DiscussionFragmentary plaque, probably from base for statue and probably for imperial office holder. Lepcis Magna (Tripolitania). Late third to early fourth century. INSCRIPTIONFragmentarily preserved in five lines: Fragment A - - - - - - - / L(uci-) Ar[- - -] / - - - - - - Fragment B [- 10? -]OR++[- - - ob] / eiu[s erg]a se iusti[tiam - - -] / labore et indus[tria - - -] / Lepcima[gnenses - - -] 'Lucius Ar…. On account of his justice towards themselves … through labour and industy … the Lepcimagnenses…' Letter height 7.5 cm. The inscription, which praises the justice of the honorand (line 4) and was awarded by civic bodies of Lepcis Magna (line 4), is probably an honorific inscription (see below, ‘Description’ and ‘Honorand, Awarder and Date’). DESCRIPTION Four fragments of a whitish marble plaque preserving portions of five lines of an inscription; H 33.7, W 23, D 0.9 cm. Two of the fragments preserve the left, and one the lower, margin; the surface is smooth, without frame. Since the time of the compilation of IRT, the lower half of the fragment containing the word labore has been lost; this part contained the lower left angle of the inscription and was adjacent to the fragment to the right. To the three fragments known to IRT, a fourth has been added (see also below, ‘Honorand, Awarder and Date’); this is similar in marble quality, thickness and working of the plaque, letter forms, and outline of the text. The character of the text with an awarder at the end makes it likely that this is an honorific inscription (see above, ‘Inscription’). If so, the plaque was probably fixed to a base. PROVENANCE AND CURRENT LOCATION The inscription was found on the Old Forum in 1947. It is now preserved in the store rooms of the Lepcis museum. HONORAND, AWARDER AND DATE The name of the honorand is partly preserved on the newly found fragment. It is very possible that he was a member of a branch of the Aradii family which had roots in northern Africa. Several members of this influential senatorial family are known to have held office in Africa; however, any identification must remain tentative. The reference to the honorand’s justice (line 3), the main administrative virtue (ubiquitous in late antique honorific inscriptions to imperial office holders), makes it probable that the honorand was a high ranking judge, e.g. a provincial governor. The letter form suggests a date in the late 3rd/ early 4th century for our inscription. This is confirmed by a striking parallel in the wording of the inscription to Lucius Volusius Bassus Cerealis from the tetrarchic period (LSA-2192) which likewise contains the words industria et labore, otherwise not testified to in the same manner (see also below, ‘Further Discussion’). Moreover, the formula Lepcimagnenses is first attested in the last decade of the 3rd century and was in vogue around 300. Our inscription was probably set up in the tetrarchic period or shortly after. The inscription was set up by the civic bodies of Lepcis Magna, styled Lepcimagnenses in our inscription (line 5). FURTHER DISCUSSION The formula labore et industria (line 4) is unlikely to refer to the execution of justice; as Christol 1983 pointed out, labor when used in inscriptions generally refers to municipal or provincial munera. Like the curator Cerealis (LSA-2192), our honorand probably contributed to the care of the monumental heritage of the city. Main ReferenceTantillo, I. and F. Bigi (eds.), Leptis Magna. Una città e le sue iscrizioni in epoca tardoromana, Cassino 2010, 437-8, no. 62, figs. 10.70-71Reynolds, J. M. & J. B. Ward-Perkins, The Inscriptions of Roman Tripolitania. In collaboration with S. Aurigemma, R. Bartoccini, G. Caputo, R. Goodchild, P. Romanelli, Roma 1952, no. 622 |
Last Statues of Antiquity
LSA Database