986. Funerary inscription for L. Clodius Clodianus

Description:
Block of limestone (w: 0.93 x h: 0.50 x d: 0.31) 
Text:
Inscribed on one face, which is badly weathered. 
Letters:
Capitals (probably third century): l. 1, 0.055; l. 2, 0.035; ll. 3-6, 0.045; l. 7, 0.03. 
Date:
Probably third century (lettering)  
Findspot:
The Western Djebel: Ain el-Auenia (map ref. U 785, 720). 
Original Location:
Unknown 
Last recorded location:
Tripoli Castle. 
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.14. 
Text constituted from:
Transcription (Reynolds) 
[In]comparabilis uirtutis et
innocẹ[nt]ia[e] uiro
Ḷ (ucio) Clodio Clodiano uet(erano) ex dec(urione)
qui u(ixit) a(nnis) XLVIIII mensib(us) VIII
5Valeria Processa uxor et
[Clodius(?)] Victor Clodianus Processus
[·· c. 4··]ụ[·] emeritus patri piissimo
[···]COMPARABILISVIRTVTISET
INNOC·[···]IA[··]VIRO
·CLODIOCLODIANOVETEXDEC
QVIVAXLVIIIIMENSIBVIII
5VALERIAPROCESSAVXORET
[········(?)]VICTORCLODIANVSPROCESSVS
[·· c. 4··]·[·]EMERITVSPATRIPIISSIMO
<ab>
<lb n="1" />
<supplied reason="lost" >
In
</supplied>
comparabilis
uirtutis
et
<lb n="2" />
innoc
<unclear reason="damage" >
e
</unclear>
<supplied reason="lost" >
nt
</supplied>
ia
<supplied reason="lost" >
e
</supplied>
uiro
<lb n="3" />
<expan>
<abbr>
<unclear reason="" >
L
</unclear>
</abbr>
<ex>
ucio
</ex>
</expan>
Clodio
Clodiano
<expan>
<abbr>
uet
</abbr>
<ex>
erano
</ex>
</expan>
ex
<expan>
<abbr>
dec
</abbr>
<ex>
urione
</ex>
</expan>
<lb n="4" />
qui
<expan>
<abbr>
u
</abbr>
<ex>
ixit
</ex>
</expan>
<expan>
<abbr>
a
</abbr>
<ex>
nnis
</ex>
</expan>
<num value="49" >
XLVIIII
</num>
<expan>
<abbr>
mensib
</abbr>
<ex>
us
</ex>
</expan>
<num value="8" >
VIII
</num>
<lb n="5" />
Valeria
Processa
uxor
et
<lb n="6" />
<supplied reason="lost" cert="low" >
Clodius
</supplied>
Victor
Clodianus
Processus
<lb n="7" />
<gap reason="lost" extent="4" unit="character" precision="circa" />
<unclear reason="damage" >
u
</unclear>
<gap reason="lost" extent="1" unit="character" />
emeritus
patri
piissimo
</ab>

3, DI ligatured.

3, DE ligatured.

7, Perhaps [fili]ụ[s].

Translation:

To a man of incomparable virtue and innocence, Lucius Clodius Clodianus Processus, veteran soldier, (who) ?joined the army after sitting on the city council, who lived for forty-nine years and eight months; Valeria Processa his wife and [?Clodius] Victor Clodianus Processus [?his son], time-expired soldier, (set this up) to a most dutiful father.

Commentary:

This inscription is to be published more fully by Professor E. Vergara in Reports and Monographs, III.

If the inscription is, as the letter-forms suggest, of the third century, the presence of this family of soldiers in the interior of Tripolitania might be interpreted as the result of veteran settlements of the type presumed at this time by R.G. Goodchild and J.B. Ward Perkins, 'The Limes Tripolitanus in the Light of Recent Discoveries', JRS, xxxix (1949) 93.

Photographs:
none.

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