981. Funerary text
- Description:
- Fluted cinerary urn of soft white limestone standing on a foliate foot (w: 0.30 x h: 0.40).
- Text:
- Inscribed on four of the flutings.
- Letters:
- Rustic capitals, 0.025. A is written without a crossbar.
- Date:
- The second half of the second century or the very early third century A.D. (lettering)
- Findspot:
- Lepcis Magna: Findspot unrecorded
- Original Location:
- Unknown
- Last recorded location:
- Now in the Museo Archeologico, Venice (inv. no. 366).
- 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.9.
- Text constituted from:
- Transcription (Reynolds)
Translation:
C(aius) L(?) N(?) A(?)
Commentary:
I am indebted to the Dottoressa Guilia Fogolari, who obtained the photographs for me. On the museum-label the urn is dated in the first century. The style of lettering suggests, in a Lepcitanian context, the second half of the second century, or the very early third century.
Presumably these letters are the initials of the dead man, which appear to indicate that he was a Roman citizen C(aius) L(?) M(?) A(?). This provides another argument in favour of a date later than the first century for the burial, since the urn is that of a man of modest means and station - not such as would be likely to have obtained Roman citizenship before this was extended to the generality of Lepcitanians by Trajan (see Introductions, Lepcis, Section 3).
- Photographs:
- none.
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