624. Fragmentary honours

Description:
Two blocks of grey limestone; the first one (w: 0.84 x h: 0.50 x d: 0.50) is badly weathered. The second one (w: 0.70 x h: 0.51 x d: 0.51), discovered since 1951, adjoins the previously found stone of this text at the left-hand end. There is a shallow cut-away on the right side at the back. 
Text:
Each block is inscribed on one face. 
Letters:
First block: Lapidary capitals: from top of block, 0.02; l. 1, 0.02-0.105; l. 2, 0.14-0.23; l. 3, 0.255-0.34; l. 4, 0.37-0.455; to bottom, 0.50. Second block: Lapidary capitals: from top of block, l. 1, 0.02-0.11; l. 2, 0.135-0.225; l. 3, 0.25-0.34; l. 4, 0.365-0.455; to bottom, 0.51. 
Date:
First to second century A.D. (lettering) 
Findspot:
Lepcis Magna: Temple of Rome and Augustus. The first block was found behind the Forum Vetus, West of the Byzantine Wall, near the sea-shore. The second block was found half-buried in sand between the same temple and the Byzantine sea-wall, in which it had probably been re-used. 
Original Location:
Unknown 
Last recorded location:
Findspot 
Bibliography:
Robinson, American Journal of Archaeology , XVII:188 L'Année Epigraphique (Revue des Publications épigraphiques relatives à l'Antiquité romaine: annual supplement to Rev. Arch.), 1913, 149 R. Cagnat et A. Merlin, Inscriptions latines d'Afrique (Tripolitaine, Tunisie, Maroc), Paris, 1923, 1 h This edition taken from J. M. Reynolds and J. B. Ward-Perkins, The Inscriptions of Roman Tripolitania, Rome: British School at Rome, 1952; including revisions from J. M. Reynolds, 'Inscriptions of Roman Tripolitania: A Supplement', Proceedings of the British School at Rome 23 (1955), 124-147 
Text constituted from:
Transcription (Reynolds, Ward-Perkins) 
[·· ? ··]o Fronṭ[o]ni
[·· ? ·· p]ontifici c̣[ol]oniae
[·· ? ··]
nus lato c̣[la]uo donauit
[·· ? ··] diui Traia[n]i Parthici
[·· ? ··]OFRON·[··]NI
[·· ? ····]ONTIFICI·[···]ONIAE
[·· ? ··]
NVSLATO·[···]VODONAVIT
[·· ? ··]DIVITRAIA[··]IPARTHICI
<ab>
<lb n="1" />
<gap reason="lost" extent="unknown" unit="character" />
o
Fron
<unclear reason="damage" >
t
</unclear>
<supplied reason="lost" >
o
</supplied>
ni
<lb n="2" />
<gap reason="lost" extent="unknown" unit="character" />
<supplied reason="lost" >
p
</supplied>
ontifici
<unclear reason="damage" >
c
</unclear>
<supplied reason="lost" >
ol
</supplied>
oniae
<lb n="3" />
<gap reason="lost" extent="unknown" unit="character" />
</ab>
<ab>
nus
lato
<unclear reason="damage" >
c
</unclear>
<supplied reason="lost" >
la
</supplied>
uo
donauit
<lb n="4" />
<gap reason="lost" extent="unknown" unit="character" />
diui
Traia
<supplied reason="lost" >
n
</supplied>
i
Parthici
</ab>

The reconstruction proposed by Robinson (loc. cit.) is impossible; there are considerable differences in the size of the lettering in the various fragments used.

Translation:

[·· ? ··] to [·· ? ··] Fronto [·· ? ··] pontifex (priest) of the colony [·· ? ··] he (probably Trajan) gave the broad purple band [·· ? ··] of deified Trajan, victor in Parthia

Commentary:

Presumably Lepcis. Fronto has not been identified; but he appears to be the earliest known Senator of Lepcitanian origin.

Perhaps hunc diuus Traianus lato clauo donauit. If the donor had been Domitian, it is unlikely that his name would have been given; if Vespasian, we should have to suppose a very considerable gap in Fronto's ealr carrer, since the space vacant before diui Traiani Parthici in l. 4 cannot be long enough to hold the record of much activity.

Photographs:

Ward-Perkins Archive, BSR (BSR 47.XV.28)
 Ward-Perkins Archive, BSR (BSR 47.XV.28)

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