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Inscription #

353. Building dedication of arch to Trajan

Description:: Two blocks (w: 1.23 x h: 0.45 x d: 0.45 and w: 0.8 x h: 0.45 x d: 0.45) of grey limestone, all that survive of six which comprised the dedicatory inscription on the South West face of the Arch of Trajan. See also 523, 537.
Text:: Inscribed on one face.
Letters:: Lapidary capitals: l. 1, 0.11; remainder, 0.07.
Date:: A.D. 110 (titulature)
Findspot:: Lepcis Magna: Arch of Trajan across the main street at the angle of Reg. IV, ins. 2 and 3, and Reg. V, ins. 1 and 3.
Original Location:: Unknown
Last recorded location:: Findspot
Bibliography:: Corpus Inscriptionum Latinarum VIII:10 (one block only) = p. 2289; Romanelli, Africa Italiana (Rivista di Storia e d'Arte a cura del Ministero delle Colonie) 8 vols., Bergamo, 1927-1940 VII:98ff., figs. 8, 9; L'Année Epigraphique (Revue des Publications épigraphiques relatives à l'Antiquité romaine: annual supplement to Rev. Arch.) 1948:2. Corpus Inscriptionum Latinarum VIII:22670 ll. 4- 5 is probably derived from a block now lost. This edition taken from J. M. Reynolds and J. B. Ward-Perkins, The Inscriptions of Roman Tripolitania, Rome: British School at Rome, 1952.
Text constituted from:: Transcription (Reynolds, Ward-Perkins)

[Imp(eratori) Cae]sari diui Neru[ae f(ilio) Neruae T]raiano Au[gusto Germ(anico)]
[Dacico pont(ifici)] max(imo) trib(unicia) pot(estate) XIIII im[p(eratori) VI co(n)s(uli) V] p(atri) p(atriae) con[sensu omnium]
[ordo et populus] coloniae Vlpiae Tr[aianae fid]elis Lepcis [Magnae arcum]
cum ornament[is pecunia pub]lica feceru[nt]

[········]SARIDIVINERV[·······]RAIANOAV[···········]
[············]MAXTRIBPOTXIIIIIM[·····]PPCON[·············]
[·····]COLONIAEVLPIAETR[···········]ELISLEPCIS[·············]
CVMORNAMENT[···············]LICAFECERV[···]

<ab>

<expan>

<abbr>

Imp

</abbr>

<ex>

eratori

</ex>

</expan>

</supplied>

Cae

</supplied>

sari

diui

Neru

</supplied>

<expan>

<abbr>

</abbr>

<ex>

ilio

</ex>

</expan>

Neruae

</supplied>

</supplied>

raiano

gusto

</supplied>

<expan>

<abbr>

Germ

</abbr>

<ex>

anico

</ex>

</expan>

</supplied>

Dacico

</supplied>

<expan>

<abbr>

pont

</abbr>

<ex>

ifici

</ex>

</expan>

</supplied>

<expan>

<abbr>

max

</abbr>

<ex>

imo

</ex>

</expan>

<expan>

<abbr>

trib

</abbr>

<ex>

unicia

</ex>

</expan>

<expan>

<abbr>

pot

</abbr>

<ex>

estate

</ex>

</expan>

XIIII

</num>

<expan>

<abbr>

</abbr>

<ex>

eratori

</ex>

</expan>

</supplied>

</num>

<expan>

<abbr>

</abbr>

<ex>

</ex>

<abbr>

</abbr>

<ex>

uli

</ex>

</expan>

</num>

</supplied>

<expan>

<abbr>

</abbr>

<ex>

atri

</ex>

</expan>

<expan>

<abbr>

</abbr>

<ex>

atriae

</ex>

</expan>

con

sensu

</supplied>

omnium

</supplied>

ordo

populus

</supplied>

coloniae

Vlpiae

aianae

</supplied>

fid

</supplied>

elis

Lepcis

Magnae

</supplied>

arcum

</supplied>

cum

ornament

</supplied>

pecunia

</supplied>

pub

</supplied>

lica

feceru

</supplied>

</ab>

Translation:

To [ Emperor Cae]sar [Nerva] Trajan Augustus [Germanicus, Dacicus, son] of deified Ne[rva], chief [priest] holding tribunician power for the fourteenth time, acclaimed victor [six times, consul five times], father of the country; [with the agreement of all the city council and the people] of the colony Ulpia Traiana fidelis Lepcis [Magna] had the [arch] built with adornments [at public expense]