ISic000161: Epitaph of Lucius Cornelius Auctus

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 2018-07-10
ID
ISic000161
Language
Latin
Text type
funerary
Object type
plaque
Status
No data
Links
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Edition

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Apparatus criticus

  • Text from autopsy ;
  • line.1: Bivona suggests the presence of a hedera leaf between D and M.

Physical description

Support

Description
Two joining fragments of a thin white marble plaque, broken on all sides except the left edge of the left fragment (and possibly lower left edge). The rear is finished smooth, but discoloured. The two fragments have been reconnected and fixed to a clear perspex stand. Note that the intact left margin of the stone is not parallel to the left margin of the text. Fragment 1 (left) is max H 16.6 cm x max W 14.5 x D 1.9; fragment 2 (right) is max H 19 cm x W 13.2 x D 1.5.
Object type
plaque
Material
marble
Condition
No data
Dimensions
height: 20 cm, width: 26.3 cm, depth: 1.9-1.5 (left to right) cm

Inscription

Layout
Three slightly irregular and roughly centred lines of Latin letters, with single use of hedera in the middle of the name; the final letters of the cognomen are combined in a mixture of large and small letters, almost monogram-like.
Text condition
No data
Lettering

Letter heights
Line 1: 35mm
Line 2: 26-38mm
Line 3: 22-28mm
Interlinear heights
Interlineation line 1 to 2: mm

Provenance

Place of origin
Thermae Himeraeae
Provenance found
A chance find, with three other inscriptions (ISic000161-000164) in Contrada Madonna della Catena, proprieta Gallegra (c.800m outside the city at the time)
Map

Current location

Place
Termini Imerese, Italy
Repository
Museo Civico Baldassare Romano , 8ab
Autopsy
Prag 2022-07-05, on display in the Museo Civico.
Map

Date

Dated by Bivona between 150 and 250 CE. (AD 150 – AD 250)
Evidence
lettering

Text type

funerary

commentary

ISic000161-000164 were all found together and, as Bivona notes, should all belong to the same family, since they share the same nomen (Cornelius) and the Auctus recorded here is the dedicant for his wife (ISic000163) and his sister (ISic000164) in two of the others; the relationship of Cornelius Castor in ISic000162 is not known (could be a son or grandson given the ages). Auctus is the only member of the family with a Latin cognomen.

Bibliography

Digital editions
Printed editions

Citation and editorial status

Editor
Jonathan Prag
Principal contributor
Jonathan Prag
Contributors
Last revision
7/24/2025