ISic003324: Two dedications to a Caesar by the Annii

Photo J. Prag, courtesy Museo Regionale Archeologico Pietro Griffo, Agrigento
ID
ISic003324
Language
Latin
Text type
honorific
Object type
base
Status
No data
Links
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Edition

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Apparatus criticus

  • Text from autopsy

Physical description

Support

Description
A small square marble base (a relatively fine off-white marble), intact on all sides, but with part of the upper rim missing on the front face. There is a recessed square depression on the top surface, which is rough-picked within. The sides are roughly finished, but front and back faces are finely finished (and inscribed)
Object type
base
Material
marble
Condition
No data
Dimensions
height: 18.6 cm, width: 32.7 cm, depth: 25.4 cm

Inscription

Layout
Three lines of Latin letters centred on each of front and rear face, first line larger in both cases
Text condition
No data
Lettering

Letter heights
Line A 1: 37-39mm
Line A 2: 32-35mm
Line A 3: 27-33mm
Line B 1: 35mm
Line B 2: 30mm
Line B 3: 27-29mm
Interlinear heights
Interlineation line A1 to A2: 12mm
Interlineation line A2 to A3: 11-13mm
Interlineation line B1-B2: 10mm
Interlineation line B2-B3: 10mm

Provenance

Place of origin
Agrigentum
Provenance found
Area of bouleuterion, 1983
Map

Current location

Place
Agrigento, Italy
Repository
Museo Regionale Archeologico Pietro Griffo , 22522
Autopsy
On display.
Map

Date

Perhaps between 16 BCE and 4 CE (16 BC – AD 4)
Evidence
No data

Text type

honorific

commentary

The exact explanation for this double dedication remains uncertain. Battistoni and Rothenöfer speculate that the possibly earlier inscription of Text A could have been a dedication to Octavian as son of Caesar, but reject this as somewhat unlikely and prefer the hypothesis that both inscriptions are dedications to Caius Caesar, the grandson and adopted son of Augustus, with Text A containing an erroneous first text which fails to use the correct onomastic formula for Caius. The Annii were a significant family in Agrigento, with involvement in the sulphur industry.

Bibliography

Digital editions
Printed editions

Citation and editorial status

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