1, 2, 2.—
• • B Transf., in gen., like our gate, of an avenue, entrance, passage, outlet, door of any kind (syn.: fores, janua, ostium). —Of the gates of a camp: ab decumanā portā castra munita, Caes. B. G. 3, 25; so, principalis, Liv. 40, 27: quaestoria, id. ib.: villarum, Plin. 28, 10, 44, § 157: venti, velut agmine facto, Quā data porta, ruunt, Verg. A. 1, 82.—Of a cage: ex portā ludis emitti, said of hares, Plaut. Pers. 3, 3, 30 (434): porta tonat caeli, Enn. ap. Vet. Gram. ap. Col. (Ann. v. 597 Vahl.); Verg. G. 3, 261: somni, id. A. 6, 893; cf. eburna, Hor. C. 3, 27, 41: ubi portitor aera recepit, Obserat umbrosos lurida porta rogos, the portal of the infernal regions, Prop. 4 (5), 11, 8: belli portae, Enn. ap. Serv. Verg. A. 7, 622; Hor. S. 1, 4, 61 (Ann. v. 271 Vahl.): mortis, Vulg. Psa. 9, 15: inferi, id. Isa. 38, 10: portae, quae alibi Armeniae, alibi Caspiae, alibi Ciliciae vocantur, passes, gorges, defiles, Plin. 5, 27, 27, § 99; Nep. Dat. 7, 3; Val. Fl. 3, 496: solis, the signs of Cancer and Aries in the zodiac, Macr. Somn. Scip. 1, 12, and S. 1, 17: jecoris, a part of the liver (so too in Gr. πύλη), Cic. N. D. 2, 55, 137: fluviorum, Vulg. Nahum, 2, 6.—Of the fundament, Cat. 15, 17.—*
• II Trop.
• • A Et quibus e portis occurri cuique deceret, by what way, by what means, Lucr. 6, 32.—
  • B As the symbol of strength: portae inferi, the powers of hell, Vulg. Matt. 16, 18.

porta, ae, f. (zu Wz. *per- zu etw. durchdringen, altind. píparti, führt hinüber, griech. πείρω, durchdringe, durchbohre, πόρος, der Durchgang, πορθμός, Überfahrt), das Tor (als Einfahrt zu Lande, vgl. portus), I) eig. u. übtr.: A) eig., das Stadttor, mit u. ohne urbis, Cic.: portae oppidi, Auct. b. Afr.: aversa porta (oppidi), Liv.: extra portam, draußen vor dem T., Plaut.: u. so extra portam Collinam, Cic.: portae fores obicere, Liv.: portas obicere, Verg.: claudere portas, Caes., portas alci (Ggstz. alqm suā urbe recipere), Caes. u. Cic.: claudere portas firmo obice, Ov.: portas refringere, Liv.: portā introire, Cic.: portā Capenā egredi, Cic.: ad portas venire (v. Feinde), Cic.: ad portam alci praesto esse, Cic.: alqm ad portam exspectare, Cic.: pedem portā non extulisse, Cic.: Plur. v. einem Tore, Sabinis proditae portae per virginem Tarpeiam nomine, Flor. 1, 1, 12. – Sprichw., porta itineri longissima, der Weg bis an das Tor ist der längste (denn ist man einmal am Tore, dann geht es hurtig) = die Anstalten dauern am längsten, Varro r. r. 1, 2, 2. – B) übtr., das Tor = 1) jeder Ausgang, Zugang, Eingang, von den Toren im Lager, p. decumana, Caes.: principalis, quaestoria, Liv. – p. villae, Plin.: caeli, Verg.: solis, das Zeichen des Krebses u. Steinbocks im Tierkreise, Macr.: portae Ciliciae, Engpässe, Nep.: ubi se primum porta mare fundit ab illa, von der sikul. Meerenge, Manil.: porta Taenaria, eine Höhle, wo Herkules in die Unterwelt hinabgestiegen ist, Ov.: portae iecoris, Cic.: ventriculi porta, der Pförtner, Cels. 4, 19 (12) in. – 2) die Pforte eines Tierkäfigs im Zirkus, ex porta ludis emitti, aus dem Käfig (vom Hasen), Plaut. Pers. 436. – II) bildl.: quibus e portis occurri cuique deceret, durch welche Wege, Mittel, Lucr. 6, 32. – ➳ portabus für portis, Cn. Gell. b. Charis. 54, 18.

