Inscriptions: Epitaph of Donnia Italia on taurobolic altar

Identification

Reference as:	MPL02168
Title	Epitaph of Donnia Italia on taurobolic altar
Trismegistos-No.	642472

Object

Provenance and Location

Find Place	Lactora
Find Context	First seen in the town hall, end of the 16th century. Probably discovered during construction works in 1591.
Latitude	0.0
Longitude	0.0
Current Location	Lectoure, Musée archéologique E. Camoreyt
Inventory number	22
Current Location Details
Vicinity	[{"coords": [43.9334, 0.620535], "id": 2168, "item_url": "https://db.mappola.eu/r/Inscriptions/show/2168", "long_id": "MPL02168", "place": "Lactora", "text": "Pediment: D(iis) I(nferis) M(anibus). Non fu\u2026", "thumbnail_url": "https://petrae.huma-num.fr/photos/ILA_Lactorates/32_1.jpg", "title": "Epitaph of Donnia Italia on taurobolic altar"}, {"coords": [45.2794, -0.841712], "id": 2079, "item_url": "https://db.mappola.eu/r/Inscriptions/show/2079", "long_id": "MPL02079", "place": "Nouiomagos", "text": "Ave adianto.", "thumbnail_url": null, "title": "Fibula with love dedication from Nouiomagos"}, {"coords": [45.8289, 1.26667], "id": 2169, "item_url": "https://db.mappola.eu/r/Inscriptions/show/2169", "long_id": "MPL02169", "place": "Augustoritum Lemovicum", "text": "Tablet: M C B B C Below portrait: Artis insi\u2026", "thumbnail_url": "https://institucional.us.es/cleo/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Muse%CC%81eLimoges3.jpg", "title": "Epitaph of the grammaticus Blaesianus Biturix"}, {"coords": [43.0949, 0.70168], "id": 2170, "item_url": "https://db.mappola.eu/r/Inscriptions/show/2170", "long_id": "MPL02170", "place": "Valentine", "text": "Column 1: Nymfius aeterno devinctus membra sopo\u2026", "thumbnail_url": "https://institucional.us.es/cleo/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/gallia.jpg", "title": "Epitaph of Nymfius by his wife"}]

Object Details

Object Type	altar
Material	marble
State of Preservation	fragmentary (adjoining fragments)
Dimensions	width: 42.0 cm height: 76.0 cm depth: 38.0 cm
Letter Size in cm (min)	2.5
Letter Size in cm (max)	5.3
Execution Technique	chiselled
Religion	Pagan

Decoration

Decoration and Iconography	Taurobolic altar with moulded base and pulvinus, surmounted by a pediment terminating in pulvini decorated with rosettes. Inscription on the front, with praescriptum inscribed on the pediment and part of the postscriptum inscribed on the pedestal. Erased relief of a libation vase on the right side, relief of a patera on the left side.
Decoration Tags	Architecture / Altar Architecture / Moulding Architecture / Pedestal Architecture / Rosette Architecture / base Architecture / pulvinus Object / Patera Object / vase Architecture / Pediment

Verse Layouts

Prose Verse Presence	Praescriptum + carmen + subscriptum
Prose Verse Distinction	Yes, by bigger lettering in prose Yes, by different layout
Layout Types (Prose)	Centered Justified
Layout Types (Verse)	Justified
Scriptio Continua in verse part	no
Abbreviations in verse part	no
Verse Line Correspondence	No
Graphic Signs and Spaces for Easier Carmen Reading	To separate words - Interpunction

Text

Function	funerary inscription
Language(s)	Latin
Verse Type(s)	Trochaic septenarius
Rhythmisation	Quantitative scheme

Inscription & Translations

Diplomatic Interpretative Verse Visualisation

Pediment:
DIM

NONFVIFVIME
MININONSVM
NONCVRO

DO5.NIAITALIAA[]
NORVMXXHI
QVIESC[]M[]
TIVSETDONNIAPedestal:
CALLISTELPIISSIMAE

Pediment:
D(iis) I(nferis) M(anibus).

Non fui. Fui, me-
mini. Non sum.
Non curo.

Do5ṇnia Italia, a[n-]
norum XX, hic̣
quiescọ. [C(aius)] M[una-]
tius et Donnia. Pedestal:
Calliste l(ibertae) piissimae.

