IRCyr   Inscriptions of Roman Cyrenaica

C.428. Boundary marker

Description: Brown limestone stele (w: 0.65 x h: 1.45 x d: 0.45).
Text: Inscribed on two faces, Latin on one face and Greek on the other face, to the left. The surface, originally rough, has been smoothed for the inscription.
Letters:

Date: 71 CE, second half

Findspot: Cyrene: East Necropolis, between the hill of Eluet Gassam and the Temple of Zeus, not far from C.429, C.430; found in 1916 and photographed when complete.
Original location: Unknown
Last recorded location: Two fragments have been identified in Cyrene Museum.

Interpretive

a
[Imp(erator) Caesar]
[Vespasianus]
[Au]g̣(ustus) punt(ifex) (sic) max(imus)
tribunic(ia) put(estate) III (sic)
5 imp(erator) VIII p(ater) p(atriae) co(n)s(ul)
III, desig(natus) IV per
Q(uintum) Paconium A-
grippeinum le-
gatum suum
10Populo R(omano)
Ptolmaeum restituit
b
[Αὐτοκράτωρ]
[Καῖσαρ Οὐεσπα-]
σιανὸς ἀρχιε[ρεὺς]
μέγιστος, δημ[αρ-]
5χικῆς ἐξουσίας
τὸ γ´, Αὐτοκράτωρ
τὸ η´, πατὴρ πα-
τρίδος, ὕπατος τὸ γ´,
ἀποδεδειγμένος
10 τὸ δ´ διὰ Κ(οΐντου) Πακωνί-
ουἈγριππείνου ἰ-
δίου πρεσβευτοῦ
Δ(ήμῳ) Ῥωμαίων τὸ Πτυλυμαῖ-
ου ἀποκατέστη-
σεν ( vac. 3)

Diplomatic

a
[..........]
[...........]
[..].PUNT(sic)MAX
TRIBUNICPUTIII(sic)
5IMPVIIIPPCOS
IIIDESIGIVPER
QPACONIUMA
GRIPPEINUMLE
GATUMSUUM
10POPULOR
PTOLMAEUMRESTITUIT
b
[..........]
[............-]
ΣΙΑΝΟΣΑΡΧΙΕ[....]
ΜΕΓΙΣΤΟΣΔΗΜ[..-]
5ΧΙΚΗΣΕΞΟΥΣΙΑΣ
ΤΟΓΑΥΤΟΚΡΑΤΩΡ
ΤΟΗΠΑΤΗΡΠΑ
ΤΡΙΔΟΣΥΠΑΤΟΣΤΟΓ
ΑΠΟΔΕΔΕΙΓΜΕΝΟΣ
10ΤΟΔΔΙΑΚΠΑΚΩΝΙ
ΟΥΑΓΡΙΠΠΕΙΝΟΥΙ
ΔΙΟΥΠΡΕΣΒΕΥΤΟΥ
ΔΡΩΜΑΙΩΝΤΟΠΤΥΛΥΜΑΙ
ΟΥΑΠΟΚΑΤΕΣΤΗ
ΣΕΝ      

4,.6: The mason has had to correct letters

English translation

Translation by: Charlotte Roueché

a: (Latin): [Emperor Caesar Vespasian Au]gustus, pontifex maximus, holding tribunician power for the third time, acclaimed imperator for the eighth time, father of the fatherland, consul three times, designated for a fourth time, through his personal envoy Q(uintus) Paconius Agrippinus restored the Ptolemaion to the Roman People.

b: (Greek): [Emperor Caesar Ve]spasian, pontifex maximus, holding tribunician power for the third time, acclaimed imperator for the eighth time, father of the fatherland, consul three times, designated for a fourth time, through his personal envoy K(ointos) Pakonios Agrippeinos restored the Ptolemaion to the Roman People.

French translation

Translation source: Dobias-Lalou, 2016a

l’empereur César Vespasien Auguste, grand pontife, revêtu de la puissance tribunicienne pour la troisième fois, salué empereur pour la huitième fois, père de la patrie, consul pour la troisième année et désigné pour la quatrième, par l’intermédiaire de son légat Quintus Paconius Agrippinus a fait restituer au peuple romain le Ptolmaeum.

Commentary

Cf. C.429, C.430 from the same area

A moderately competent letterer produced reasonable monumental lettering but had problems with spelling; he was clearly not adept at Latin.

The second half of 71, see on C.429.

Q. Paconius Agrippinus, for whom see PIR2 P 0027, was active in Cyrenaica under Vespasian, 71-74 CE: see C.147, C.428, C.429, C.430, C.438, C.747, M.68, M.165, M.229, M.230, M.232, M.238, M.239, P.397.

On Ptolmaeum/Πτυλυμαῖον see on C.429, and C. Dobias-Lalou, art.cit.: the name must describe one of the royal estates claimed for the Populus Romanus.

Bibliography: Ghislanzoni, 1916a, 173, with illustration, figs. 3, 4, pp. 174, 175, whence SEG 9.166, PHI 324017, AE 1919.93, whence EDH HD026847, , McCrum/Woodhead (1961) no. 435; see also Ferri, 1923, 12 n. 11. Discussed, ; discussed Struffolino, 2014, 363-4, Dobias-Lalou, 2016a, 53-59
Text constituted from: Transcription (Reynolds).

Images

None available (2020).