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Inscription #

707. Fragments

Description:: Series of blocks (lengths varying w: 0.45 x h: 0.52) of grey limestone, some complete and some broken, from a monumental inscription; all with rectangular beam-sockets at the top back. a.i) 5 blocks, total length, 4.02. a.ii) 2 blocks, together 1.42. b+g) 1 block, length 1.50. c) 1 block, length 0.50. d) 1 block, length 0.70. e) 1 block, length 0.79. f) 1 block, length 0.80, probably from the right-hand of the text. h) 1 block, length 0.80. i) 2 blocks, length 1.05. j) 1 block, length 0.82.
Text:: The inscription was cut on the frieze and probably occupied a space of c. 18.74.
Letters:: Lapidary capitals: 0.16; from top of block, l. 1, 0.06-0.22; to bottom, 0.22-0.45. Letter sizes and spacing are variable, but on average there are 7 letters per metre, so that 45 letters can reasonably be supplied in a reconstruction of the text; words are distinguished by ivy leaf stops.
Date:: First to second centuries A.D. (lettering)
Findspot:: Lepcis Magna: Regio IV, ins. 11, beside a building to which they probably belong, opposite the Severan Basilica.
Original Location:: Unknown
Last recorded location:: Findspot
Bibliography:: Not previously published. 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)

[·· ? ··]a et amplius adiectis (sestertiis) LXXIID[·· ? ··]

aii

[·· ? ··]de suo are[·· ? ··]

b+g

[·· ? ··]alis legatis iu[·· ? ··]

[·· ? ··]men[·· ? ··]

[·· ? ··] heres [·· ? ··]

[·· ? ··]arata[·· ? ··]

[·· ? ··] fecit

[·· ? ··]ollini e[·· ? ··]

[·· ? ··]a Gaetul[·· ? ··]

[·· ? ··] (sestertios) CC te[·· ? ··]

[·· ? ··]AETAMPLIVSADIECTIS sestertius LXXIID[·· ? ··]

aii

[·· ? ··]DESVOARE[·· ? ··]

b+g

[·· ? ··]ALISLEGATISIV[·· ? ··]

[·· ? ··]MEN[·· ? ··]

[·· ? ··]HERES[·· ? ··]

[·· ? ··]ARATA[·· ? ··]

[·· ? ··]FECIT

[·· ? ··]OLLINIE[·· ? ··]

[·· ? ··]AGAETVL[·· ? ··]

[·· ? ··]·CCTE[·· ? ··]

<ab>

amplius

adiectis

<expan>

<abbr>

<am>

</am>

</abbr>

<ex>

sestertiis

</ex>

</expan>

LXXII

</num>

</ab>

</div>

<ab>

suo

are

</ab>

</div>

<ab>

alis

legatis

</ab>

</div>

<ab>

men

</ab>

</div>

<ab>

heres

</ab>

</div>

<ab>

arata

</ab>

</div>

<ab>

fecit

</ab>

</div>

<ab>

ollini

</ab>

</div>

<ab>

Gaetul

</ab>

</div>

<ab>

<expan>

<abbr>

<am>

</unclear>

</am>

</abbr>

<ex>

sestertios

</ex>

</expan>

</num>

</ab>

</div>

Translation:

(a.i)[·· ? ··] with a further sum of seventy-two thousand and five hundred sesterces added [·· ? ··]

(a.ii) [·· ? ··] from his/her own resources [·· ? ··]

(b) [·· ? ··] with [·· ? ··] bequeathed [·· ? ··]

(d)[·· ? ··] heir (nominative)[·· ? ··]

(f) [·· ? ··]he/she made (it).

(h) [·· ? ··] ?to Apollo [·· ? ··]

(i)[·· ? ··] Gaetulus/a (or) Gaetulicus (case unknown) [·· ? ··]

(j) [·· ? ··]? two hundred thousands sesterces [·· ? ··]

Hypothetical reconstruction: To the god Apollo, at a cost of two hundred thousand sestrces bequeathed in the will; ?Junia Parata, daughter of Gaetulus/a (Gaetulicus/a), heiress, [·· ? ··] and with seventy-two thousand, five hundred sesterces added further from her own funds, ?paved the area.

Commentary:

The inscribed stones of this text were re-examined when the facade of the building to which it probably belonged was measured by Mr. Gareth Slater in summer 1953.

It is possible to attempt a reconstruction on the following lines: [?Deo Ap]ollini e[x H]S CC te[sta]men[to .. ? ..]alis legatis Iu[?ni]a Gaetul[ici ? f(ilia) ? P]arata heres [..?..]a et amplius adiectis HS LXXII D [.. ? ..] de suo are[am ? stratam] fecit.

a.i) 72,500.

a.i0 Presumably the description of the building. The site has not been excavated and its precise character is obscure: walls enclosing an open courtyard (cf. the area ? strata of the text) are the only certain features. A term with the sense of peristylia might be suggested, although this is in fact too long for the space available.

a.i-ii) An ivy leaf after D indicates that the figure is complete; but the beam-holes seem to show that the block containing de suo did not follow immediately.

b) -alis: The name of the testator, e.g. Vitalis.

d) Another block containing, e.g., the words uxor (coniunx) et might intervene before heres.