412. Dedication to Lucius Septimius Severus

Description:
Rectangular base of marble (w: 0.56 x h: 0.88 x d: 0.39). 
Text:
Inscribed on one face within a moulded panel (die, w: 0.35 x h: 0.67).  
Letters:
Rustic capitals: l.1, 0.055; remainder, 0.05-0.04.  
Date:
A.D. 202 (titulature)  
Findspot:
Lepcis Magna: Forum Vetus, in the passage between the Temple of Rome and Augustus and the Temple of Liber Pater.  
Original Location:
Unknown 
Last recorded location:
Findspot 
Bibliography:
Aurigemma, Quaderni di Archeologia della Libia, Roma (Ministero dell'Africa Italiana), vol. I, 1950 I (1950) 59; L'Année Epigraphique (Revue des Publications épigraphiques relatives à l'Antiquité romaine: annual supplement to Rev. Arch.) 1950, 156; Guey in Memoires de la Societe des Antiquaires de France, 1952. 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(eratoris) Caes(aris) L(uci) Septimi Se-
veri Pii Pertinacis
Aug(usti) Arabici Adiabenici
Parthici max(imi) t(ribunica) p(otestate) X imp(eratoris)
5XI co(n)s(ulis) III p(atris) p(atriae) proco(n)s(ulis)
auo d(omini) n(ostri)
L(ucio) Septimio Seuero sufeti praef(ecto)
publ(ice) creato cum primum ci-
uitas Romana adacta est
10 du(u)muir(o) fl(amini) p(er)p(etuo) in decuriis
et inter selectos Romae
iudicauit Lepc(i)t(ani) publ(ice)
IMPCAESLSEPTIMISE
VERIPIIPERTINACIS
AVGARABICIADIABENICI
PARTHICIMAXTPXIMP
5XICOSIIIPPPROCOS
AVODN
LSEPTIMIOSEVEROSVFETIPRAEF
PVBLCREATOCVMPRIMVMCI
VITASROMANAADACTAEST
10DVMVIRFLPPINDECVRIIS
ETINTERSELECTOSROMAE
IVDICAVITLEPCTPVBL
<ab>
<lb n="1" />
<expan>
<abbr>
Imp
</abbr>
<ex>
eratoris
</ex>
</expan>
<expan>
<abbr>
Caes
</abbr>
<ex>
aris
</ex>
</expan>
<expan>
<abbr>
L
</abbr>
<ex>
uci
</ex>
</expan>
Septimi
Se
<lb n="2" type="worddiv" />
veri
Pii
Pertinacis
<lb n="3" />
<expan>
<abbr>
Aug
</abbr>
<ex>
usti
</ex>
</expan>
Arabici
Adiabenici
<lb n="4" />
Parthici
<expan>
<abbr>
max
</abbr>
<ex>
imi
</ex>
</expan>
<expan>
<abbr>
t
</abbr>
<ex>
ribunica
</ex>
</expan>
<expan>
<abbr>
p
</abbr>
<ex>
otestate
</ex>
</expan>
<num value="10" >
X
</num>
<expan>
<abbr>
imp
</abbr>
<ex>
eratoris
</ex>
</expan>
<lb n="5" />
<num value="11" >
XI
</num>
<expan>
<abbr>
co
</abbr>
<ex>
n
</ex>
<abbr>
s
</abbr>
<ex>
ulis
</ex>
</expan>
<num value="3" >
III
</num>
<expan>
<abbr>
p
</abbr>
<ex>
atris
</ex>
</expan>
<expan>
<abbr>
p
</abbr>
<ex>
atriae
</ex>
</expan>
<expan>
<abbr>
proco
</abbr>
<ex>
n
</ex>
<abbr>
s
</abbr>
<ex>
ulis
</ex>
</expan>
<lb n="6" />
auo
<expan>
<abbr>
d
</abbr>
<ex>
omini
</ex>
</expan>
<expan>
<abbr>
n
</abbr>
<ex>
ostri
</ex>
</expan>
<lb n="7" />
<expan>
<abbr>
L
</abbr>
<ex>
ucio
</ex>
</expan>
Septimio
Seuero
sufeti
<expan>
<abbr>
praef
</abbr>
<ex>
ecto
</ex>
</expan>
<lb n="8" />
<expan>
<abbr>
publ
</abbr>
<ex>
ice
</ex>
</expan>
creato
cum
primum
ci
<lb n="9" type="worddiv" />
uitas
Romana
adacta
est
<lb n="10" />
<expan>
<abbr>
du
</abbr>
<ex>
u
</ex>
<abbr>
muir
</abbr>
<ex>
o
</ex>
</expan>
<expan>
<abbr>
fl
</abbr>
<ex>
amini
</ex>
</expan>
<expan>
<abbr>
p
</abbr>
<ex>
er
</ex>
<abbr>
p
</abbr>
<ex>
etuo
</ex>
</expan>
in
decuriis
<lb n="11" />
et
inter
selectos
Romae
<lb n="12" />
iudicauit
<expan>
<abbr>
Lepc
</abbr>
<ex>
i
</ex>
<abbr>
t
</abbr>
<ex>
ani
</ex>
</expan>
<expan>
<abbr>
publ
</abbr>
<ex>
ice
</ex>
</expan>
</ab>

Translation:

To the grandfather of our lord Emperor Caesar Lucius Septimius Severus Pius Pertinax Augustus, victor in Arabia, victor in Adiabene, greatest victor in Parthia, holding tribunician power for the tenth time, acclaimed victor eleven times, consul for the third time, father of the country, proconsul, Lucius Septimius Severus, sufete, publicly created prefect when first Roman citizenship was introduced, duumvirate, perpetual flamen (priest); he was a (Roman) jury-man, in the official list and actually judged cases at Rome, being among those selected to act. The Lepcitanians publicly.

Commentary:

l. 4. trib. pot. X. 10 Dec. 201 - 9 Dec. 202

l. 5. cos. III. 1 Jan. 202.

l. 7. L. Septimius Seuerus. Also in 413, l. 9; cf. PW II A, 1572 no.42, where Stein's suggestion that the paternal grandfather of the Emperor was a Septimius Macer must be rejected

Photographs:

Ward-Perkins Archive, BSR (Sopr. DLM 1367 Leica)
 Ward-Perkins Archive, BSR (Sopr. DLM 1367 Leica)

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