314. Building dedication of a cistern to Venus

Description:
Block (w: 0.93 x h: 0.44 x d: 0.30) of grey limestone inscribed on one face within a moulded panel (die, w: 0.76 x h: 0.30).  
Text:
Inscribed on one face. 
Letters:
First century A.D. capitals l. 1, 0.045; ll. 2- 3. 0.04. 
Date:
First century A.D. (lettering) 
Findspot:
Lepcis Magna: Ras el-Mergheb. Formerly in Homs Museum 
Original Location:
Unknown 
Last recorded location:
Lepcis Museum. 
Bibliography:
R. Cagnat et A. Merlin, Inscriptions latines d'Afrique (Tripolitaine, Tunisie, Maroc), Paris, 1923 7; Calonghi, Athenaeum (Studi periodici di Letteratura e Storia dell'Antichità), Pavia, I 1913 73ff.; L'Année Epigraphique (Revue des Publications épigraphiques relatives à l'Antiquité romaine: annual supplement to Rev. Arch.) 1914:25; Aurigemma, Annali dell'Istituto Universitario Orientate di Napoli, n. s III:55. 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) 
L(ucius) Tettius Eutychus in suo sua
pecun(ia) cistern(am) Veneri et Lepcit((?))
donui cura L(uci) Tetti Comi I(iberti) f(aciendam) c(urauit)
LTETTIVSEVTYCHVSINSVOSVA
PECVNCISTERNVENERIETLEPCIT
DONVICVRALTETTICOMIIFC
<ab>
<lb n="1" />
<expan>
<abbr>
L
</abbr>
<ex>
ucius
</ex>
</expan>
Tettius
Eutychus
in
suo
sua
<lb n="2" />
<expan>
<abbr>
pecun
</abbr>
<ex>
ia
</ex>
</expan>
<expan>
<abbr>
cistern
</abbr>
<ex>
am
</ex>
</expan>
Veneri
et
<expan>
<abbr>
Lepcit
</abbr>
<ex> </ex>
</expan>
<lb n="3" />
donui
cura
<expan>
<abbr>
L
</abbr>
<ex>
uci
</ex>
</expan>
Tetti
Comi
<expan>
<abbr>
I
</abbr>
<ex>
iberti
</ex>
</expan>
<expan>
<abbr>
f
</abbr>
<ex>
aciendam
</ex>
</expan>
<expan>
<abbr>
c
</abbr>
<ex>
urauit
</ex>
</expan>
</ab>

3, Aurigemma, loc. cit., suggests a local form of Adonis (not otherwise recorded) and reads Veneri et Lepcit(ano) Donui; or (so Cagnat-Merlin) Veneri et Lepcit(anis) donui (for dono).

Translation:

Lucius Tettius Eutychus, on his own land and with his own money, made the gift of a cistern to Venus and the Lepcitanians ( or gave to Venus and the Lepcitanian Adonis), arranging for its construction under the supervision of Lucius Tettius Comus, his freedman.

Commentary:

l. 1. L.Tettius Eutychus also in 746, ll.1- 2.

l.2 . Perhaps connected with the cult of Caelestis established at Mergheb; so P. Romanelli, Leptis Magna (Africae Italiana: Monografie a cura del Ministero delle Colonie, 1), Roma, 1925, 27, and Aurigemma, loc. cit.

l. 3. L.Tettius Comus also in 746, l.4.

Photographs:

Ward-Perkins Archive, BSR (Sopr. B. 832)
 Ward-Perkins Archive, BSR (Sopr. B. 832)
Ward-Perkins Archive, BSR (Sopr. B. 804)
 Ward-Perkins Archive, BSR (Sopr. B. 804)

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