978. Fragment

Description:
Fragment from the left-hand side of a base of grey marble (w: 0.24 x h: 0.43 x d: 0.135)  
Text:
Inscribed on one face within a moulded panel, from which a previous inscription has been erased (w: 0.153 x h: 0.285). 
Letters:
Fourth century capitals: l. 1, 0.055; ll. 2, 3, 0.05. 
Date:
Early fourth century A.D. (lettering, titulature) 
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. 
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.6. 
Text constituted from:
Transcription (Reynolds) 
[---]
1[··]Ṿ[·· ? ··]
u(iro) p(erfectissimo) age[nti uices]
praef(ectorum) [praetorio]
ob in[·· ? ··]
5[··]p̣ạ[·· ? ··]
[---]
1[··]·[·· ? ··]
VPAGE[··········]
PRAEF[··········]
OBIN[·· ? ··]
5[··]··[·· ? ··]
<ab>
<lb n="0" />
<gap reason="lost" extent="1" unit="line" />
<lb n="1" />
<gap reason="lost" extent="2" unit="character" />
<orig >
<unclear reason="damage" >
V
</unclear>
</orig>
<gap reason="lost" extent="unknown" unit="character" />
<lb n="2" />
<expan>
<abbr>
u
</abbr>
<ex>
iro
</ex>
</expan>
<expan>
<abbr>
p
</abbr>
<ex>
erfectissimo
</ex>
</expan>
age
<supplied reason="lost" >
nti
</supplied>
<supplied reason="lost" >
uices
</supplied>
<lb n="3" />
<expan>
<abbr>
praef
</abbr>
<ex>
ectorum
</ex>
</expan>
<supplied reason="lost" >
praetorio
</supplied>
<lb n="4" />
ob
in
<gap reason="lost" extent="unknown" unit="character" />
<lb n="5" />
<gap reason="lost" extent="2" unit="character" />
<unclear reason="damage" >
pa
</unclear>
<gap reason="lost" extent="unknown" unit="character" />
</ab>

Translation:

To [·· ? ··] excellent man(i.e. of equestrian status), acting as a deputy for the praetorian prefects, on account of [·· ? ··]

Commentary:

Material and lettering closely resemble those of 651, but there appear to be slight differences in the moulding of the two fragments.

l.3. PRAEFF; the upper part only of the sixth letter survives, but praefe[ctorum... is improbable in view of the likely line-length calculated from l. 2. Since this uicarius is u.p. not u.c. the date must be early in the fourth century: see Introductions: General introduction, Section 4.

l.4. Innocentiam or integritatem would fit the space available; but a phrase such as ob insignia meritorum..., running on to the next line, is also possible.

l.5. For P it would be possible to read B or R; for A, N or V.

Photographs:
none.

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