ISic000621: Fragment of a monumental Latin inscription

Apparatus criticus

Text from autopsy;
1: Wilson: X TP
2: Fallico, Wilson: [V]ETUST[ATE

Physical description

Support

Description: Two rejoined fragments of a large plaque of a grey-white marble with blue veining. The surface is dark due to exposue and surface accretions, and presents a grey-brown appearance. The stone is broken on all sides in an irregular shape. The reverse is smooth. The measurements recorded in NSA are notably under the reality.
Object type: plaque
Object condition: fragments, contiguous
Dimensions: height: 28.8 cm, width: 33.1 cm, depth: 3.3-2.8 (top to bottom) cm

Material

Description: marble

Inscription

Layout: Remains of two lines of monumental letters; the gap below line 2 is greater (up to 7.5 cm) than the gap between lines 1 and 2 (5.5 cm), which could suggest that this is the last line of the text.
Text condition: incomplete
Technique: chiselled
Pigment: No data
Lettering: Large and very precisely cut letters with neat serifs, with a wide v-cut and a wide module. Interpunct of an elegant comma form (note again that the NSA measurements are incorrect and significantly under).
Letter heights: Line 1: 80 (preserved; probably c.82 originally)mm; Line 2: 70mm
Interlinear heights: Interlineation line 1 to 2: 55mm

Provenance

Place of origin: Syracusae
Provenance found: From excavation in 1964 of a series of cisterns in Villa Maria, specifically cistern N, flanking viale Luigi Cadorna
Map

Current location

Place: Siracusa, Sicilia
Repository: Museo Archeologico Regionale Paolo Orsi , 69613
Autopsy: Prag 2015-01-15, Magazzino B, cassette 10
Map

Date

Augustan or Julio-Claudian (12 BC - AD 66)

Evidence: lettering, office

Text type

building

commentary

As noted already by Fallico, the surviving letters in line 2 are almost certainly part of a phrase such as 'vetustate conlapsam... restituit' ('falling down through old age, he restored...') or similar, recording therefore a work of restoration or reconstruction of an existing building. Fallico further observes (NSA 1971, p.635 n.1) that the letters X·TR in line 1 are probably part of imperial titulature, either along the lines of [PONT·MA]X·TR[IB·POTEST] or [COS]·X·TR[IB·POTEST] or IMP]·X·TR[IB·POTEST]. Various such permutations are possible, fitting to Augustus after 12 BC, but also to Claudius (45 AD) or Nero (66 AD). Manganaro suggests that it should be attributed to Claudius, but without explanation.

Bibliography

Digital editions

TM: 644875
EDR: -
EDH: -
EDCS: -
PHI: -

Printed editions

Citation and editorial status

Editor

Jonathan Prag

Principal contributor