WP 0005

IRT2021
Inscriptions of Roman Tripolitania 2021

0338. Building dedication of the Forum to Claudius

Description: stele (w: 0.855 x h: 2.36 x d: 0.30) of fine- grained grey limestone, one of four which stood in pairs on shallow moulded plinths in the Forum Vetus. Fragments of one of the other stelae, with an identical text, and of two plinths, are preserved.
Text: Inscribed on the face in letters of bronze, since removed, within a moulded panel (die, w: 0.67 x h: 2.14).
Letters: Capitals: 0.065-0.05. Four lines of Neo-Punic follow the Latin text (Neo-Punic 31: see commentary below).

Date: CE 53: GODOT (titulature)

Findspot: Lepcis Magna: Forum Vetus, in front of the Temple of Rome and Augustus.
Original location: Unknown
Last recorded location: Findspot

Interpretive

Ti(berio) Claudio
Drusi f(ilio) Cae-
sari Aug(usto) Ger-
manico pon-
5[tif(ici)] max(imo) trib(unicia)
potest(ate) XIII
imp(eratori) XVII co(n)s(uli)
V cens(ori) p(atri) p(atriae)
M(arcus) Pompeius Silua-
10nus co(n)s(ul) XVuir s(acris) f(aciundis)
proco(n)s(ul) patron(us)
dedicauit
Q(uinto) Cassio Grato pr(aetore)
proco(n)s(ule) Cretae et
15Cyrena[ru]m leg(ato)
pro pr(aetore) Africae
C(aius) Annonis f(ilius) nomi-
ne [C(ai)] Annonis f(ilii) n(epotis)
sui columnas cum
20superficie et forum
d(e) s(ua) p(ecunia) d(edit)
Balitho Annonis
Macri f(ilius) Commodus
testamento adopta-
25tus f(aciendum) c(urauit)
ii
gᶜy bn ḥnᵓ lmbšm gᶜy bn bnm mᶜqr t ᶜmdm
wthmᶜqᵓm ygn wt hmḥz rbd lmbmlktm btm bᶜlytn
qmdᵓ ᵓš ᶜlᵓ bbn mᵓt mᶜqr bn gᶜy bktbt dbrᵓ
hbt š gᶜy bn ḥnᵓ kᶜs lpᶜl wḥtm

Diplomatic

TICLAUDIO
DRUSIFCAE
SARIAUGGER
MANICOPON
5[...]MAXTRIB
POTESTXIII
IMPXVIICOS
VCENSPP
MPOMPEIUSSILUA
10NUSCOSXVUIRSF
PROCOSPATRON
DEDICAUIT
QCASSIOGRATOPR
PROCOSCRETAEET
15CYRENA[..]MLEG
PROPRAFRICAE
CANNONISFNOMI
NE[..]ANNONISFN
SUICOLUMNASCUM
20SUPERFICIEETFORUM
DSPD
BALITHOANNONIS
MACRIFCOMMODUS
TESTAMENTOADOPTA
25TUSFC
ii
GᶜYBNḤNᵓLMBŠMGᶜYBNBNMMᶜQRTᶜMDM
WTHMᶜQᵓMYGNWTHMḤZRBDLMBMLKTMBTMBᶜLYTN
QMDᵓᵓŠᶜLᵓBBNMᵓTMᶜQRBNGᶜYBKTBTDBRᵓ
HBTŠGᶜYBNḤNᵓKᶜSLPᶜLWḤTM

English translation

Translation by: J. M. Reynolds

i. To Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus, son of Drusus, chief priest, holding tribunician power for the thirteenth time, acclaimed victor seventeen times, consul five times, censor, father of the country; Marcus Pompeius Silvanus, consul, member of the committee of fifteen for sacred affairs (at Rome), proconsul, patron, dedicated (scil. this), Quintus Cassius Gratus praetor, proconsul of Crete and Cyrene, being his legate with pro praetorian authority in Africa; Caius son of Anno, in the name of Caius, son of Anno, his grandson, gave the columns with what is above them and the forum from his own funds. Balitho Commodus, son of Anno Macer, by adoption in his will, saw to it that the work was carried out.

English translation

Translation by: Caroline Barron

ii. Caius, son of Anno, in the name of Caius, son of his son Macer (= grandson), recovered the pillars and that which covers them and he laid out the forum, according to their work, at his own expense. Baliton Commodus, who entered as a son/with the sons of Macer, son of Caius, through a written document concerning the affairs of the household of Caius, son of Anno, had it made and completed it.

Commentary

Marcus Pompeius Siluanus: PIR P 0654; https://pir.bbaw.de/id/10739.

Quintus Cassius Gratus: RE Cassius 45a; https://pir.bbaw.de/id/3721.

ii: The provisional translation of the Neo-Punic text (31) given by Levi Della Vida in Aurigemma (art.cit.), 42 is superseded by a definitive discussion and translation, published by the same author in Rend. Acc. Linc. IV (1949) 400-404. The latter. rendered literally, reads: << G. `y by ben Hanno, in the name of G`y his grandson by (his son) M'qr, covered (paid for ?/presented ?) the columns and the space and paved the forum at his own expense as the work required. Ba'alyaton Q.m.d`, who entered in as son by M`qr through the writing of the affairs of the family (i.e. through the will) of G'y ben Hanno, had this work executed and brought it to completion >>.

ii: Discussion: Volterra, E. 1952. 'L'adozione testementaria ed un'iscrizione Latina e Neopunica della Tripolitania' in 7, 175-188; Levi della Vida, G. 1964. 'Review of H. Donner and W. Röllig, Kanaanäische und aramäische Inschriften I-III' in 39, 307-308; Levi della Vida (1971), 457-469; Jongeling, K. 1983, ‘Neo-punische-latijnse inscripties uit Lepcis Magna (Libye)’ in 13, 413; Amadasi Guzzo, M.G. 1986. 'L'onomastica nelle iscrizioni puniche tripolitane' in 14, 21-51; Garbini (1987), 12; Jongeling (2008), Labdah N18.

Bibliography: Aurigemma, 1940c , 35ff., figs. 20, 21 and 22, whence AE 1948.17; IRT, 1952, 338, whence IRT, 2009, 338, whence EDH 019713; Laronde, 2005 , whence AE 2005.1662. Levi Della Vida, 1949 404-406; Février, 1952 143-145; Levi Della Vida, 1987 26, whence Jongeling, 2008 Labdah N18; for BSR images see BSR Digital Collections.

Images

   Fig. 1. Ward-Perkins Archive, BSR (Sopr. CLM 728)