Description:
Two courses of blocks of grey limestone a) Upper course: of the eight original blocks, six survive, nos. 1-3 (together, w: 2.45 x h: 0.43), followed by a missing block (w: 1.16 x h: 0.43), followed by nos. 5-7 (together, w: 3.22 x h: 0.43). The last block (w: 0.70 x h: 0.43) is missing. b) Lower course: of the ten (probably) original blocks, nos. 2-4 (together, w: 2.37 x h: 0.52) survive followed by a gap (length not calculable), followed by two blocks, of which the right-hand end of the second is broken (together, w: 1.37 x h: 0.52). The right- hand end of the course is missing. 
Text:
Inscribed on one face within a moulded panel (together, w: 7.56 x h: 0.95). 
Letters:
Lapidary capitals: l.1, 0.14; l. 2, 0.11: l. 3, 0.09; l. 4, 0.065; l. 5, 0.06. The longitudinal spacing is erratic. 
Date:
A.D. 72 (titulature) 
Findspot:
Lepcis Magna: From the facade of the Temple of Magna Mater in the Forum Vetus 
Original Location:
Unknown 
Last recorded location:
Now recomposed nearby.  
Bibliography:
Corpus Inscriptionum Latinarum, VIII:22671 , 129 Bartoccini Rivista di Archeologia cristiana della Pontificia Commissione di Archeologia sacra VIII:26, VIII:29 L'Année Epigraphique (Revue des Publications épigraphiques relatives à l'Antiquité romaine: annual supplement to Rev. Arch.), 1934:171. (All publications are of scattered blocks only). 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(eratore) Caesare Vespasiano [Aug(usto) pont(ifice)] [m]ax(imo) trib(unicia) potest(ate) III imp(eratore) X co(n)s(ule) IIII des[ig(nato) V p(atre) p(atriae)]
Q(uintus) Manlius Ancharius Tarq[uitius Saturni]nus proco(n)s(ul) patronus d[edicauit]
[·] Volumnius Memor Felix [legatus] pro pr[aetore ·· ? ··]
Iddibal Balsillecis [f(ilius)] Annobalis n(epos) Asmunis pro[nepos ·· ? ··?]us templum Matris Magna[e ·· ? ··]
5 et exor[nauit e]x (sestertiis) CC m(ilibus) n(ummum) d(e) s(ua) p(ecunia) d(edit) [·· ? ··?]is et Passienus Maris e((?)-) [·· ? ··]
IMPCAESAREVESPASIANO[·········][··]AXTRIBPOTESTIIIIMPXCOSIIIIDES[··········]
QMANLIVSANCHARIVSTARQ[···············]NVSPROCOSPATRONVSD[·········]
[·]VOLVMNIVSMEMORFELIX[········]PROPR[········· ? ··]
IDDIBALBALSILLECIS[··]ANNOBALISNASMVNISPRO[········ ? ··?]VSTEMPLVMMATRISMAGNA[···· ? ··]
5ETEXOR[········]X sestertius CCMNDSPD[·· ? ··?]ISETPASSIENVSMARISE[·· ? ··]
<ab>
<lb n="1" />
<expan>
<abbr>
Imp
</abbr>
<ex>
eratore
</ex>
</expan>
Caesare
Vespasiano
<supplied reason="lost" >
<expan>
<abbr>
Aug
</abbr>
<ex>
usto
</ex>
</expan>
</supplied>
<supplied reason="lost" >
<expan>
<abbr>
pont
</abbr>
<ex>
ifice
</ex>
</expan>
</supplied>
<expan>
<abbr>
<supplied reason="lost" >
m
</supplied>
ax
</abbr>
<ex>
imo
</ex>
</expan>
<expan>
<abbr>
trib
</abbr>
<ex>
unicia
</ex>
</expan>
<expan>
<abbr>
potest
</abbr>
<ex>
ate
</ex>
</expan>
<num value="3" >
III
</num>
<expan>
<abbr>
imp
</abbr>
<ex>
eratore
</ex>
</expan>
<num value="10" >
X
</num>
<expan>
<abbr>
co
</abbr>
<ex>
n
</ex>
<abbr>
s
</abbr>
<ex>
ule
</ex>
</expan>
<num value="4" >
IIII
</num>
<expan>
<abbr>
des
<supplied reason="lost" >
ig
</supplied>
</abbr>
<supplied reason="lost" >
<ex>
nato
</ex>
</supplied>
</expan>
<supplied reason="lost" >
<num value="5" >
V
</num>
<expan>
<abbr>
p
</abbr>
<ex>
atre
</ex>
</expan>
<expan>
<abbr>
p
</abbr>
<ex>
atriae
</ex>
</expan>
</supplied>
<lb n="2" />
<expan>
<abbr>
Q
</abbr>
<ex>
uintus
</ex>
</expan>
Manlius
Ancharius
Tarq
<supplied reason="lost" >
uitius
</supplied>
<supplied reason="lost" >
Saturni
</supplied>
nus
<expan>
<abbr>
proco
</abbr>
<ex>
n
</ex>
<abbr>
s
</abbr>
<ex>
ul
</ex>
</expan>
patronus
d
<supplied reason="lost" >
edicauit
</supplied>
<lb n="3" />
<gap reason="lost" extent="1" unit="character" />
Volumnius
Memor
Felix
<supplied reason="lost" >
legatus
</supplied>
pro
pr
<supplied reason="lost" >
aetore
</supplied>
<gap reason="lost" extent="unknown" unit="character" />
<lb n="4" />
Iddibal
Balsillecis
<supplied reason="lost" >
<expan>
<abbr>
f
</abbr>
<ex>
ilius
</ex>
</expan>
</supplied>
Annobalis
<expan>
<abbr>
n
</abbr>
<ex>
epos
</ex>
</expan>
Asmunis
pro
<supplied reason="lost" >
nepos
</supplied>
<gap reason="lost" extent="unknown" unit="character" id="gap1" />
us
templum
Matris
Magna
<supplied reason="lost" >
e
</supplied>
<gap reason="lost" extent="unknown" unit="character" />
<lb n="5" />
et
exor
<supplied reason="lost" >
nauit
</supplied>
<supplied reason="lost" >
e
</supplied>
x
<expan>
<abbr>
<am>
<g type="sestertius" > </g>
</am>
</abbr>
<ex>
sestertiis
</ex>
</expan>
<num value="200" >
CC
</num>
<expan>
<abbr>
m
</abbr>
<ex>
ilibus
</ex>
</expan>
<expan>
<abbr>
n
</abbr>
<ex>
ummum
</ex>
</expan>
<expan>
<abbr>
d
</abbr>
<ex>
e
</ex>
</expan>
<expan>
<abbr>
s
</abbr>
<ex>
ua
</ex>
</expan>
<expan>
<abbr>
p
</abbr>
<ex>
ecunia
</ex>
</expan>
<expan>
<abbr>
d
</abbr>
<ex>
edit
</ex>
</expan>
<gap reason="lost" extent="unknown" unit="character" id="gap2" />
is
et
Passienus
Maris
<expan>
<abbr>
e
</abbr>
<ex> </ex>
</expan>
<gap reason="lost" extent="unknown" unit="character" />
</ab>

