DiscussionBase for gilded bronze statue of Flavius Peregrinus Saturninus, prefect of the City; commanded by the emperors. Rome, Forum of Trajan. First half of the fifth century. INSCRIPTIONIn 17 lines. Letter height 5.5 cm. Fl(avio) Peregrino Saturnino. / A primis adulescentiae suae annis / pace belloque in re publica desu/danti; post iuges excubias militiae /(5) tribuno militum, comiti ordinis / primi, moderanti inlustrem sacri{i} / patrimonii comitivam secundo urbi / praefecto. Cui ob testimonium morum, / integritatis adque iustitiae /(10) singularis inlustris urbanae / praefecturae geminam dignitatem / sacro iudicio aeterni principes / detulerunt meritorumque insignium / contemplatione ad posteritatis /(15) memoriam decorandam statuam sub / auro fulgentem in foro divi Traiani / erigi conlocarique iusserunt. 'To Flavius Peregrinus Saturninus. To him who, since the early years of his childhood, strives for the Commonwealth (res publica) in peace and war; after continuous turns of service a tribune of the imperial offices (tribunus militum); a count of the first order; supervisor of the illustrious commitee of the imperial patrimony; prefect of the city for the second time. For him on account of the testimony of his unique morals, integrity, and justice the eternal princes conferred with imperial judgement the double office of the illustrious urban prefecture, and in recognition of his remarkable merits ordered a statue, for the embellishment of his memory for posterity, shining in gold, to be erected and placed in the Forum of the Divine Trajan.' DESCRIPTION (CIL) Marble base, 111 x 95 x 80. The base has mouldings on top and bottom. The left side was broken, and it is now replaced with an extraneous piece. PROVENANCE AND CURRENT LOCATION The base was first recorded in the 17th century as in the 'Montaltini gardens', later Villa Peretti, on the Esquiline hill near S. Maria Maggiore (CIL). However, as the inscription informs us, it was originally set up in the Forum of Trajan. The base is now in the Vatican Museums, in the Galleria Chiaramonti (inv. n. 1848). HONORAND, AWARDER AND DATE Flavius Peregrinus Saturninus had a successful career in the imperial government. The phrasing of the inscription has a military tone, but in spite of that he was probably a civilian (Gordon 1965, 158). He was prefect of the City on two occasions, but it is impossible to be certain of the exact date. PLRE (II, 980-981 Saturninus 7) cautiously suggests a fifth century date, before 476 because of the reference to the emperors. Chastagnol (1962, 261-262), however, identifies him with the Peregrinus who received Cod. Theod. 9.42.16 in 399 (PLRE II, 858-859 Peregrinus 1), and suggests a date between 406 and 407, when Saturninus was prefect for the second time. The base was dedicated by the emperors, but does not specify which ones. Main ReferenceCorpus Inscriptionum Latinarum; , VI, 1727 (+p. 4744-5)Discussion ReferencesChastagnol, A., Les fastes de la Préfecture de Rome au Bas-Empire, Paris 1962, Gordon, A. E., Album of Dated Latin Inscriptions, vol. 3, Berkeley 1965, Martindale, J. R., The Prosopography of the Later Roman Empire. Vol. II A.D. 395-527, Cambridge 1980, pp. 858-859 (Peregrinus 1) and 980-981 (Saturninus 7) |
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