Description:
Fragment, possibly from the lower part, of a marble base (w: 0.38 x h: 0.27 x d: 0.19)  
Text:
Inscribed on one face (surviving surface, w: 0.29 x h: 0.25). 
Letters:
Late second or early third century; rustic capitals, closely resembling those of 525: l. 1, not measurable; l. 2, 3, 0.048; l. 4, 0.045. 
Date:
Late second or early third century A.D. (lettering) 
Findspot:
Lepcis Magna: Forum Severianum.  
Original Location:
Unknown 
Last recorded location:
Now in one of the tabernae of the East Portico of the Forum Severianum.2 
Bibliography:
Not previously published. This edition taken from J. M. Reynolds, 'Inscriptions of Roman Tripolitania: A Supplement', Proceedings of the British School at Rome 23 (1955), 124-147, no. S.5. 
Text constituted from:
Transcription (Reynolds) 
[·· ? ··Imp(erator-) C]ạẹs(ar-) Ṃ[arc·· ? ··]
[·· ? ··][A]ug(ust-) et Caecilia[·· ? ··]
[·· ? ··trib(un--) mil(itum)] 〚 coh(ortis) 〛 II 〚mil(iariae) Ṃon(- - -)〛[·· ? ··]
[·· ? ··]atiae fec[·· ? ··]
[·· ? ········]··S·[······ ? ··]
[·· ? ··][··]VGETCAECILIA[·· ? ··]
[·· ? ·······]〚COH〛II〚MIL·ON(- - -)〛[·· ? ··]
[·· ? ··]ATIAEFEC[·· ? ··]
<ab>
<lb n="1" />
<gap reason="lost" extent="unknown" unit="character" />
<supplied reason="lost" >
<expan>
<abbr>
Imp
</abbr>
<ex>
erator-
</ex>
</expan>
</supplied>
<expan>
<abbr>
<supplied reason="lost" >
C
</supplied>
<unclear reason="damage" >
ae
</unclear>
s
</abbr>
<ex>
ar-
</ex>
</expan>
<unclear reason="damage" >
M
</unclear>
<supplied reason="lost" >
arc
</supplied>
<gap reason="lost" extent="unknown" unit="character" />
<lb n="2" />
<gap reason="lost" extent="unknown" unit="character" />
<expan>
<abbr>
<supplied reason="lost" >
A
</supplied>
ug
</abbr>
<ex>
ust
</ex>
</expan>
et
Caecilia
<gap reason="lost" extent="unknown" unit="character" />
<lb n="3" />
<gap reason="lost" extent="unknown" unit="character" />
<supplied reason="lost" >
<expan>
<abbr>
trib
</abbr>
<ex>
un-
</ex>
</expan>
<expan>
<abbr>
mil
</abbr>
<ex>
itum
</ex>
</expan>
</supplied>
<del>
<expan>
<abbr>
coh
</abbr>
<ex>
ortis
</ex>
</expan>
</del>
<num value="2" >
II
</num>
<del>
<expan>
<abbr>
mil
</abbr>
<ex>
iariae
</ex>
</expan>
<abbr>
<unclear reason="" >
M
</unclear>
on
</abbr>
</del>
<gap reason="lost" extent="unknown" unit="character" />
<lb n="4" />
<gap reason="lost" extent="unknown" unit="character" />
atiae
fec
<gap reason="lost" extent="unknown" unit="character" />
</ab>

Translation:

[·· ? ··emperor] Caesar Marcus (case unknown) [·· ? ··] Augusti (case unknown but probably genitive) and Caecilia (?Caecilianus; case unknown but quite probably nominative) [·· ? ··] military tribune of cohort II miliaria Mon[?tanorum·· ? ··] had it made [·· ? ··]

Commentary:

l.2: AVGG. The lettering is of the late second or early third century; the emperors might therefore be M. Aurelius and Verus, M. Aurelius and Commodus, Septimius Severus and Caracalla, Caracalla and Geta; but if Commodus or Geta were involved in the second G of AVGG would probably have been erased. On grounds of lettering, Septimius Severus and Caracalla seem the most likely pair.

l.3: Presumably Mon(tanorum); otherwise unknown. .

It seems possible that the inscription records the erection of a monument (see fec[?erunt] in l. 4) by two men, each of whom had followed careers in the imperial services. The first, whose name is entirely lost, would appear to have reached a rank such as procurator Augustorum. The second, perhaps named Caecilia[nus], had passed through the militia equestris and possibly proceeded to an office, presumably as procurator, in a province whose name ends -atia (e.g. Galatia or Dalmatia).

Photographs:
none.

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