the forehead. Of the ancient usage, from which this Bible symbol of the
"mark" is taken, Dr. John Potter says, in his "Antiquities of Greece:"

"Slaves were not only branded with stigmata for a punishment of their
offenses, but (which was the common end of these marks) to distinguish
them, in case they should desert their masters; for which purpose it was
common to brand their soldiers; only with this difference, that whereas
slaves were commonly stigmatized in their forehead, and with the name or
some peculiar character belonging to their masters, soldiers were
branded in the hand, and with the name or character of their general.
After the same manner, it was likewise customary to stigmatize the
worshipers and votaries of some of the gods: whence Lucian, speaking of
the votaries of the Syrian goddess, affirms, 'They were all branded with
certain marks, some in the palms of their hands, and others in their
necks: whence it became customary for all the Assyrians thus to
stigmatize themselves.' And Theodoret is of opinion that the Jews were
forbidden to brand themselves with stigmata [Lev. 19:28], because the
idolaters by that ceremony used to consecrate themselves to their false
deities.

"The marks used on these occasions were various. Sometimes they
contained the name of the god, sometimes his particular ensign; such
were the thunderbolt of Jupiter, the trident of Neptune, the ivy of
Bacchus: whence Ptolemy Philopater was by some nicknamed Gallus, because
his body was marked with the figures of ivy leaves. Or, lastly, they
marked themselves with some mystical number, whereby the god's name was
described. Thus the sun, which was signified by the number DCVIII, is
said to have been represented by these two numeral letters XH (Conf.
Martianus Capello). These three ways of stigmatizing are all expressed
by St. John in the book of Revelation: 'And he causeth all, both small