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Inscription #

230. Dedication to Commodus

Description:: Four inscribed marble blocks (lengths respectively, 2.52, 2.13, 1.42 (incomplete) and 2.05 w: 2.05 x h: 0.95 x d: 0.90) from the left-hand part of the architrave of a temple, of which a large part of the pediment, with figures of the Tyche of Oea, of Apollo, of Minerva, and of the Dioscuri, also survives.
Text:: There are mouldings at top and bottom, and centrally between the two lines of the inscription. There were originally 5, or possibly 6, blocks to the complete architrave, those at the ends being longer than those in the centre.
Letters:: Lapidary capitals: I. 1, 0.155; l. 2. 0.085
Date:: A.D. 183-185. (titulature).
Findspot:: Oea: Arch of Marcus Aurelius. Found during the isolation and restoration of the arch in Tripoli.
Original Location:: Unknown
Last recorded location:: Findspot
Bibliography:: Africa Italiana (Rivista di Storia e d'Arte a cura del Ministero delle Colonie) 8 vols., Bergamo, 1927-1940, VII: 35, figs. 2- 5; Epigraphica (Rivista Italiana di Epigrafia), Milano, vol. I, 1939, III:292 ff.; L'Année Epigraphique (Revue des Publications épigraphiques relatives à l'Antiquité romaine: annual supplement to Rev. Arch.), 1942-3:1; L'Année Epigraphique (Revue des Publications épigraphiques relatives à l'Antiquité romaine: annual supplement to Rev. Arch.), 1945:68 This edition taken from J. M. Reynolds and J. B. Ward-Perkins, The Inscriptions of Roman Tripolitania, Rome: British School at Rome, 1952.
Text constituted from:: Transcription (Reynolds, Ward-Perkins)

Imp(eratori) Caes(ari) M(arco) Aurelio Commodo Antonino Aug(usto) Pio p(atri) p(atriae) L(ucius) Aemilius L(uci) fil(ius) Quir(ina tribu) [·· ? ··] [c]o(n)s(ul) proco(n)s(ul) Asiae Genio Co[loniae ·· ? ··]
item (sestertiis) X centena mil(ia) n(ummum) legauit ex cu[ius] [usu]r(is) sportulae ciuibus et ḷuḍ[i ·· ? ·· darent]ur quod opus Sulla frater et [·· ? ··]

IMPCAESMAVRELIOCOMMODOANTONINOAVGPIOPPLAEMILIVSLFILQVIR[·· ? ··][··]OSPROCOSASIAEGENIOCO[········· ? ··]
ITEM sestertius XCENTENAMILNLEGAVITEXCV[····][····]RSPORTVLAECIVIBVSET·V·[···· ? ·········]VRQVODOPVSSVLLAFRATERET[·· ? ··]

<ab>

<expan>

<abbr>

Imp

</abbr>

<ex>

eratori

</ex>

</expan>

<expan>

<abbr>

Caes

</abbr>

<ex>

ari

</ex>

</expan>

<expan>

<abbr>

</abbr>

<ex>

arco

</ex>

</expan>

Aurelio

Commodo

Antonino

<expan>

<abbr>

Aug

</abbr>

<ex>

usto

</ex>

</expan>

Pio

<expan>

<abbr>

</abbr>

<ex>

atri

</ex>

</expan>

<expan>

<abbr>

</abbr>

<ex>

atriae

</ex>

</expan>

<expan>

<abbr>

</abbr>

<ex>

ucius

</ex>

</expan>

Aemilius

<expan>

<abbr>

</abbr>

<ex>

uci

</ex>

</expan>

<expan>

<abbr>

fil

</abbr>

<ex>

ius

</ex>

</expan>

<expan>

<abbr>

Quir

</abbr>

<ex>

ina tribu

</ex>

</expan>

<expan>

<abbr>

</supplied>

</abbr>

<ex>

</ex>

<abbr>

</abbr>

<ex>

</ex>

</expan>

<expan>

<abbr>

proco

</abbr>

<ex>

</ex>

<abbr>

</abbr>

<ex>

</ex>

</expan>

Asiae

Genio

loniae

</supplied>

item

<expan>

<abbr>

<am>

</am>

</abbr>

<ex>

sestertiis

</ex>

</expan>

</num>

centena

<expan>

<abbr>

mil

</abbr>

<ex>

</ex>

</expan>

<expan>

<abbr>

</abbr>

<ex>

ummum

</ex>

</expan>

legauit

ius

</supplied>

<expan>

<abbr>

usu

</supplied>

</abbr>

<ex>

</ex>

</expan>

sportulae

ciuibus

</unclear>

</unclear>

</supplied>

darent

</supplied>

quod

opus

Sulla

frater

</ab>

Translation:

To Emperor Caesar Marcus Aurelius Commodus Antoninus Augustus Pius, Father of the Country; Lucius Aemilius [·· ? ··], son of Lucius, of the Roman voting tribe Quirina, consul, proconsul (i.e. governor) of Asia, to the Genius of the colony [·· ? ··]; likewise he beqeathed 100,000 sesterces, from the interest of which food boxes should be provided for the citizens, and games [·· ? ··]. This matter his brother Sulla and [·· ? ··]

Commentary:

Pio dates this text between 183 and 185. Commodus was Pius in 183; Felix in 185. The Aemilius mentioned is probably L. Aemilius Frontinus, cos. an. inc., procos. Asiae under Marcus or Commodus, see PIR (2) A 348.