Funerary Poem for a boy Ulpius Iovinus from Viminacium

Monument InscSerbia4

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Editor

Miroslava Mirković, Vojin Nedeljković

Type of monument

stele

Material

limestone

Findspot

Kostolac

Observed in

Preserved in the High School in Požarevac, before it was lost

Origin

Viminacium

Dimensions

Institution and inventory

-
No -

Hand description

Letter size

height cm.

Layout description

Inscription field

height cm., width cm.

Decoration

Funerary scene with a small couch (lectulus), on which a child is seated with a bird perched on his hand; in the outer spandrels, acanthus leaves.

Audio

Text

Category of inscription

epitaph in verse

Date

II c. AD

Dating criteria

onomastics

Images

Drawing

copy_r_1 copy_r_2

txt

Рrose la
Parvolus
hic situs est
Ulp(ius) Iovinus
nomine qui vi-
5xit ann(is) V m(ensibus) VI
d(iebus) XXIII hic solus
pater hunc hu-
mav[i]t parvolum
cuius de[s]iderio
10lumen intentus
dolet Ulp(ius) Vale-
rianus b(ene)f(iciarius) leg(ati) pa-
ter a quo sibi sperab(at)

PARVOLVS
HICSITVSEST
VLPIOVINVS
NOMINEQVIVI
5XITANNVMVI
DXXIIIHICSOLVS
PATERHVNCHV
MAV[.].PARVOLVM
C..VSDE[.]IDER..
10LVMENINTENTVS
DOLETVLPVALE
RIANVSBFLEGPA
TERAQVOSIBISPERAB

txt

Here lies a little boy. Ulpius Iovinus was his name, who lived five years, six months, and twenty-three days. It is here this little boy was buried by his father left alone. Absorbed in grief over him, hurt by the sight of daylight, Ulp(ius) Valerianus, beneficiary of the legate, his father — from whom he had hoped to receive funeral honours himself.

Parvolus hic situs est Ulpius Iovinus nomine qui vi xit annis V mensibus VI diebus XXIII hic solus pater hunc hu mavit parvolum cuius desiderio lumen intentus dolet Ulpius Vale rianus beneficiarius legati pa ter a quo sibi sperabat

