DiscussionBase for statue of Tanonius Marcellinus, governor of Campania and patron. Beneventum (Campania). Fourth to earlier fifth century INSCRIPTIONIn nine lines: Tanonio Marcellino, / v(iro) c(larissimo), cons(ulari) Camp(aniae), patro/no dignissimo, ob in/signia beneficia qui/bus longa populi tae/dia sedavit, univer/sa plebs Beneventa/na censuit po/nendam. 'To Tanonius Marcellinus, of clarissimus rank, governor (consularis) of Campania, most worthy patron, on account of the remarkable benefits which soothed the long lasting concerns of the people; the whole plebs of Beneventum decreed the setting up [of this statue].' Letter height not recorded. DESCRIPTION (from CIL) CIL, the only modern publisher so far, gives no description. No measurements are published, and there is no published image. PROVENANCE AND CURRENT LOCATION The inscription was first recorded in Benevento by the 15th century scholar and antiquarian Cyriacus of Ancona. At this time a marble statue was standing on top (Beneventi sub statua marmorea). Later records in the 16th, early 17th and early 18th century make no mention of a statue. There is no recent record of the inscription’s location. HONORAND, AWARDER AND DATE Tanonius Marcellinus, the honorand, was governor (consularis) of Campania; he was of senatorial (clarissimus) rank (PLRE I, 549 Tanonius Marcellinus 22. PLRE tentatively suggest identification with the consul of 341, PLRE 548-9 Antonius Marcellinus 16; however, all records of our inscription, though different in various details, agree about the name. Moreover, as PLRE itselves point out, Tan(n)onius is a common nomen). Campania was governed by consulares from 324; Beneventum was incorporated into the province in 333 (Torelli 2002, 249-53). The latest datable statue bases to governors of Campania are all from the early 5th century (LSA-327, LSA-339, LSA-1934, LSA-1942, LSA-1973, LSA-2045); we think it is unlikely that our inscription was set up after the earlier 5th century. The inscription was set up by the people of Beneventum, styled plebs in our inscription. Main ReferenceCorpus Inscriptionum Latinarum; , IX, 1589 = X, *521bDessau, H., Inscriptiones latinae selectae, Berlin 3rd ed. 1962, 6506 Discussion ReferencesJones, A. H. M. et al., The Prosopography of the Later Roman Empire. Vol. I 260-395, Cambridge et al. 1971 (1975), Torelli, M. R., Benevento Romana, Rome 2002, 249-53 |
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