898. Funerary inscription of Marchius Chullam and Varnychsin

Description:
Limestone block in situ, over the door of one of the mausolea in the group nearest the habitations. The mausoleum is that illustrated by De Mathuisieulx, Nouvelles Archives, XII (1904) pls. VII, 1 and VIII, 1; and by Bauer, Afr. Ita. VI (1935) 63, fig. 5.  
Text:
Inscribed within a tabella ansata flanked by volutes (die, h: 0.52). 
Letters:
Rough capitals: 0.02-0.03. 
Date:
No indication  
Findspot:
Wadi Zemzem: Ghirza (map ref. W 7052). 
Original Location:
Findspot 
Last recorded location:
Findspot 
Bibliography:
Corpus Inscriptionum Latinarum, VIII:22660: after Denham and Clapperton, p. 306, no. 1 and De Mathuisieulx, Nouvelles Archives, XII:25. 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) 
M(archius) Chullam [et] Varnychsi-
n pater et ma[te]r Marchi
Nimmire et [··M]accurasa-
n qui eis hec memori-
5am feceru[nt d]iscussi-
mus rati[oci]nio ad
ea eroca[tu]m est sum-
tos merc[e]dibus in n-
ummo (denariorum) foll[is] singula-
10res numero quadragi-
nta quinque [milia] sesce-
ntos preter c[i]b[aria] op-
era[nt]ibus felic[·· ? ··]
uisitent fili et n[ep]ot[es]
MCHVLLAM[···]VARNYCHSI
NPATERETMA[···]RMARCHI
NIMMIREET[····]ACCVRASA
NQVIEISHECMEMORI
5AMFECERV[·····]ISCVSSI
MVSRATI[····]NIOAD
EAEROCA[···]MESTSVM
TOSMERC[··]DIBVSINN
VMMO denarius FOLL[···]SINGVLA
10RESNVMEROQVADRAGI
NTAQVINQVE[······]SESCE
NTOSPRETERC[··]B[·····]OP
ERA[···]IBVSFELIC[·· ? ··]
VISITENTFILIETN[···]OT[···]
<ab>
<lb n="1" />
<expan>
<abbr>
M
</abbr>
<ex>
archius
</ex>
</expan>
Chullam
<supplied reason="lost" >
et
</supplied>
Varnychsi
<lb n="2" type="worddiv" />
n
pater
et
ma
<supplied reason="lost" >
te
</supplied>
r
Marchi
<lb n="3" />
Nimmire
et
<gap reason="lost" extent="2" unit="character" />
<supplied reason="lost" >
M
</supplied>
accurasa
<lb n="4" type="worddiv" />
n
qui
eis
<app type="previouslyread" >
hec
</app>
memori
<lb n="5" type="worddiv" />
am
feceru
<supplied reason="lost" >
nt
</supplied>
<supplied reason="lost" >
d
</supplied>
iscussi
<lb n="6" type="worddiv" />
mus
rati
<supplied reason="lost" >
oci
</supplied>
nio
ad
<lb n="7" />
ea
eroca
<supplied reason="lost" >
tu
</supplied>
m
est
sum
<lb n="8" type="worddiv" />
tos
merc
<supplied reason="lost" >
e
</supplied>
dibus
in
n
<lb n="9" type="worddiv" />
ummo
<expan>
<abbr>
<am>
<g type="denarius" > </g>
</am>
</abbr>
<ex>
denariorum
</ex>
</expan>
foll
<supplied reason="lost" >
is
</supplied>
singula
<lb n="10" type="worddiv" />
res
numero
quadragi
<lb n="11" type="worddiv" />
nta
quinqu
<app type="previouslyread" >
e
</app>
<supplied reason="lost" >
milia
</supplied>
<app type="previouslyread" >
se
</app>
sce
<lb n="12" type="worddiv" />
ntos
<app type="previouslyread" >
p
</app>
ret
<app type="previouslyread" >
er
</app>
<app type="previouslyread" >
c
</app>
<supplied reason="lost" >
i
</supplied>
<app type="previouslyread" >
b
</app>
<supplied reason="lost" >
aria
</supplied>
op
<lb n="13" type="worddiv" />
e
<app type="previouslyread" >
ra
</app>
<supplied reason="lost" >
nt
</supplied>
ibus
felic
<gap reason="lost" extent="unknown" unit="character" />
<lb n="14" />
uisitent
fili
et
n
<supplied reason="lost" >
ep
</supplied>
<app type="previouslyread" >
ot
</app>
<supplied reason="lost" >
es
</supplied>
</ab>

4, Perhaps Maccurasan. see Corippus, Iohann. V. 311.

7, erocatum : sic:

Translation:

Marchius Chullam and Varnychsin, father and mother of the Marchii Nimmira and [?M]accurasan, who had this memorial built for them. We paid out in reckoning for these things, in coin on salaries a total of forty-five thousand six hundred folles, in addition to the food for the workmen. May their sons and grandsons visit it happily.

Commentary:

The stone was already pitted when inscribed, notably in ll. 1, 6 and 7. Underlined letters were read by Denham and Clapperton or by De Mathuisieulx, but are no longer legible.

Photographs:

Ward-Perkins Archive, BSR (Sopr. DTV 346)
 Ward-Perkins Archive, BSR (Sopr. DTV 346)
Ward-Perkins Archive, BSR
 Ward-Perkins Archive, BSR

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