WP 0005

IRT2021
Inscriptions of Roman Tripolitania 2021

0900. Funerary inscription of M. Fydel and F. Thesylgum

Description: Block of limestone originally placed above the door of the second mausoleum in the group nearest the habitations.
Text: Inscribed on one face within a tabella ansata (surviving w: 0.835 x h: 0.38) with plain raised border. Outside the border, on each of the four sides, were two simply moulded volutes.
Letters: Rough capitals, line 1, 0.03; line 2, 0.025; line 3-5, 0.03; line 6-10, 0.025.

Date: Fourth century CE (coinage)

Findspot: Wadi Zemzem: Ghirza (map ref. W 7052), near 901, 902. Seen and described by Denham and Clapperton in 1824 beside one of the mausolea at Ghirza. Goodchild identifies the mausoleum as that illustrated by De Mathuisieulx, Nouvelles Archives, XII (1904) pl. VII. The left-hand part was later removed to Istanbul; the right-hand part was rediscovered at Ghirza in 1952 by Prof. E. Vergara.
Original location: Unknown
Last recorded location: Right-hand part in Tripoli Castle; left-hand part in the vaults of the Cinili Kösk, Istanbul.

Interpretive

M(archius) ((stop)) Fydel et F(lauia) ((stop)) Theṣylg̣um
pater et mater M(archii) ((stop)) Metusanis
(sic) qui eis hec memoriam fecit
discussi ratiocinio ad ea erog-
5atum est sumptos mercedes
(sic) in numo follis ṃ[c. 7] milia
(sic) preter cibarias o[perant]ibus
feliciter legan[t et] uissite-
nt filos et nepotes meos
10 et tales faciant

Diplomatic

M FYDELETF THE.YL.UM
PATERETMATERM METUSANIS
(sic)QUIEISHECMEMORIAMFECIT
DISCUSSIRATIOCINIOADEAEROG
5ATUMESTSUMPTOSMERCEDES
(sic)INNUMOFOLLIS.[·······]MILIA
(sic)PRETERCIBARIASO[......]IBUS
FELICITERLEGAN[...]UISSITE
NTFILOSETNEPOTESMEOS
10ETTALESFACIANT

8: uissitentsic

English translation

Translation by: J. M. Reynolds

Marchius Fydel and Flavia Thesylgum, father and mother of Marchius Metusan who had this memorial made for them, and have reckoned that there was spent on this, in coin [---] thousand folles, and in addition the food for the workmen. May my sons and grandsons read (scil. this) in good fortune and build others like it.

Bibliography: Denham and Clapperton, 1826, II, 128-9, no.2; CIL VIII, 1881 743, cf. CIL VIII suppl.1, 1891. 10970; CIL VIII, suppl.4, 1916, 22661; IRT, 1952, 900, whence IRT, 2009, 900, whence EDH 059741. Goodchild identifies the mausoleum as that illustrated by Méhier de Mathuisieulx, 1904 plate VII.

Images

None available (2021).