ISic000085: Dedication to Sol Invictus

I.Sicily with the permission of the Assessorato Regionale dei Beni Culturali e dell’Identità Siciliana - Dipartimento dei Beni Culturali e dell’Identità Siciliana
ID
ISic000085
Language
Latin
Text type
dedication
Object type
statue base
Status
No data
Links
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Edition

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Apparatus criticus

  • Text of ILTermini. Lines 4-6 which were read almost entirely by Mommsen. Bivona (1994, 113) asserts that several letters could still 'be glimpsed with extreme difficulty' ('si intravedono con estrema difficolta'), but have now completely disappeared. ;
  • 4: Mommsen: 'tori im[p]'
  • 5: Mommsen: 'Anton[ini]'

Physical description

Support

Description
Large rectangular white limestone plinth. Top cornice is heavily broken on all sides, but with inset for statue on top. Front face has a horizontal fracture near middle, abrasions to sides and broken at bottom.
Object type
statue base
Material
limestone
Condition
damaged
Dimensions
height: 84 (roughly including broken top), 70 (from base to bottom of cornice) cm, width: 36.5 (not including irregular cornice at top) cm, depth: 28 (not including irregular cornice at top) cm

Inscription

Layout
Three lines of Latin text, contained within double border. Text centred within border, with vacat of significant size below, with evidence of erasure of at least 3 lines of text.
Text condition
complete
Lettering

Letter heights
Line 1: 54-65mm
Line 2: 56-64mm
Line 3: 59-69mm
Interlinear heights
Interlineation line 1 to 2: mm

Provenance

Place of origin
Thermae Himeraeae
Provenance found
The place, date, and circumstances of the discovery are unknown, but the piece is assumed to come from Termini Imerese

Current location

Place
Termini Imerese, Italy
Repository
Museo Civico Baldassare Romano , 110
Autopsy
Antoniou, 2022-07-08. On display in the courtyard portico of Museo Civico Baldassare Romano
Map

Date

Reign of Elagabalus, 218—222 CE (AD 218 – AD 222)
Evidence
office

Text type

dedication

commentary

Sol Invictus is here described as the defender of Elagabalus, as Augustus (conservatori Augusti). This legend also appears on contemporary coins (e.g. RIC 4.2 n.63).

Bibliography

Digital editions
Printed editions

Citation and editorial status

Editor
Jonathan Prag
Principal contributor
Jonathan Prag
Contributors
Last revision
6/10/2025