ISic003236: Inscribed funerary urn of Flavianos

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 by students of the Liceo Lazzaro)
ID
ISic003236
Language
Ancient Greek
Text type
funerary
Object type
Cinerary urn
Status
No data
Links
View in current site

Edition

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Apparatus criticus

  • Text from autopsy (Prag)

Physical description

Support

Description
A rectangular white marble urn, with a lid. The lid has acroteria on each of the four corners. The urn has square fluted columns depicted in relief on each vertical corner, and a tabula ansata in light relief fills the front face.
Object type
Cinerary urn
Material
marble
Condition
No data
Dimensions
height: 24 cmwidth: 45.5 cmdepth: 28 cm

Inscription

Layout
Greek text over four lines, centred in the main panel of the tabula ansata on the front face of the urn.
Text condition
No data
Lettering

Letter heights
Line 1-4: 15-20mm
Interlinear heights
Not measured: mm

Provenance

Place of origin
Catina
Provenance found
Found in 1913 in a Roman tomb uncovered during building works in prop. Guglielmino, in the area known as Orto del Re (probably the insula bounded by via Nino Martoglio, via Stellata, via Orto San Clemente, and via Reclusorio del Lume).
Map

Current location

Place
Catania, Italy
Repository
Museo Civico di Catania , 841
Autopsy
Display, Voci di pietra no.17
Map

Date

69 CE — first half of 2nd century CE (AD 69 – AD 150)
Evidence
No data

Text type

funerary

commentary

According to Paolo Orsi, the urn still contained the deceased’s ashes when it was discovered, and traces of gilding were still visible on some of the letters and the capital of one of the relief columns. The use of the name Flavianus suggests a date after the beginning of the Flavian dynasty (beginning with Vespasian, 69 AD), but Flavianus’ status as slave, freedman, or free remains uncertain. The use of architectural elements in the form of the chest and a tabula ansata to frame the inscription are typical features of ash chests of this period.

Bibliography

Digital editions
Printed editions

Citation and editorial status

Editor
Jonathan Prag
Principal contributor
Jonathan Prag
Contributors
Last revision
6/6/2023