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Inscription #

537. Building inscription by Q. Pomponius Rufus

Description:: Five blocks (each, height. 0.52; together, total length, 4.04) of grey limestone, comprising the greater part of an inscription which stood on the South West face of the arch of Trajan; see also 353, 523.
Text:: Inscribed on one face; there is a cornice moulding above the inscription.
Letters:: Lapidary capitals: l.1, 0.08; l.2, 0.06; l.3, 0.05.
Date:: 109-110 A.D. (proconsulate).
Findspot:: Lepcis Magna: Arch of Trajan. On the South West face, across the Main Street at the angle of Reg. IV, ins 2 and 3, and Reg. V, ins. 1 and 3.
Original Location:: Unknown
Last recorded location:: Findspot
Bibliography:: Corpus Inscriptionum Latinarum VIII:13 (first two blocks only); 22670, ll. 6-10; Romanelli, Africa Italiana (Rivista di Storia e d'Arte a cura del Ministero delle Colonie) 8 vols., Bergamo, 1927-1940 VII:99 ff., figs. 10-11; 1948:3. 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)

Q(uintus) Pomponius Rufus co(n)s(ul) pont(ifex) sodal(is) Fla(uialis) cur(ator) oper(um) publicor(um) leg(atus) Aug(usti)
pro pr(aetore) prouinc(iarum) [M]oesiae Dalmat(iae) Hisp(aniae) leg(atus) leg(ionis) V prae(fectus) orae marit(imae) Hispan(iae) Citer(ioris) Gallia[e]
N[a]rbon(ensis) bello qu[od] imp(erator) G[a]lba pro [re p(ublica)] gessit proco(n)s(ul) prouinc(iae) Africae per L(ucium) Asinium Ru[fum]
[leg(atum) p]ro [pr(aetore) ·· ? ··]

QPOMPONIVSRVFVSCOSPONTSODALFLACVROPERPVBLICORLEGAVG
PROPRPROVINC[··]OESIAEDALMATHISPLEGLEGVPRAEORAEMARITHISPANCITERGALLIA[··]
N[··]RBONBELLOQV[···]IMPG[··]LBAPRO[···]GESSITPROCOSPROVINCAFRICAEPERLASINIVMRV[····]
[······]RO[····· ? ··]

<ab>

<expan>

<abbr>

</abbr>

<ex>

uintus

</ex>

</expan>

Pomponius

Rufus

<expan>

<abbr>

</abbr>

<ex>

</ex>

<abbr>

</abbr>

<ex>

</ex>

</expan>

<expan>

<abbr>

pont

</abbr>

<ex>

ifex

</ex>

</expan>

<expan>

<abbr>

sodal

</abbr>

<ex>

</ex>

</expan>

<expan>

<abbr>

Fla

</abbr>

<ex>

uialis

</ex>

</expan>

<expan>

<abbr>

cur

</abbr>

<ex>

ator

</ex>

</expan>

<expan>

<abbr>

oper

</abbr>

<ex>

</ex>

</expan>

<expan>

<abbr>

publicor

</abbr>

<ex>

</ex>

</expan>

<expan>

<abbr>

leg

</abbr>

<ex>

atus

</ex>

</expan>

<expan>

<abbr>

Aug

</abbr>

<ex>

usti

</ex>

</expan>

pro

<expan>

<abbr>

</abbr>

<ex>

aetore

</ex>

</expan>

<expan>

<abbr>

prouinc

</abbr>

<ex>

iarum

</ex>

</expan>

</supplied>

oesiae

<expan>

<abbr>

Dalmat

</abbr>

<ex>

iae

</ex>

</expan>

<expan>

<abbr>

Hisp

</abbr>

<ex>

aniae

</ex>

</expan>

<expan>

<abbr>

leg

</abbr>

<ex>

atus

</ex>

</expan>

<expan>

<abbr>

leg

</abbr>

<ex>

ionis

</ex>

</expan>

</num>

<expan>

<abbr>

prae

</abbr>

<ex>

fectus

</ex>

</expan>

orae

<expan>

<abbr>

marit

</abbr>

<ex>

imae

</ex>

</expan>

<expan>

<abbr>

Hispan

</abbr>

<ex>

iae

</ex>

</expan>

<expan>

<abbr>

Citer

</abbr>

<ex>

ioris

</ex>

</expan>

Gallia

</supplied>

<expan>

<abbr>

</supplied>

rbon

</abbr>

<ex>

ensis

</ex>

</expan>

bello

</supplied>

<expan>

<abbr>

imp

</abbr>

<ex>

erator

</ex>

</expan>

</supplied>

lba

pro

<expan>

<abbr>

</abbr>

<ex>

ublica

</ex>

</expan>

</supplied>

gessit

<expan>

<abbr>

proco

</abbr>

<ex>

</ex>

<abbr>

</abbr>

<ex>

</ex>

</expan>

<expan>

<abbr>

prouinc

</abbr>

<ex>

iae

</ex>

</expan>

Africae

per

<expan>

<abbr>

</abbr>

<ex>

ucium

</ex>

</expan>

Asinium

fum

</supplied>

<expan>

<abbr>

leg

</abbr>

<ex>

atum

</ex>

</expan>

</supplied>

</supplied>

<expan>

<abbr>

</abbr>

<ex>

aetore

</ex>

</expan>

</supplied>

</ab>

1, Fla(uialis): : or fla(men) There is a space after sodal(is).

Translation:

Quintus Pomponius Rufus, consul, priest, member of the priestly college for cult of the Flavians, curator of public works, imperial legate with propraetorian powers in the provinces of Moesia, Dalmatia and Hispania, commander of Legion Five, prefect of the coasts of nearer Spain, and Gallia Narbonensis in the war which Emperor Galba fought for the [Republic], proconsul of the province of Africa, through the agency of Lucius Asinius Rufus, propraetorian legate [·· ? ··]

Commentary:

l. 1. Q. Pomponius Rufus was Cos. suff. 95 (Calza, Epigraphica I (1939) 157); = PIR (1) P 561. His career is discussed at length by Romanelli, op. cit.

ll. 2-3. This epigraphical reference to Galba's campaign against Nero is unique: but the reading given appears to be certain, although the lower part of the letters is broken away and some of them are completely lost, as marked in the text. See CIL VIII, 22670, ll. 6-l0, which is clearly derived from scattered blocks of this inscription, seen when they were better preserved.

l. 3. Procos. provinciae Africae. 109-110; see also 353, n. 1.

l. 3. L. Asinius Rufus. Perhaps PIR (2) A 1248 and/or 1250.