A dedicatory stone erected in Rome in 1270 A.D.
I(n) n(omi)n(e) D(omi)ni am(en). Anno na-
tivitatis eiusdem M° C-
C° LXX° indictione XIII
me(n)se iunii die s(e)c(un)da apo-
stolica sede vacant-
e t(em)p(o)r(e) d(omi)ni Pandulphi d-
e Sebura archip(res)b(ite)ri ec-
clesie s(an)c(t)e Marie Rot-
unde et p(res)b(ite)ri Petri p(res)b-
(ite)ri Deodati Petri Barç-
ellone Romani Iaco-
bi Romani Petri Corr-
adi Pauli Ioh(ann)is Petri
et Tebaldi de Alp(er)inis
eiusdem eccl(es)ie cl(er)icis
facte fuerunt nole
et nolarium
Here is your hosts' humble conjecture:
In the Name of the Lord, Amen. In the year of
the His birth 1270, in the 13th indiction
on the 2nd day of the month of June,
the Apostolic See being vacant, in the time of Master Pandulph
of Sebura the archpriest of
the church of Santa Maria Rotunda
and the priest Peter and
priests Deodatus, Peter of Barcelona, the Roman
Jacob, the Roman Peter Corradus, Paul, John, Peter
and Tebaldus of Alperinis,
clerics of the same church,
made the bells and the bell tower.
Something I had been completely unaware of - indiction.
Regarding "indiction" from Wikipedia:
An indiction is any of the years in a 15-year cycle used to date medieval documents throughout Europe, both East and West. Each year of a cycle was numbered: first indiction, second indiction, etc. However, the cycles were not numbered, thus other information is needed to identify the specific year.
When the term began to be used, it referred only to the full cycle, and individual years were referred to as being Year 1 of the indiction, Year 2 of the indiction, etc. But usage changed, and it gradually became common to talk of the 1st indiction, the 2nd indiction, and so on.
Indictions originally referred to the periodic reassessment for an agricultural or land tax in late third-century Roman Egypt. .... The indiction was first used to date documents unrelated to tax collection in the mid-fourth century. By the late fourth century it was being used to date documents throughout the Mediterranean. In the Eastern Roman Empire outside of Egypt, the first day of its year was September 23, the birthday of Augustus. During the last half of the fifth century, probably 462, this shifted to September 1, where it remained throughout the rest of the Byzantine Empire. In 537 Justinian decreed that all dates must include the indiction via Novella 47, which eventually caused the Byzantine year to begin on September 1. But in the western Mediterranean, its first day was September 24 according to Bede, or the following December 25 or January 1, called the papal indiction. An indictio Senensis beginning September 8 is sometimes mentioned.
Friday, September 30, 2011
Vitalis
HEIC QVIESCIT VITALIS, MOLITOR
DEPOSITVS IN PACE NATALE DOMNES
SITIRETIS
Hic quiescit Vitalis, molitor
depositus in pace natale Domnes
sitiretis.
Here rests Vitalis, a miller
buried in peace on the birthday (of the Lord)
may you thirst.
may you thirst.
Thursday, May 12, 2011
Inscriptions on Everyday Items
The ancient world had no means of identification, so very frequently, owners of things they treasured would inscribe something on the item.
Here are several examples:
1. Found on a vase from Rome:
Here are several examples:
1. Found on a vase from Rome:
NOLI ME
TOLLERE
HELVEITI SVM
Noli me tollere:
Helvetii sum.
Don't take me:
I am Helvetius'.
2. Found on another vase in Pompeii:
EPAPHRODITI SVM TANGERE ME NOLI
Epaphroditi sum: tangere me noli.
I am Epaphroditus': don't touch me.
3. A lamp from the Esquiline Hill in Rome:
CLAVDIO • NON SVM TVA
Claudio; non sum tua!
For Claudius; I am not yours!
4. Finally, not on a small object, but written on a building:
M • IVNI • INSVLA • SVM
Marci Iuni insula sum.