Translation:

When emperor Caesar Vespasian [Augustus was] Chief [priest], holding tribunician power for the third time, had been acclaimed victor ten times, was consul for the fourth time and designated [for a fifth, father of the country], Quintus Manlius Ancharius Tarq[uitius Saturni]nus proconsul, patron, d[edicated]( this), [·· ? ··] Volumnius Memor Felix, his [legate] holding propraetorian powers [being present too]. Iddibal, [son] of Balsillac, grandson of Annobal, great grandson of Asmun [·· ? ··built] the temple of Mater Magna [·· ? ··] and adorned it at a cost of 200,000 sesterces given from his own funds [·· ? ··] and Passienus Maris ( or ? son of Mar) from [·· ? ··]

Commentary:

l. 1. trib. pot. III - 1 July 71 - 30 June 7, cos. iiii - 1 January 72.

Line 2: Probably Q. Manlius Tarquitius Saturninus, cos. an. inc. under Nero (Pugliese Carratelli, Parola del Passato, vol 1 (1946) 381). Not otherwise recorded as procos. Africae.

l. 3. Volumnius Memor Felix. Otherwise unknown; but see ILS 6675 for a C. Volumnius Memor and 8086 for a P. Volumnius Felix.

Photographs:

Ward-Perkins Archive, BSR (Sopr. DLM 1567 Leica)
 Ward-Perkins Archive, BSR (Sopr. DLM 1567 Leica)
Ward-Perkins Archive, BSR (Sopr. DLM 1567 Leica)
 Ward-Perkins Archive, BSR (Sopr. DLM 1567 Leica)
Ward-Perkins Archive, BSR (Photo RGG)
 Ward-Perkins Archive, BSR (Photo RGG)
Ward-Perkins Archive, BSR (BSR 47.XVII.26)
 Ward-Perkins Archive, BSR (BSR 47.XVII.26)
Ward-Perkins Archive, BSR (BSR 48.XIV.7)
 Ward-Perkins Archive, BSR (BSR 48.XIV.7)
Ward-Perkins Archive, BSR (BSR 48.XIV.8)
 Ward-Perkins Archive, BSR (BSR 48.XIV.8)

(cc) You may download this inscription in EpiDoc XML. (You may need the EpiDoc DTD v. 6 to validate this file.)