1 porta [CL] 1 gate: a (of town or city); b (of building or enclosure); c (w. gen. indicating use.); d (transf., anat.); e (of heaven or hell); f (in fig. context or fig.). post ingressum ignotae ac si Jordanis ~ae urbisque adversa moenia solis tubarum clangoribus jussu Dei subruta Gildas EB 1; Scaea, ~a Trojae GlC S 162; ~a Cornelia que modo dicitur ~a Sancti Petri ‥ ~a Flaminia que modo appellatur Sancti Valentini ‥ W. Malm. GR IV 352; 1261 custodi operacionum ~e civitatis regis London’ de Ludgate Cl 434; 1340 quod nullus de burgensibus nostris predictis capi nec imprisonari debeat in castro nostro predicto ‥ dum manucapcionem seu plegiagium ad exteriorem ~am ejusdem castri possent invenire (Ch. Cardiff) EHR XV 517; 1361 inde allocatur pro expensis ~e apud Ffrenegate iij s. j d. Gild Merch. II 94.  b mercatores ante ~am æcclesiae manentes DB I 58va; 1202 nequiter noctu venerunt ad domum suam et ~as suas et haias fregerunt SelPlCrown 26; 1300 monacho ~e de Melros ‥ dicto portario Melrose app. 21 p. 682; 1369 P. de M. et J. R. custodientibus duas ~as parci ‥ iiij s. Ac. Durh. 575; 1552 in ~is ecclesiarum seu coemiteriis Conc. Scot. II 131.  c ~a stercoris, ubi stercora pro [v. l. proiciuntur] Gl. Leid. 23. 9.  d ab intestinis ‥ que stomacho deserviunt ad ~am lacteam per poros alimentum exhalat defecatum Alf. Angl. Cor 16. 8.  e p675 quis ‥ per caelestis paradisi ~am ‥ ingreditur? Aldh. Ep. 4 p. 485; per ~as [gl.: introitus, domus] caelestis Hierusolimae ‥ gradituri Id. VirgP 22 p. 253; quomodo corporaliter maligni spiritus ad ~as inferni illum asportaverint Felix Guthl. 31 tit. p. 68.  f ut absque cunctamine gloriosi in egregiis Jerusalem veluti ~is martyrii sui trophaea defigerent Gildas EB 11; aurea lux mundi, terrae sol, porta salutis Alcuin Carm. 28. 27; per visum, auditum, gustum, odoratum, et tactum iste sunt quasi quinque ~e per quas ingrediuntur in memoriam ‥ illa omnia Ailr. Serm. 32. 13; statio tranquillitatis, portus quietis, ~a jucunditatis J. Ford Serm. 26.9; precipua ~a vultus nostri est os nostrum T. Chobham Serm. 6. 31ra; Augusti portis [gl.:i. in fine mensis Augusti] veniet pars optima sortis (J. Bridl.) Pol. Poems I 168. 2 (~a aquatica, fluvialis, or sim.) flood-gate, sluice-gate, water-gate. 1224 in vertevell’ ad ~am aque de molendino, xij d. Pipe Wint. 11M59/B1/12 m. 15; 1294 cum ij peciis mur’ inter ~am aquaticam et palic’ claustr’ castri MinAc 991/24; 1357 habebit ~as fluviales ‥ pro factura ‥ molendini Enr. Chester 39r .2; 1359 dederunt ‥ Thome moram suam in predicta domo, juxta ~am aquaticum [sic], ad illam portam custodiendam Lit. Cant. II 384; 1374 maeremium ‥ pro emendacione ~arum aquaticarum et les slowes ejusdem molendini Doc. Leeds 112; 1465 tres rupturas circa ~as fluviales dicti molendini per excessivum cursum aque preantea dirupt’ MinAc 1140/24. 3 (~a cadens, currens, or sim.) portcullis. 1203 pro ‥ ~is coleiciis ‥ castri (v. coleicius 1a); c1316 ultra ~am colluseam (v. coleicius 1a); s1337 per ~am cadentem ‥ Gallice port culice (v. cadere 2f); 1344 defectus ‥ ~arum curenc’ (v. currere 3d); tunc ~a castelli pendula ad humum pressa fuit, et sic ex utraque parte per cancellos portule tirones pugnaverunt Strecche Hen. V 164. 4 (~a turnicia or volubilis) revolving door or gate raised by a windlass. nichil juris deberent habere ultra ~am tornesiam Leg. Ant. Lond. 40; 1278 in maeremio empto ad duas ~as turnicias ex utraque parte Barbicane KR Ac 467/7/4 m. 2; 1456 ad cujus quidem alte vie introitum quedam ~a volubilis ex antiqua consuetudine extitit Pat 482 m. 9d.. 5 (in surname). 1203 de Radulfo de ~a Pipe 49; 1230 Adam de ~a Pipe 24; de catallis Paulini de ~a Ib. 72; 1242 Willelmus de ~a Pipe 147.

