DiscussionBase for statue of Quintus Flavius Maesius Egnatius Lollianus signo Mavortius, former governor of Campania; erected to its patron by the city-region of Porta Triumphalis. From Puteoli. 334-342. INSCRIPTION:In 11 lines, including signum on top. Letter sizes: Signum 7-8 cm; inscription 4.5-6; dedication 3-3.9 cm. Mavortii. // Q(uinto) Flavio Maesio Egnatio / Lolliano, c(larissimo) v(iro), q(uaestori) k(andidato), praetori ur/bano, auguri publico populi / Romani Quiritium, cons(ulari) albei / Tiberis et cloacarum, cons(ulari) ope/rum public̣ụm (sic), cons(ulari) aquarum, / cons(ulari) Campaniae, comiti Flaviali, / comiti orientis, comiti primi ordinis et/ proconsuli provinciae Africae, / regio portae triumphalis patrono dignissimo. ‘[Statue of] Mavortius. To Quintus Flavius Maesius Egnatius Lollianus, of clarissimus rank, candidate to the quaestorship, urban praetor, public augur of the Roman people and of the Quirites, officer in charge of the banks of the Tiber and of the sewers (consularis albei Tiberis et cloacarum), officer in charge (consularis) of public works, officer in charge (consularis) of the aqueducts, governor (consularis) of Campania, count in the imperial court of the Flavians (comes Flavialis), count of the East (comes Orientis), count of the first order (comes primi ordinis) and governor (proconsul) of the province of Africa; the region of Porta Triumphalis [set this up] to its most worthy patron.’ DESCRIPTION (based on personal inspection and CIL): Large marble base, white marble with grey streaks (probably Proconnesian). The base is well preserved, and has mouldings top and bottom on all sides. Upper moulding at front has signum. Right side has patera and left side has urceus, which must date from the first use of the base. The back cannot be inspected, but it has an inscription with a dedication to Carinus in 282/283 (CIL X, 1655). The epigraphic field has rough surface, indicating erasure of an earlier inscription, and fissures. The dedication to Lollianus was therefore the third use of the base. Top has 9 round holes: 2 near front left corner, 3 near back left, 3 near back right corner, and one towards centre of right side, all between 4 and 5 cm deep. PROVENANCE AND CURRENT LOCATION The base was discovered in 1846 in villa Cardito, Pozzuoli, near present day via Rosini (Avellino 1846, 74. A number of honorific statue-bases were discovered in this area, including two bases for equestrian statues of emperors (see discussion in LSA-331); this concentration of statues led Camodeca to suggest that this was the forum of Puteoli (Camodeca, 1971, 39-48 and 1980/1981, 63). Our base is now in Naples, In the Museo Archeologico Nazionale, Sala Epigrafica 154 (Pozzuoli), inv. 3263 HONORAND: Lollianus was an important aristocrat from Rome, with a successful career under Constantine I and Constantius II. He was urban prefect in 342, consul in 355, and praetorian prefect of Illyricum in 355-6. The cursus of Lollianus, as recorded here, is important for showing that he occupied all the important curatorships in the city of Rome, at a time when they were independent from the urban prefecture (Chastagnol). Lollianus and his family were honoured with a number of statues in Puteoli (PLRE I, 512-514 Lollianus 5). He was honoured as patron, and his family's dossier in Puteoli shows the importance of personal links between Roman families and local communities (Camodeca, 1971 and 1980-1981, 100-102). Lollianus was honoured with statues by different associations in Puteoli: LSA-43, LSA-47, and LSA-1909. AWARDER: The statue was awarded by the inhabitants of the Regio Portae Triumphalis, a region of Puteoli presumably located near the forum (Camodeca 1977, 71-73). DATE: The date of the dedication is defined between Lollianus' term as proconsul of Africa (334/7), the latest office mentioned in the inscription, and his appointment to the urban prefecture (342), which is not mentioned in the inscription. Main ReferenceInscriptiones Latinae Selectae, , 1224aCorpus Inscriptionum Latinarum; , X, 1695 Discussion ReferencesAvellino, F., "Scoperta di due iscrizioni puteolane", Bullettino Archeologico Napoletano, 62, 1846, p. 74 Camodeca, G. "L'ordinamento in 'regiones' e 'vici' di Puteoli", Puteoli, 1, 1977, pp. 62-98 Camodeca, G. "Ricerche su Puteoli tardoromana (fine III-IV secolo)", Puteoli, 4-5, 1980-1981, pp. 59-128 Camodeca, G., "Iscrizioni inedite di Pozzuoli", Atti dell'Accademia di Scienze Morali e Politiche di Napoli, 82, 1971, pp. 39-48 Chastagnol, A., La préfecture urbaine a Rome sous le Bas-Empire, Paris 1960, pp. 52-53 Jones, A. H. M. et al., The Prosopography of the Later Roman Empire. Vol. I 260-395, Cambridge et al. 1971 (1975), p. 512-514 (Lollianus 5) |