SAPO
SAPO Pliny (
Plin. Nat.
18.191) mentions this as a Gallic invention; it was not, however, our
soap, but a sort of pomade or wash ( “duobus modis spissus ac
liquidus” ), made of fat and ashes, and used to give a golden tint to
the hair. Pliny adds that it was used in Germany, and even more by men than
women of that country (cf.
Tac. Hist. 4.61;
Juv. 13.161, and Mayor
ad loc.). In fact, most other writers seem to connect it rather
with the Germans than the Gauls: Martial calls it “spuma
Batava” (8.33 =
caustica spuma, 14.26)
and “Mattiacae pilae,” i. e. balls of this composition from
Mattiacum in Germany (14.27). Ovid speaks of “Germanae herbae”
for dyeing the hair, where the word
herbae may
be applied in ignorance of the materials used to make the dye. The
flavus cinis, of which Servius (
Serv. ad Aen. 4.698) says that Cato makes
mention, is probably this
sapo. For the
equivalents to our soap used by Greeks and Romans, see
FULLO Vol. I. p. 161.
(Becker-Göll,
Gallus, 3.161;
Marquardt,
Privatleben, 787; Blümner,
Technologie, 1.161.)
[
G.E.M]
