368. Dedication to Antoninus Pius

Description:
Five fragments of a white marble panel, one from the upper edge (w: 0.235 x h: 0.215) and four with no edges surviving (the largest, w: 0.29 x h: 0.335).  
Text:
Inscribed on one face. 
Letters:
Second century lapidary capitals: l. 1, 0.10, remainder, 0.09. 
Date:
A.D. 139 (titulature) 
Findspot:
Lepcis Magna: Forum Vetus. 
Original Location:
Unknown 
Last recorded location:
Lepcis Museum.  
Bibliography:
A. Degrassi, Quaderni di Archeologia della Libia, Roma (Ministero dell'Africa Italiana), vol. I, 1950, III. 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) 
[Imp(eratori) Caes(ari)] diui Had[riani f(ilio)]
[diui Traiani Pa]rthic[i n(epoti)]
[diui Neruae ab]n(epoti) T(ito) A[elio]
[Hadrian]o A[ntonino Aug(usto) Pio]
5 [pon]t(ifici) max(imo) tr[ib(unicia)] [p]ot(estate) II
co(n)s(uli) II [p(atri) p(atriae)]
[Lep]citan[i publice]
[····]DIVIHAD[········]
[········]RTHIC[····]
[········]NTA[·····]
[········]OA[············]
5[····]TMAXTR[··········][··]OTII
COSII[··]
[····]CITAN[··········]
<ab>
<lb n="1" />
<supplied reason="lost" >
<expan>
<abbr>
Imp
</abbr>
<ex>
eratori
</ex>
</expan>
<expan>
<abbr>
Caes
</abbr>
<ex>
ari
</ex>
</expan>
</supplied>
diui
Had
<supplied reason="lost" >
riani
</supplied>
<supplied reason="lost" >
<expan>
<abbr>
f
</abbr>
<ex>
ilio
</ex>
</expan>
</supplied>
<lb n="2" />
<supplied reason="lost" >
diui
Traiani
</supplied>
<supplied reason="lost" >
Pa
</supplied>
rthic
<supplied reason="lost" >
i
</supplied>
<supplied reason="lost" >
<expan>
<abbr>
n
</abbr>
<ex>
epoti
</ex>
</expan>
</supplied>
<lb n="3" />
<supplied reason="lost" >
diui
Neruae
</supplied>
<supplied reason="lost" >
ab
</supplied>
<expan>
<abbr>
n
</abbr>
<ex>
epoti
</ex>
</expan>
<expan>
<abbr>
T
</abbr>
<ex>
ito
</ex>
</expan>
A
<supplied reason="lost" >
elio
</supplied>
<lb n="4" />
<supplied reason="lost" >
Hadrian
</supplied>
o
A
<supplied reason="lost" >
ntonino
</supplied>
<supplied reason="lost" >
<expan>
<abbr>
Aug
</abbr>
<ex>
usto
</ex>
</expan>
Pio
</supplied>
<lb n="5" />
<expan>
<abbr>
<supplied reason="lost" >
pon
</supplied>
t
</abbr>
<ex>
ifici
</ex>
</expan>
<expan>
<abbr>
max
</abbr>
<ex>
imo
</ex>
</expan>
<expan>
<abbr>
tr
<supplied reason="lost" >
ib
</supplied>
</abbr>
<supplied reason="lost" >
<ex>
unicia
</ex>
</supplied>
</expan>
<expan>
<abbr>
<supplied reason="lost" >
p
</supplied>
ot
</abbr>
<ex>
estate
</ex>
</expan>
<num value="2" >
II
</num>
<lb n="6" />
<expan>
<abbr>
co
</abbr>
<ex>
n
</ex>
<abbr>
s
</abbr>
<ex>
uli
</ex>
</expan>
<num value="2" >
II
</num>
<supplied reason="lost" >
<expan>
<abbr>
p
</abbr>
<ex>
atri
</ex>
</expan>
<expan>
<abbr>
p
</abbr>
<ex>
atriae
</ex>
</expan>
</supplied>
<lb n="7" />
<supplied reason="lost" >
Lep
</supplied>
citan
<supplied reason="lost" >
i
</supplied>
<supplied reason="lost" >
publice
</supplied>
</ab>

6, cos II [desig. II p p], Degrassi: the lettering in l. 6 is very much more widely spaced than in l. 5 or, indeed, in any other line in this inscription: COS II in fact occupies space for half a line. The proposed reading would produce asymmetry and cannot therefore be accepted.

Translation:

[To emperor Caesar] Titus A[elius Hadrian]us A[ntoninus Augustus Pius son of] deified Hadrian, [grandson of deified Trajan] victor in Parthia, great grandson of [ deified Nerva], chief [priest], holding tribunician power for the second time, consul twice, [ father of the country]; the Lepcitanians [publicly]

Commentary:

l. 5. trib. pot. II - 10 Dec. 138 - 9 Dec. 139.

l. 6. cos. II - 1 Jan 139.

Photographs:

Ward-Perkins Archive, BSR (BSR 48.X.35)
 Ward-Perkins Archive, BSR (BSR 48.X.35)

(cc) You may download this inscription in EpiDoc XML. (You may need the EpiDoc DTD v. 6 to validate this file.)