2 porta v. postis

porta, (7) æ, f. , ¶ 1 porte [de ville, de camp, de temple, de maison, dʼappartement] : egressus porta Capena Cic. Tusc. 1, 13, sorti par la porte Capène ; omnibus portis eruptione facta Cæs. G. 2, 6, une sortie étant faite par toutes les portes ; per portam irrumpere Liv. 9, 14, 12, faire irruption par la porte ; porta itineri longissima Varro R. 1, 2, 2, le chemin jusquʼà la porte est le plus long = il nʼy a que le premier pas qui coûte ¶ 2 ouverture, issue : [pour les vents] Virg. En. 1, 82 || défilé, gorge, pas, v. Portæ || portæ solis Macr. Scip. 1, 17, les portes du Soleil [les tropiques du Cancer et du Capricorne] || porta cæli tonat Enn. Ann. 615 ; Virg. G. 3, 261, la porte du ciel tonne [laissant passer lʼorage], cf. Sen. Ep. 108, 34 || portæ jecoris Cic. Nat. 2, 137, la veine porte || [fig.] voie, moyen : Lucr. 6, 32.

➳ dat. pl. portabus [au lieu de portis ] : Cn. Gellius d. Char. 54.

porta , ae. f.
門。大門。— coeli 半天球。— civitatis 城門。Utar ea porta 吾將用此法。Portae Caspeae 某海之峡。Portae jecoris 大脉。\Portabus pro* Portis.

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porta ae, f

• 1 PAR-, a city-gate, gate: ad portam venire, T.: portarum claves, S.: qui urbis portas occuparent: si Hannibal ad portas venisset: egressus portā Capenā: omnibus portis effundi, L.: It portis iuventus, V.: omnibus portis eruptione factā, Cs.: portarum claustra, V.: portas obice firmo claudere, O.: vidi Portas (Carthaginis) non clausas (as in peace), H.: per unam (portam) praesidium inrumpit, L.: per aversam portam excedere, L.—An avenue, entrance, passage, outlet, inlet, door: decumana, Cs.: praetoria, L.: ingens caeli, V.: somni, V.: eburna, H.: portae Ciliciae, passes, N.: portae iecoris.

PORTA

PORTA(πύλη), the gate of a city, citadel, or other open space enclosed by a wall, in contradistinction to JANUAwhich was the door of a house or any covered edifice. The word πύλη is often found in the plural, even when applied to a single gate, because it consisted of two leaves (Thuc. 2.4, &c.).

In tracing out the walls of an Italian city with the ceremony described under POMERIUMthe plough was lifted and carried across the openings to be left for the gates. The number and position of city gates in ancient Greece and Italy naturally varied according to circumstances. The old Etruscan custom was to give three gates to a walled city, dedicated to the three chief deities of the Etruscans: the same custom may possibly be seen in the three gates of Roma Quadrata (Plin. Nat.3.66, where an alternative tradition of four gates is mentioned): two of these were the Porta Mugonia and Porta Romanula (Varro, L. L. 5.164). The ancient walls of Paestum, Sepianum, and Aosta enclose a square: in the centre of each of the four walls was a gate; the arrangement, however, was obviously affected by the nature of the ground, and the size of the city. Thus Megara had five gates; Thebes seven; others, as Rome, many more.

The gates in ancient Greek walls were formed in various ways, showing progressive art in building. We may give, from Reber (Gesch. d. Baukunst, 231), four distinct methods:--1. The simple straight lintel, consisting of a long and massive block, as in the Lion Gate of Mycenae (see woodcut on p. 185). 2. Stones projecting one beyond another in a step form from each side, and so gradually approaching till they can be topped by a flat lintel: an example is afforded by a gate at Phigalia. 3. A gable shape, formed by two massive stones meeting in an angle, as shown in a gate at Delos. 4. A refinement on

No. 2, where the stones approach gradually, cut into shape, sometimes with a slight curve, till they join at the apex: they sometimes begin their slope from the ground, as in the gates of Missolonghi and Thoricos, shown by Baumeister (Denkm. Taf. xv.), or, in a more developed form, they are straight in their lower part, as the gate of Ephesus. When the arch was introduced

[ARCUS], the construction of the gate itself varied only as regards its size: but there were many differences and improvements as regards its defence. From early days the importance of flanking bastions had been seen; these were at first simple projections of the wall at right angles (see an example of the gate at Orchomenus in Guhl and Koner, p. 64), from the summit of which the defenders could shoot, and this developed into bastions formed by circular swellings of the wall on each side of the gate, and thence into regular flanking towers, round or square [TURRIS], often with additional defences, such as are shown in the gate of Posidonia, or Paestum [MURUSp. 186]. An additional security to the entrance was given by a double gateway, having an outer and inner gate with a space between. At Messene the space between was circular, so that the wall at that part had the shape of a round tower pierced by two opposite openings (see plan in Guhl and Koner, p. 65). This system of double gates was very early, as in the second and third gateways of the fortress at Tiryns (see Plan, Vol. 1. p. 655); and it is instructive also in this early fortress to see how the besiegers were exposed to fire when they forced one gateway and passed round to the next. Care was taken here, and elsewhere, that the right or unshielded side should be towards the wall in their approach.

