Building inscription of Basilica under Constantine I
created: Transcription (Reynolds, Ward-Perkins, Tantillo)
source date: CE 324-326
language: ar; en; fr; de; grc; grc-Latn; el; he
availability: Creative Commons licence Attribution UK 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/uk/). All reuse or distribution of this work must contain somewhere a link back to the URL http://irt.kcl.ac.uk/

[...], 34 ff., fig. 8, whence [...] 1934.172; [...], 109 ff., fig. 1, whence [...] 1948.37; [...], 467, whence [...] , [...], 467; [...], 71, whence [...], 2213 (Tantillo and Bigi), [...] (Bigi, 2014) 026977; for BSR images see BSR Digital Collections.

Cum basilica uetus ex maxima parte ruina esset deformata conlabsu ac spatio sui breuiasset aream forensem [...] [...] diuino icta conflagrarat incendio adque is locus saeculo fortunatissimo meliora deposceret tantae stragis labe sublata tripertita porticus magnitudine sui ac Troadensium columnarum adornata operis prouincialium ac sumptu publico disponente Laenatio Romulo uiro perfectissimo rectore prouinciae intra anni spatium perfecta ac dedicata est adque ad sempiternam memoriam statuam marmoream suo numine radiantem Domino nostro Constantino maximo uictori semper Augusto idem uir perfectissimus dicata mente constituit curante Claudio Aurelio Generoso uiro egregio curatore rei publicae et splendidissimo ordine Coloniae Lepcimagnensium

Since the greatest part of the old basilica was damaged and fallen down and the space taken by its fallen debris had reduced the open area of the forum [...] moreover struck by divine lightning [...] it had blazed with a fire and since in a most fortunate period that place demanded better things, the fallen parts were removed and a tripartite portico built. It has been adorned by its own size and by columns of Troadensian marble, by the works of the provincials and at public expense with Laenatius Romulus, excellent man [i.e. equestrian], governor of the province, managing it; it was completed and dedicated within the space of a year; and moreover to his eternal memory a marble statue radiant with his divine power to our Lord Constantine greatest victor, perpetual Augustus, was erected by the same excellent man; Claudius Aurelius Generosus, eminent man [i.e. equestrian], curator of the city and the most splendid city council of the colony of Lepcimagnensians overseeing the work.

Poiché l’antica basilica era in massima parte sfigurata dalla rovina, (e), per effetto del crollo, con lo spazio (occupato dai suoi detriti) riduceva l’area del foro, [ché] colpita da un . . . divino era stata arsa dal fuoco, e (poiché) quel luogo, in un’età felicissima, richiedeva cose migliori, rimosso lo scempio di tanta distruzione, un portico a tre lati ornato dalla propria stessa imponenza e da quella delle colonne di marmo di Troade, con l’opera prestata dai provinciali e con denaro pubblico, per disposizione di Laenatius Romulus, uomo perfettissimo, reggente della provincia, fu completato e dedicato nell’arco di un solo anno. E, a sempiterna memoria, quello stesso uomo perfettissimo, con spirito devoto, innalzò una statua di marmo, radiante del suo nume, al nostro signore Costantino, massimo, vincitore, per sempre Augusto. A cura di Claudius Aurelius Generosus, uomo egregio, curatore della repubblica, e dell’ordine splendidissimo della colonia di Leptis Magna.

When the old basilica was mainly in ruin, deformed by collapse, so that it curtailed the area of the forum, and struck by divine... it burned in a fire, and when the place in a more fortunate era demanded better, the blemish of the debris was taken away, and a tripartite portico decorated by its own magnitude and by columns from Troas, from provincial labour and public expense made available by Laenatius Romulus, of perfectissimus rank, governor of the province, was completed and dedicated in the space of one year. And, as eternal memory, the same man of perfectissimus rank, with devoted spirit, set up a marble statue that was radiant by his divine spirit to our lord Constantine, most powerful victor, eternal Augustus. (The work was) overseen by Claudius Aurelius Generosus, of egregius rank, curator of the republic and of the most splendid ordo of the colony of Leptis Magna.

Laenatius Romulus: PLRE I, Romulus 4; also in 101, 468, 574.

Claudius Aurelius Generosus: PLRE 1, Generosus