393. Dedication to Septimius Severus

Description:
Two marble plinths, placed together to form a base with a lower moulding (w: 1.16 x h: 0.72 x d: 0.86). 
Text:
Inscribed on one face. Probably uniform with 423.  
Letters:
Rustic capitals: ll. 1-2, 0.06; l. 3, 0.05; ll. 4-6, 0.04. 
Date:
A.D. 202 (titulature) 
Findspot:
Lepcis Magna: Hadrianic Baths, in situ in the centre the Frigidarium. 
Original Location:
Findspot 
Last recorded location:
Findspot 
Bibliography:
P. Romanelli, Leptis Magna (Africae Italiana: Monografie a cura del Ministero delle Colonie, 1), Roma, 1925, 121; R. Bartoccini, Le Terme di Lepcis (Afrika Italiana: Monografie a cura del Ministero delle Colonie, IV), Bergamo, 1929, 81 ff. fig. 83; Rivista della Tripolitania (Rivista a cura dell'Ufficio di Colonizzazione del Governo della Tripolitania), 2 vols., Roma, 1924-5; a third vol., under the title Libya, published for the Ministero delle Colonie, was issued in 1927, I:304; L'Année Epigraphique (Revue des Publications épigraphiques relatives à l'Antiquité romaine: annual supplement to Rev. Arch.) 1925:104. 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) [L(ucio) Septimio Seuero]
Pio Pertinaci Aug(usto) Arabico
Adiabenico Parthico maximo
pont(ifici) max(imo) trib(unicia) potest(ate) X imp(eratori) XI p(atri) p(atriae)
5 proco(n)s(uli) co(n)s(uli) III Lepcitani Septimiani publ(ice)
ob eximiam ac diuinam in se indulgentiam
IMPCAES[··]
PIOPERTINACIAVGARABICO
ADIABENICOPARTHICOMAXIMO
PONTMAXTRIBPOTESTXIMPXIPP
5PROCOSCOSIIILEPCITANISEPTIMIANIPVBL
OBEXIMIAMACDIVINAMINSEINDVLGENTIAM
<ab>
<lb n="1" />
<expan>
<abbr>
Imp
</abbr>
<ex>
eratori
</ex>
</expan>
<expan>
<abbr>
Caes
</abbr>
<ex>
ari
</ex>
</expan>
<supplied reason="lost" >
<expan>
<abbr>
L
</abbr>
<ex>
ucio
</ex>
</expan>
Septimio
Seuero
</supplied>
<lb n="2" />
Pio
Pertinaci
<expan>
<abbr>
Aug
</abbr>
<ex>
usto
</ex>
</expan>
Arabico
<lb n="3" />
Adiabenico
Parthico
maximo
<lb n="4" />
<expan>
<abbr>
pont
</abbr>
<ex>
ifici
</ex>
</expan>
<expan>
<abbr>
max
</abbr>
<ex>
imo
</ex>
</expan>
<expan>
<abbr>
trib
</abbr>
<ex>
unicia
</ex>
</expan>
<expan>
<abbr>
potest
</abbr>
<ex>
ate
</ex>
</expan>
<num value="10" >
X
</num>
<expan>
<abbr>
imp
</abbr>
<ex>
eratori
</ex>
</expan>
<num value="11" >
XI
</num>
<expan>
<abbr>
p
</abbr>
<ex>
atri
</ex>
</expan>
<expan>
<abbr>
p
</abbr>
<ex>
atriae
</ex>
</expan>
<lb n="5" />
<expan>
<abbr>
proco
</abbr>
<ex>
n
</ex>
<abbr>
s
</abbr>
<ex>
uli
</ex>
</expan>
<expan>
<abbr>
co
</abbr>
<ex>
n
</ex>
<abbr>
s
</abbr>
<ex>
uli
</ex>
</expan>
<num value="3" >
III
</num>
Lepcitani
Septimiani
<expan>
<abbr>
publ
</abbr>
<ex>
ice
</ex>
</expan>
<lb n="6" />
ob
eximiam
ac
diuinam
in
se
indulgentiam
</ab>

Translation:

To Emperor Caesar [Lucius Septimius Severus] Pius Pertinax Augustus, victor in Arabia, victor in Adiabene, greatest victor in Parthia, chief priest, holding tribunician power for the tenth time, acclaimed victor eleven times, father of the country, proconsul, consul for the third time; the Septimian Lepcitanians, (set this up) publicly on account of his outstanding and god-like favours to them.

Commentary:

l. 4. trib. pot. X - 10 Dec. 201 - 9 Dec. 202; cos. III from l Jan. 202.

l. 6. Bartoccini. Terme 82. suggests that the reference, here and in 423, l. 5, is to the grant of ius italicum, Dig., L, 15, 8, 11; cf. the contemporary coinage of Carthage: indulgentiam Augustorum in Carthaginem, Mattingly and Sydenham, The Roman Imperial Coinage IV ( 1936) 125, nos. 266. 267; but see 441, l. 5, dated in 209.

Photographs:

Ward-Perkins Archive, BSR (Sopr. B. 1081)
 Ward-Perkins Archive, BSR (Sopr. B. 1081)

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