tag: ab

⤦ n: 1

tag: lb

Parvolus

lemma: parvolus
tag: w

⤦ n: 2

tag: lb

hic

lemma: hic
tag: w

situs

lemma: situs
tag: w

est

lemma: sum
tag: w

⤦ n: 3

tag: lb

Ulpius Iovinus

type: attested
nymRef: Ulpius Iovinus
tag: persName

Ulpius

nymRef: Ulpius
tag: name

Iovinus

nymRef: Iovinus
tag: name

⤦ n: 4

tag: lb

nomine

lemma: nomen
tag: w

qui

tag: w

vi xit

lemma: vivo
tag: w

tag: #text

⤦ n: 5

break: no
tag: lb

xit

tag: #text

annis

lemma: annus
tag: w

value: 5
tag: num

mensibus

lemma: mensis
tag: w

value: 6
tag: num

⤦ n: 6

tag: lb

diebus

lemma: dies
tag: w

XXIII

value: 23
tag: num

hic

lemma: hic
tag: w

solus

lemma: solus
tag: w

⤦ n: 7

tag: lb

pater

lemma: pater
tag: w

hunc

lemma: hic
tag: w

hu mavit

lemma: humo
tag: w

tag: #text

⤦ n: 8

break: no
tag: lb

mav

tag: #text

reason: lost
tag: supplied

tag: unclear

parvolum

lemma: parvolus
tag: w

⤦ n: 9

tag: lb

cuius

tag: w

tag: #text

tag: unclear

tag: #text

desiderio

lemma: desiderium
tag: w

tag: #text

reason: lost
tag: supplied

ider

tag: #text

tag: unclear

⤦ n: 10

tag: lb

lumen

lemma: lumen
tag: w

intentus

lemma: intendo
tag: w

⤦ n: 11

tag: lb

dolet

lemma: doleo
tag: w

Ulpius Vale rianus

type: official
nymRef: Ulpius Valerianus
tag: persName

Ulpius

nymRef: Ulpius
tag: name

Vale rianus

nymRef: Valerianus
tag: name

Vale

tag: #text

⤦ n: 12

break: no
tag: lb

rianus

tag: #text

beneficiarius

lemma: beneficiarius
tag: w

legati

lemma: legatus
tag: w

pa ter

tag: w

tag: #text

⤦ n: 13

break: no
tag: lb

ter

tag: #text

tag: w

quo

tag: w

sibi

tag: w

sperabat

lemma: spero
tag: w

 
<div type="edition" xml:space="preserve" xml:lang="la">
                <ab>
                <lb n="1"/><w lemma="parvolus">Parvolus</w>
                <lb n="2"/><w lemma="hic">hic</w> <w lemma="situs">situs</w> <w lemma="sum">est</w>
                <lb n="3"/> <persName type="attested" ref="attested.xml#UlpiusIovinus" nymRef="Ulpius Iovinus"><name nymRef="Ulpius" ref="Onom.xml#Ulpius"><expan><abbr>Ulp</abbr><ex>ius</ex></expan></name> <name nymRef="Iovinus" ref="Onom.xml#Iovinus">Iovinus</name></persName>
                <lb n="4"/><w lemma="nomen">nomine</w> <w>qui</w> <w lemma="vivo">vi
                <lb n="5" break="no"/>xit</w> <w lemma="annus"><expan><abbr>ann</abbr><ex>is</ex></expan></w> <num value="5">V</num> <w lemma="mensis"><expan><abbr>m</abbr><ex>ensibus</ex></expan></w> <num value="6">VI</num>
                <lb n="6"/><w lemma="dies"><expan><abbr>d</abbr><ex>iebus</ex></expan></w>  <num value="23">XXIII</num> <w lemma="hic">hic</w> <w lemma="solus">solus</w>
                <lb n="7"/><w lemma="pater">pater</w> <w lemma="hic">hunc</w> <w lemma="humo">hu
                <lb n="8" break="no"/>mav<supplied reason="lost">i</supplied><unclear>t</unclear></w> <w lemma="parvolus">parvolum</w>
                <lb n="9"/><w>c<unclear>u</unclear><unclear>i</unclear>us</w> <w lemma="desiderium">de<supplied reason="lost">s</supplied>ider<unclear>i</unclear><unclear>o</unclear></w>
                <lb n="10"/><w lemma="lumen">lumen</w> <w lemma="intendo">intentus</w>
                <lb n="11"/><w lemma="doleo">dolet</w> <persName type="official" ref="official.xml#UlpiusValerianus" nymRef="Ulpius Valerianus"><name ref="Onom.xml#Ulpius" nymRef="Ulpius"><expan><abbr>Ulp</abbr><ex>ius</ex></expan></name> <name ref="Onom.xml#Valerianus" nymRef="Valerianus">Vale
                <lb n="12" break="no"/>rianus</name></persName> <w lemma="beneficiarius"><expan><abbr>b</abbr><ex>ene</ex><abbr>f</abbr><ex>iciarius</ex></expan></w> <w lemma="legatus"><expan><abbr>leg</abbr><ex>ati</ex></expan></w> <w>pa
                <lb n="13" break="no"/>ter</w> <w>a</w> <w>quo</w> <w>sibi</w> <w lemma="spero"><expan><abbr>sperab</abbr><ex>at</ex></expan></w>
                </ab>
            </div>

Apparatus

Letters in ligature:

1 )

Readings

1 )

Commentary

In this epitaph occasional dactyls and iambi come at the places where some elevation of thought and style is sought; the expression thus becomes poetic, and metric runs come as a by-product of this. Epigraphs of this kind are called the ‘commatica’. The alliteration as a means of emphasis is peculiar to Latin ever since Plautus. A decent instance of it is found here in hic .. hunc humauit paruolum. ‘it is here this little boy was buried by his father left alone’.The next sentence, cuius .. dolet, is a little awkward. It seems to mean ‘(his father), absorbed by the grief over him, is hurt by (the sight of) daylight’.After the dedicant’s name, title, and capacity (Vlpius .. pater), the final sentence is quite pregnant: a quo sibi sperabat ‘from whom he hoped (to receive funeral honours) himself’. This idea (‘it should have rather been me’) is common in the epitaphs.[Vojin Nedeljković]

Bibliography

A. von Premerstein, N. Vulić, Jahreshefte des Österreichischen Archäologischen Institutes in Wien 3, 1900, Beiblatt 118–119, no. 11 (drawing)

A. von Premerstein, N. Vulić, Spomenik 38, 1900, 21 no. 11 (drawing)

Corpus Inscriptionum Latinarum 03, 14529

Inscriptions de la Mésie supérieure 2, 113

Vojin Nedeljković, Živa Antika 43, 1993, 145-150

HD035808

resources

current_version: 1 / 23.12.2025

<< Previous
Funerary inscription for Lucius Spurennius Rufus from Obedinenie

Next>>
Funerary Poem for Aurelius Bantio from Naissus