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Discussion

Fragmentary dedication to Honorius and Arcadius, emperors, possibly of quadriga or large statue group. Rome, Forum. 398.

INSCRIPTION
In five lines. Letter height 10-11 cm.

Imperat[oribus invictissimis felicissimisque,] / dd(ominis) nn(ostris) Arca[dio et Honorio fratribus,] / sena[tus populusque Romanus,] / vindi[cata re]bell[ione] / et Af[ricae re]stit[utione] laetus.

'To the most invincible and most fortunate emperors, our lords Arcadius and Honorius, brothers. The Senate and People of Rome, rejoicing in the rightful destruction of the rebellion and in the return of Africa, [set this up].'

The inscription records a dedication to the emperors Arcadius and Honorius. The monument makes reference to the rebellion of Gildo in Africa, in 398.

CIL VI, 31256 suggests that another fragmentary inscription, with the same provenance, is part of this same monument, but this was shown to be incorrect, see CIL VI, 4333. The fragment is published as CIL VI, 31256b:
[---a]rmipotens Liby[c]um defendit Honoriu[s---]
'... strong in arms, Honorius defends the Lybian ...'

This second fragment also makes reference to the same rebellion in Africa, but it certainly does not belong with our monument. In this case, the fragmentary state of the inscription makes it impossible to be certain of the type of monument that it belonged to.

DESCRIPTION
Large marble plaque, part of an unknown imperial monument, broken into pieces. Only three pieces survive (Fig. 1, (a), (b), and part of (d)). Of these, only frags (b) and (d) were examined in loco. The monument was 173 cm high. The back is roughly worked, and was not exposed. It was fitted into a base of concrete. Frag. (d) was re-used, there is still part of earlier inscription on its left side. The epigraphic field was framed by moulding top and bottom. Neither of the edges survive, and it is not possible to know whether there was any moulding here too. The likely dimensions of these fragments suggest that they faced the base of a very large imperial monument, possibly the quadriga mentioned by Claudian, Pan. de VI cons. Hon. 369-373.

PROVENANCE AND LOCATION
Our fragments were found in the Roman Forum, and frags. (b) and (d) are still there (Sopr. For-Pal. inv. 12460). Frag. (a) was recorded as in Naples at the end of the 19th century (CIL X, 1715), but it is not there anymore.

HONORAND, AWARDER AND DATE
Our monument was dedicated by the senate of Rome to the emperors Arcadius and Honorius, after their victory over the Gildonic rebellion in 398.

Carlos Machado

Main Reference

Corpus Inscriptionum Latinarum; , CIL VI, 1187=31256a (+p.4333-4334)