ISic000147: Funerary inscription for P. Cestius Catullus

I.Sicily with the permission of the Assessorato Regionale dei Beni Culturali e dell’Identità Siciliana - Dipartimento dei Beni Culturali e dell’Identità Siciliana; photo J.Prag 2022-07-08.
ID
ISic000147
Language
Latin
Text type
funerary
Object type
stele
Status
No data
Links
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Edition

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Apparatus criticus

  • Text from autopsy

Physical description

Support

Description
Funerary stele in yellow limestone with a rounded top. Otherwise well-squared, but for slight chipping on left side. Traces of a rougher surface in lower half of front face, and slight discolouration; both features suggest that the lower part of the stele was buried in antiquity to that level.
Object type
stele
Material
limestone
Condition
No data
Dimensions
height: 68 (at most) cm, width: 46 cm, depth: 15.5 cm

Inscription

Layout
Three lines of Latin text. While line 1 is relatively square and centred on stone, lines 2-3 are off centre. Line 3 drifts upwards. Use of triangular interpuncts between every word, and at the beginning of each line. Beneath these are two upside-down 'V's of different sizes, perhaps stone-carver marks? The first is roughly halfway down the stone, the other is around 4/5 towards the base, and is followed by a more lightly carved E (also upside down); a faint 'C' shape is visible below.
Text condition
No data
Lettering

Letter heights
Line 1: 50-53mm
Line 2: 45-47mm
Line 3: 39-44mm
Interlinear heights
Interlineation line 1 to 2: mm

Provenance

Place of origin
Thermae Himeraeae
Provenance found
One of several pieces recorded by Romano 1829, exact circumstances of discovery unknown, but found in Termini Imerese after the publication of Castelli 1784.

Current location

Place
Termini Imerese, Italy
Repository
Museo Civico Baldassare Romano , 111
Autopsy
Antoniou, 2022-07-08. On display in the courtyard portico of Museo Civico Baldassare Romano
Map

Date

1st-2nd century CE (AD 1 – AD 200)
Evidence
lettering

Text type

funerary

commentary

There are a number of other Cestiae, including other Publii Cestii Catulli, in Thermae Himeraeae, see esp. ISic000144 and ISic000146.

Bibliography

Digital editions
Printed editions

Citation and editorial status

Editor
Jonathan Prag
Principal contributor
Jonathan Prag
Contributors
Last revision
6/16/2025