239. Funerary inscriptions with acclamation

Description:
Elaborately painted rock-cut tomb. 
Text:
There are inscriptions painted above the two sepulcral recesses and inscribed on the cinerary urns. a) Within a wreath (diam. 0.48) upheld by flying putti. b) Within a tabella ansata (die, w: 0.55 x h: 0.21) upheld by flying putti. c) On the lids of the sarcophagi, now lost. 
Letters:
a) Lettering: 0.06. b) Lettering: 0.03. c) Not seen  
Date:
Late third or fourth century (context)  
Findspot:
Oea: Rock-cut tomb at Gargaresh, W of Tripoli (map ref. L 418665), immediately S of the main coast road. The tomb is elaborately painted and of the late III or IV century. There are inscriptions painted above the two sepulcral recesses once inscribed on the cinerary urns.  
Original Location:
Findspot 
Last recorded location:
a, b, in situ; c, believed to be in Tripoli Castle. Not seen (1951) 
Bibliography:
Corpus Inscriptionum Latinarum, VIII: 22687, VIII:22688; Notiziario archeologico del Ministero delle Colonie, 4 fascicules, Roma, 1915-1927, III:21 ff., fig. 5. This edition taken from J. M. Reynolds and J. B. Ward-Perkins, The Inscriptions of Roman Tripolitania, Rome: British School at Rome, 1952; including revisions from J. M. Reynolds, 'Inscriptions of Roman Tripolitania: A Supplement', Proceedings of the British School at Rome 23 (1955), 124-147 
Text constituted from:
a and b, transcription (Reynolds, Ward-Perkins); c from previous publications. 
a
D(is) m(anibus) s(acrum)
Aelia Arisuth
uixit annos
sexaginta
5plus minus
b
D(is) [m(anibus)] s(acrum)
Aelios Ma[·· c. 5··] Iurathani
bix[i]ṭ an[n]o[s ·· 5··]agin[ta] quiṇ[que]
plus m[i]nus
ci
Quae lea iacet
ii
Qui leo iacet
a
DMS
AELIAARISVTH
VIXITANNOS
SEXAGINTA
5PLVSMINVS
b
D[··]S
AELIOSMA[·· c. 5··]IVRATHANI
BIX[··]·AN[··]O[···· 5··]AGIN[···]QVI·[····]
PLVSM[··]NVS
ci
QVAELEAIACET
ii
QVILEOIACET
<div type="textpart" n="a" >
<ab>
<lb n="1" />
<expan>
<abbr>
D
</abbr>
<ex>
is
</ex>
</expan>
<expan>
<abbr>
m
</abbr>
<ex>
anibus
</ex>
</expan>
<expan>
<abbr>
s
</abbr>
<ex>
acrum
</ex>
</expan>
<lb n="2" />
Aelia
Arisuth
<lb n="3" />
uixit
annos
<lb n="4" />
sexaginta
<lb n="5" />
plus
minus
</ab>
</div>
<div type="textpart" n="b" >
<ab>
<lb n="1" />
<expan>
<abbr>
D
</abbr>
<ex>
is
</ex>
</expan>
<supplied reason="lost" >
<expan>
<abbr>
m
</abbr>
<ex>
anibus
</ex>
</expan>
</supplied>
<expan>
<abbr>
s
</abbr>
<ex>
acrum
</ex>
</expan>
<lb n="2" />
Aelios
Ma
<gap reason="lost" extent="5" unit="character" precision="circa" />
Iurathani
<lb n="3" />
bix
<supplied reason="lost" >
i
</supplied>
<unclear reason="" >
t
</unclear>
an
<supplied reason="lost" >
n
</supplied>
o
<supplied reason="lost" >
s
</supplied>
<gap reason="lost" extent="5" unit="character" />
agin
<supplied reason="lost" >
ta
</supplied>
qui
<unclear reason="" >
n
</unclear>
<supplied reason="lost" >
que
</supplied>
<lb n="4" />
plus
m
<supplied reason="lost" >
i
</supplied>
nus
</ab>
</div>
<div type="textpart" n="c" >
<div type="textpart" n="i" >
<ab>
<lb n="1" />
Quae
lea
iacet
</ab>
</div>
<div type="textpart" n="ii" >
<ab>
<lb n="1" />
Qui
leo
iacet
</ab>
</div>
</div>

Translation:

a. Sacred to the gods below. Aelia Arisuth lived approximately 60 years.

. Aelius Ma[·· ? ··], ? son of Jurathan. He lived approximately [·· ? ··]5 years.

c. Who lies here, a lioness; d. who lies here, a lion.

Commentary:

No comment.

Photographs:

Ward-Perkins Archive, BSR (Sopr. B. 89)
 Ward-Perkins Archive, BSR (Sopr. B. 89)

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