I am the insula (apartment building) of Marcus Iunius.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Tene me
A change of pace - this is a slave collar, usually fastened around a slave's neck, with instructions similar to what we read below:
TENEMENE
FVGIA ET REVO
CAMEADDOMNVM
EVVIVENTIVM IN
ARACALLISTI
Tene me ne
fugia[m] et revoca
me ad dom[i]nu[m] meu[m]
Viventium in
ar[e]a Callisti
Hold me lest
I flee and return
me to my master
Viventius in
the area of Callistus.
According to LaFleur, the 'area' of Callistus' has been identified as the district of the church of Santa Maria in Trastevere in Rome, founded in the 3rd Century by the Bishop and Martyr Callistus.
Monday, February 21, 2011
Agape
EVCHARIS EST MATER PIVS ET PATER EST [
VOS PRECOR O FRATRES ORARE HVC QVANDO VENI[
ET PRECIBVS TOTIS PATREM NATVMQVE ROGATIS
SIT VESTRAE MENTIS AGAPES CARAE MEMINISSE
VT DEVS OMNIPOTENS AGAPEN IN SAECULA SERVET
VT DEVS OMNIPOTENS AGAPEN IN SAECULA SERVET
Eucharis est mater, pius et pater est [mihi Celsus].
Vos precor, O fratres, orare huc quando veni[tis]
et precibus totis Patrem Natumque rogatis:
sit vestrae mentis Agapes carae meminisse,
ut Deus omnipotens Agapen in saecula servet.
Eucharis is my mother, and my dutiful father is [Celsus].
I ask you, O brothers, to pray when you come to this place
and with all your prayers you ask the Father and the Son:
may you keep in mind dear Agape,
so that Almighty God may save Agape forever.
The upper right side of the stone having been lost, the conjecture [mihi Celsus] was added by the German scholar Franz Buchler.
"Agapes" and "Agapen" are Greek genitive and accusative singular forms of the name Agape, meaning "Love", and her mother's name, Eucharis, is also Greek, meaning "Thanksgiving".
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Flaes
Not all Romans were Christian or Pagan. Here is an epitaph on a marble grave marker from Naples, 4th-5th Century AD.
HIC POSITVS
EST FLAES EBR
EVS
Hic positus
est Flaes Hebraeus.
Here is buried
Flaes the Hebrew.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Chryse
From a marble stone found in 1981 at Ostia, near the church of St. Aurea, a 3rd century martyr.
CHRYS[...
HIC DORM[...
Chrys[e]
hic dorm[it]
Chryse
sleeps here
Because "Aurea" mean golden in Latin, and "Chryse" means the same in Greek, some conjecture that this might have been the grave of the Saint herself.
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Salvidiena Faustilla
V . SALVIDIENA . Q . L . HILARA
SALVIDIENAE . FAVSTILLAE
DELICIAE . SVAE
ERVDITAE . OMNIBVS . ARTIBVS
RELIQVISTI MAMMAM TVAM
GEMENTEM . PLANGENTEM . PLORANTEM
VIX . AN . XV
MENSIB . III . DIEB. XI . HOR . VII
VIRGINEM . ERIPVIT . FATVS . MALVS
DESTITVISTI . VITILLA . MEA
MISERAM . MAMMAM . TVAM
V(iva) Salvidiena Q(uinti) l(iberta) Hilara
Salvidienae Faustulae,
deliciae suae,
eruditae omnibus artibus
reliquisti mammam tuam
gementem, plangentem, plorantem.
Vix(it) an(nis) XV,
mensib(us) III, dieb(us) XI, hor(is) VII.
Virginem eripuit Fatus malus.
Destituisti vitilla mea
miseram mammam tuam.
The living Salvidiena Hilara, freedwoman of Quintus,
(dedicates this) to Salvidiena Faustilla,
her sweetheart,
accomplished in all the arts.
You have left your Mama
grieving, mourning, weeping.
She lived 15 years,
3 months, 11 days, 7 hours.
Evil fate has stolen the maiden.
My darling, you have abandoned
your unhappy Mama.
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