ISic000308: Letter of Iulius Paternus to the Emperors Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus

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
ISic000308
Language
Latin
Text type
building
Object type
plaque
Status
No data
Links
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Edition

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Apparatus criticus

  • Text of Prag based upon autopsy

Physical description

Support

Description
Two joining fragments of a white marble tablet. Both fragments are highly finished on the reverse. The larger fragment preserves a raised margin along the upper edge of the reverse. Faint traces of a similar raised margin on the lower right corner of the reverse of the smaller fragment suggest the stone is more or less complete bottom right, but the text could have continued on a second stone below. If the restoration of the Emperors' titles in line 1 is correct, then approximately half the stone is missing on the left side. Some letters are lost from the right margin over the first few lines.
Object type
plaque
Material
marble
Condition
No data
Dimensions
height: 30.5 cm, width: greater than 53 cm, depth: 3.8-4.2 cm

Inscription

Layout
Latin text preserved over 12 lines. The first line is in slightly larger and more widely spaced letters. The text closes up over lines 2 and 3, with a more or less regular size and spacing over the rest of the stone. Interpuncts are used sparingly in the text, and their placing appears deliberately intended to emphasise certain elements. The letters are neatly cut, with limited serifs (but sometimes substantial feet to vertical strokes), and a tendency towards the taller narrower letters common from the second/third centuries AD onwards; this is particularly noticeable with the letter E, which is not always easy to distinguish when corroded. Tall 'I' is employed. P is generally open.
Text condition
No data
Letter heights
Line 1-12: 10-21mm
Interlinear heights
Not recorded: mm

Provenance

Place of origin
Catina
Provenance found
No data

Current location

Place
Catania, Italy
Repository
Museo Civico di Catania , 538
Autopsy
Display, Voci di pietra no.14
Map

Date

164—166 CE, on basis of restoration of first word as Armeniacis when Aurelius and Verus both held this title (AD 164 – AD 166)
Evidence
office

Text type

building

commentary

Three further fragments of one or more very similar texts (perhaps even part of this text) are also preserved (two were found in the late 18th century, the third was found in via Dusmet in 1958), but the relationship between these remains very uncertain (see ISic000821, ISic001664, ISic003153).

Iulius Paternus was appointed by the Emperors as a curator operis (overseer of public works) for Catania. This letter reports his efforts to complete the works and to resolve a crisis over the funding. The works may have been connected with the harbour (portus, line 2, or porticus? one of the similar fragments describes harbour works). The Catania senators refused to pay their part and the work was completed by Paternus with imperial funds. The imperial procurator (called Seius? the financial officer for the island) subsequently tried to put arrangements in place to ensure the city repaid Paternus for the work. This proposal was resisted by the city duumvirs and a small group of senators (acting ‘irreverently’ towards the procurator). Paternus intervened further to resolve the dispute. The letter’s publication – probably attached to the building works - will have confirmed that resolution and publicised Paternus’s actions.

Bibliography

Digital editions
Printed editions

Citation and editorial status

Editor
Jonathan Prag
Principal contributor
Jonathan Prag
Contributors
Last revision
1/19/2021