At Como, Verona, and other ancient cities of Lombardy, the gate contains two passages close together, the one designed for carriages entering, and the other for carriages leaving the city. The same provision is observed in the magnificent ruin of a gate at Trèves. (See woodcut.) In other instances we find only one gate for carriages, but a smaller one on each side of it (παραπυλίς, Heliodor. n 8. p. 394) for foot-passengers. Each of the fine gates which remain at Autun has not only two carriage-ways, but exterior to them two sideways for pedestrians. (Millin, Voyage dans les Departemens, &c. vol. i. ch. 22; Atlas, Pl. 18, figs. 3, 4.) Such sideways are well seen in the Porta d'Ercolano of Pompeii, of which there is a woodcut in Vol. 1. p. 384. When there were no sideways, one of the valves of the large gate sometimes contained a wicket (portula, πυλίς: ῥινοπύλη), large enough to admit a single person. The porter opened it when any one wished to go in or out by night. (Plb. 8.20, 24; Liv. 25.9.)

The contrivances for fastening gates were in general the same as those used for doors [JANUA], but larger in proportion. The wooden bar placed across them in the inside (μοχλὸς) was kept in its position by the following method. A hole, passing through it perpendicularly (βαλανοδόκη, Aen. Tact. 18), admitted a cylindrical piece of iron, called βάλανος, which also entered a hole in the gate, so that, until it was taken out, the bar could not be removed either to the one side, or the other (Thuc. 2.4; Aristoph. Vesp. 200; βεβαλάνωται, Aves, 1159). Another piece of iron, fitted to the βάλανος and called βαλανάγρα, was used to extract it (Aen. Tact. l. c.). When the accomplices within, for want of this key, the βαλανάγρα, were unable to remove the bar, they cut it through with a hatchet (Thuc. 4.111; Plb. 8.23, 24), or set it on fire (Aen. Tact. 19). [For the portcullis, see CATARACTA]

The gateway had commonly a chamber, either on one side or on both, which served as the residence of the porter or guard. It was called τυλών (Plb. 8.20, 23, 24). Its situation is shown in the following plan. (See woodcut.) The Porta Ostiensis, the finest and best-preserved of the gates in the Aurelian wall, affords an instance of the more elaborate kind:--The central part of the gate with its arched doorway is of travertine, the outer arch is grooved, to receive a portcullis [CATABACTA ], and from the inner and higher arch two travertine corbels project, which received the upper pivots of the doors, the lower ones being let into holes in a massive travertine threshold. Above this stone archway is a battlemented wall of brickfaced concrete, pierced with a row of 7 arched windows, opening into a gate chamber with similar windows on the inside. On each side are two brick-faced towers with semicircular projections on the outside. (Middleton, Rome, p. 494.) In the gates of Como and Verona the gatehouse is three stories high. At Trèves it was four stories high in the flanks, although the four stories remain standing in one of them only, as may be observed in the annexed woodcut. The length of this building is 115 feet; its depth 47 in the middle, 67 in the flanks; its greatest height, 92. All the four stories are ornamented in every direction with rows of Tuscan columns. The gateways are each 14 feet wide. The entrance of each appears to have been guarded, as at Pompeii, first by a portcullis, and then by gates of wood and iron. [CATARACTA] The barbican, between the double portcullis and the pair of gates, was no doubt open to the sky, as in the gates of Pompeii. The gate at Trèves was probably erected by Constantine. (Compare also Guhl and Koner, 1.62, 2.48; Baumeister, Denkm. 804; Reber, Hist. of Ancient Art, 189, E. T.)

[J.Y] [G.E.M]

Porta

(πύλη). The gate of a city as opposed to ianua or ostium, the door of a house. City gates from very early times were flanked by bastions, which ultimately gave way to flanking towers. Additional security was given by double gates, an outer and an inner, with a space between. In some cities the gates had two passages close together, one for carriages entering and one for those leaving the place. There were also, as at Pompeii, small side-passages for persons on foot. Gateways usually had a small chamber on one side or both, for the use of the guard or porter, and resembling the cella ostiaria in a private house (Polyb. viii. 20, 23, 24). It was called πυλών. The contrivances for fastening a gate were about the same as those used for doors, only larger in proportion. See ianua; and for illustrations of ancient gates the articles Falerii; Mycenae; Thoricus; Treviri.