Grave monument of Publius Aelius Posidonianus from Scupi

Monument IMSVI81

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Editor

Dušanka Vučković-Todorović, Borka Dragojević–Josifovska, Ana Šašel, Jaroslav Šašel, Marjeta Šašel-Kos

Type of monument

stele

Material

marble

Findspot

Dobri Dol

Observed in

Origin

Scupi

Dimensions

height 225 cm., width 72 cm., length 24 cm.

Institution and inventory

Archaeological Museum of the Republic of North Macedonia
No 720

Hand description

The height of the letters in lines 13-15 is 2-2.5 cm.

Letter size

height 5 cm.

Layout description

In the upper part, there is a pentagonal relief panel with its upper edges broken off.

Inscription field

height cm., width cm.

Decoration

In the upper part, there is a pentagonal relief panel depicting a Thracian horseman facing right, dressed in a chlamys broken at the top. Beneath the horse, whose front legs are raised, there is a wild boar and a dog. In front of the horse, there is a tree around which a snake is coiled. Below this is a profiled inscription panel, the frame of which is decorated with vine leaves and grape clusters.

Audio

Text

Category of inscription

funerary inscription - prose

Date

first half of the 2nd century AD

Dating criteria

lettering, nomenclature

Images

Archives of the Archaeological Museum – Skopje

copy_r_1 copy_r_2

txt

Рrose la
P(ublius) ((leaf)) Aelius ((leaf)) P(ubli) ((leaf))
fil(ius) ((leaf)) Posido-
nianus ((leaf)) v-
ix(it) ((leaf)) an(nis) ((leaf)) XVI ((leaf))
5men(ses) ((leaf)) VIIII ((leaf))
dies VIIII
h(ic) ((leaf)) s(itus) ((leaf)) e(st).
Antonia
Saturnina
10avia memor
brevis pieta-
tis ((leaf)) f(aciendum) ((leaf)) c(uravit).
Ὅν οἱ θεοὶ φιλοῦ-
σιν οὗτος ἀποθνή-
15σκει νέος.

P- leaf AELIVS- leaf P- leaf
FIL- leaf POSIDO
NIANVS- leaf V
IX- leaf AN- leaf XVI- leaf
5MEN- leaf VIIII- leaf
DIESVIIII
H- leaf S- leaf E
ANTONIA
SATVRNINA
10AVIAMEMOR
BREVISPIETA
TIS- leaf F- leaf C
ΟΝΟΙΘΕΟΙΦΙΛΟΥ
ΣΙΝΟΥΤΟΣΑΠΟΘΝΗ
15ΣΚΕΙΝΕΟΣ

txt

Here lies Publius Aelius Posidonianus, son of Publius, who lived 16 years, 9 months and 9 days. Antonia Saturnina, his grandmother, in memory of his brief pietas, had it made. He whom the gods love dies young.

Publius Aelius Publi filius Posido nianus v ixit annis XVI menses VIIII dies VIIII hic situs est. Antonia Saturnina avia memor brevis pieta tis faciendum curavit. Ὅν οἱ θεοὶ φιλοῦ σιν οὗτος ἀποθνή σκει νέος.

