in Roman Antiquity, a tax on the pillars of houses, first imposed by Julius Caesar, in order to check the extravagant expenditure on palaces which then prevailed at Rome. The ostiarius, or tax on doors, was probably imposed at the same time.

CULURES (Lat. colurs), in Astronomy and Geography, two circles, one of which passes through the equinoctial points, and is denominated the equinoctial culure; the other intersects the equator at the distance of 90° from the former, and is called the solstitial culure. The term is chiefly employed in the older treatises on astronomy.

"The space of seven continued nights he rode With darkness, thrice the equinoctial line. He circled, four times cross'd the care of Night From pole to pole, traversing each culure."—Paradise Lost, ii. ix.