tag: ab

⤦ n: 1

tag: lb

Publius Aelius Publi filius Posido nianus

type: attested
nymRef: Publius Aelius Posidonianus Publii filius
tag: persName

Publius

nymRef: Publius
tag: name

type: leaf
tag: g

Aelius

nymRef: Aelius
tag: name

type: leaf
tag: g

Publi

nymRef: Publius
tag: name

type: leaf
tag: g

⤦ n: 2

tag: lb

filius

lemma: filius
tag: w

type: leaf
tag: g

Posido nianus

nymRef: Posidonianus
tag: name

Posido

tag: #text

⤦ n: 3

break: no
tag: lb

nianus

tag: #text

type: leaf
tag: g

v ixit

lemma: vivo
tag: w

type: leaf
tag: g

annis

lemma: annus
tag: w

type: leaf
tag: g

XVI

value: 16
tag: num

type: leaf
tag: g

⤦ n: 5

tag: lb

menses

lemma: mensis
tag: w

type: leaf
tag: g

VIIII

value: 9
tag: num

type: leaf
tag: g

⤦ n: 6

tag: lb

dies

lemma: dies
tag: w

VIIII

value: 9
tag: num

⤦ n: 7

tag: lb

hic

lemma: hic
tag: w

type: leaf
tag: g

situs

lemma: situs
tag: w

type: leaf
tag: g

est

lemma: sum
tag: w

tag: #text

⤦ n: 8

tag: lb

Antonia Saturnina

type: attested
nymRef: Antonia Saturnina
tag: persName

Antonia

nymRef: Antonia
tag: name

⤦ n: 9

tag: lb

Saturnina

nymRef: Saturnina
tag: name

⤦ n: 10

tag: lb

avia

lemma: avia
tag: w

memor

lemma: memor
tag: w

⤦ n: 11

tag: lb

brevis

lemma: brevis
tag: w

pieta tis

lemma: pietas
tag: w

pieta

tag: #text

⤦ n: 12

break: no
tag: lb

tis

tag: #text

type: leaf
tag: g

faciendum

lemma: facio
tag: w

type: leaf
tag: g

curavit

lemma: curo
tag: w

tag: #text

⤦ n: 13

tag: lb

Ὅν οἱ θεοὶ φιλοῦ σιν οὗτος ἀποθνή σκει νέος

lang: grc
tag: foreign

Ὅν

lemma: ὅς
tag: w

οἱ

tag: w

θεοὶ

lemma: θεός
tag: w

φιλοῦ σιν

lemma: φιλέω
tag: w

φιλοῦ

tag: #text

⤦ n: 14

break: no
tag: lb

σιν

tag: #text

οὗτος

lemma: οὗτος
tag: w

ἀποθνή σκει

lemma: ἀποθνήσκω
tag: w

ἀποθνή

tag: #text

⤦ n: 15

break: no
tag: lb

σκει

tag: #text

νέος

lemma: νέος
tag: w

tag: #text

 
<div type="edition" xml:space="preserve" xml:lang="la">
                <ab>
<lb n="1"/><persName type="attested" nymRef="Publius Aelius Posidonianus Publii filius" ref="attested.xml#PubliusAeliusPosidonianus"><name nymRef="Publius" ref="Onom.xml#Publius"><expan><abbr>P</abbr><ex>ublius</ex></expan></name> <g type="leaf"/> <name nymRef="Aelius" ref="Onom.xml#Aelius">Aelius</name> <g type="leaf"/> <name nymRef="Publius" ref="Onom.xml#Publius"><expan><abbr>P</abbr><ex>ubli</ex></expan></name> <g type="leaf"/>
<lb n="2"/><w lemma="filius"><expan><abbr>fil</abbr><ex>ius</ex></expan></w> <g type="leaf"/> <name nymRef="Posidonianus" ref="Onom.xml#Posidonianus">Posido
<lb n="3" break="no"/>nianus</name></persName> <g type="leaf"/> <w lemma="vivo"><expan><abbr>v
<lb n="4" break="no"/>ix</abbr><ex>it</ex></expan></w> <g type="leaf"/> <w lemma="annus"><expan><abbr>an</abbr><ex>nis</ex></expan></w> <g type="leaf"/> <num value="16">XVI</num> <g type="leaf"/>
<lb n="5"/><w lemma="mensis"><expan><abbr>men</abbr><ex>ses</ex></expan></w> <g type="leaf"/> <num value="9">VIIII</num> <g type="leaf"/>
<lb n="6"/><w lemma="dies">dies</w> <num value="9">VIIII</num>
<lb n="7"/><w lemma="hic"><expan><abbr>h</abbr><ex>ic</ex></expan></w> <g type="leaf"/> <w lemma="situs"><expan><abbr>s</abbr><ex>itus</ex></expan></w> <g type="leaf"/> <w lemma="sum"><expan><abbr>e</abbr><ex>st</ex></expan></w>.
<lb n="8"/><persName type="attested" nymRef="Antonia Saturnina" ref="attested.xml#AntoniaSaturnina"><name nymRef="Antonia" ref="Onom.xml#Antonia">Antonia</name>
<lb n="9"/><name nymRef="Saturnina" ref="Onom.xml#Saturnina">Saturnina</name></persName>
<lb n="10"/><w lemma="avia">avia</w> <w lemma="memor">memor</w>
<lb n="11"/><w lemma="brevis">brevis</w> <w lemma="pietas">pieta
<lb n="12" break="no"/>tis</w> <g type="leaf"/> <w lemma="facio"><expan><abbr>f</abbr><ex>aciendum</ex></expan></w> <g type="leaf"/> <w lemma="curo"><expan><abbr>c</abbr><ex>uravit</ex></expan></w>.
<lb n="13"/>
<foreign xml:lang="grc"><w lemma="ὅς">Ὅν</w> <w>οἱ</w> <w lemma="θεός">θεοὶ</w> <w lemma="φιλέω">φιλοῦ
<lb n="14" break="no"/>σιν</w> <w lemma="οὗτος">οὗτος</w> <w lemma="ἀποθνήσκω">ἀποθνή
<lb n="15" break="no"/>σκει</w> <w lemma="νέος">νέος</w></foreign>.
                </ab>
            </div>

Apparatus

Readings

1 )

Commentary

Found in 1951. Reused in the construction of a 4th century AD grave along with other grave stelae. Posidonianus is a rare cognomen derived from Greek Posidon-. This epitaph ends with a verse from Menander's comedy Δὶς ἐξαπατῶν 'Twice a swindler' (cf. Plautus, Bacchides 816: quem dii diligunt, adulescens moritur…).

Bibliography

Вучковић-Тодоровић Душанка, Старинар 7-8, 1956-57, 293-294, фот. 7

A. et J. Šašel, Inscriptiones latinae quae in Iugoslavia inter annos MCMXL et MCMLX repertae et editae sunt, No. 33

Inscriptions de la Mésie Supérieure, Vol. VI: Scupi et la région de Kumanovo, par B. Dragojević–Josifovska sous la direction de F. Papazoglou, Beograd, 1982, No. 81 (фото)

M. Šašel Kos, in: A. Donati - G. Poma (Hrsg.), L'officina epigraphica romana. In ricordo di Giancarlo Susini (Faenza 2012) 514-516; fig. 4.

HD032800.

resources

Stone Witness to Life and Memory

current_version: 1 / 24.12.2025

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Honorary inscription for Titus Aurelius Flavinus from Oescus

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Funerary inscription for Secunda from Kamenovo