Pediment: D(iis) I(nferis) M(anibus).

Non fui. Fui, memini. Non sum. Non curo.

Doṇnia Italia, a[n]norum XX, hic̣ quiescọ. [C(aius)] M[una]tius et Donnia. Pedestal:Calliste l(ibertae) piissimae.

Apparatus

Text follows CIL. Picture checked by Spalla 2025.
ll. 7-8: Sm[in]|t(h)ius, ILA.

Main Translation

Translation	Pediment: To the Manes of the underworld. I did not exist. I did, I remember. I do not exist any more. I do not care. I, Donnia Italia, twenty years of age, rest here. Sminthius and Donnia. Pedestal: Calliste (i.e. dedicated this monument) to their most devoted freedwoman.
Citation	Fabio Spalla

Other Translations

Aux Dieux Mânes Infernaux. Je n’ai pas existé; j’ai existé, je m'en souviens. Je n’existe plus; je n’en ai cure (ou plutôt, je n’ai plus de souci). Moi, Donnia Italia, âgée de vingt années, je repose ici. Smint(h)ius (?) et Donnia Calliste à leur affranchie très respectueuse. (French , G. Fabre and P. Sillières)
Den unterirdischen Totengöttern. Nicht bin ich gewesen. Ich bin gewesen. Ich habe mich erinnert. Ich bin nicht. Ich habe keine Sorgen. Donnia Italia, mit 20 Jahren (verstorben) ruht hier. Caius Munatius und Donnia Calliste der liebtesten Freigelassenen. (German, L. Wierschowski)

Prosopographical Information

Name Donnia Italia
Gender Female
Age Range Subadult (13–20) [expression: Canonical, precision: high]
Legal Status Freedman / Freedwoman
Role Dedicatee
Name Caius Munatius
Gender Male
Role Dedicator
Name Donnia Calliste
Gender Female
Role Dedicator

Name	Donnia Italia
Gender	Female
Age Range	Subadult (13–20) [expression: Canonical, precision: high]
Legal Status	Freedman / Freedwoman
Role	Dedicatee

Name	Caius Munatius
Gender	Male
Role	Dedicator

Name	Donnia Calliste
Gender	Female
Role	Dedicator

Further Information

Comment

Dating proposed by G. Fabre and P. Sillières (ILA). Wierschowski proposes an earlier dating to the 1st century AD.

Squeeze

Have Squeeze?	no

Dating

Date (From)	151 AD
Date (To)	200 AD
Date (Criteria)	archaeology formulae palaeography

Bibliography

CIL 13, 00530
CLE 00247
ILS 08163
ILA 05, 00032 (with photos and French translation)
A. Allmer, Revue épigraphique du Midi de la France. Inscriptions 353 à 375, Rev. Ep. 21 (1882), 322-323, nr. 355 (with French translation) 🔗 link
J. Cholodniak, Carmina sepulcralia latina epigraphica, Petersburg 1904, 487, nr. 1330a. 🔗 link
J. Lapart, C. Petit, Carte archéologique de la Gaule 32 : Le Gers, Paris 1993, 219, nr. 157.12 (with photo, 220, tab. 8) 🔗 link
L. Wierschowski, Fremde in Gallien - "Gallier" in der Fremde. Die epigraphisch bezeugte Mobilität in, von und nach Gallien vom 1. bis 3. Jh. n. Ch. (Texte-Übersetzungen-Kommentare), Stuttgart 2001, 265-266, nr. 360 (with German translation) 🔗 link
CLEO 🔗 link
EDCS-10400698 🔗 link
Petrae 🔗 link

Images

Front of the altar of Donnia Italia.
(c) G. Fabre and P. Sillières 2000
Right side of the altar of Donnia Italia with erased libation vase relief.
(c) G. Fabre and P. Sillières 2000
Left side of the altar of Donnia Italia with patera relief.
(c) G. Fabre and P. Sillières 2000

Editing History

Created	2025-06-27, by Fabio Spalla
Work Status	Confirmed
Import Notice

Revisions

by Fabio Spalla
at 2025-06-11 08:01
by Fabio Spalla
at 2025-06-11 08:20
by Fabio Spalla
at 2025-06-11 08:59
by Fabio Spalla
at 2025-06-11 09:06
by Fabio Spalla
at 2025-06-11 09:09
by Fabio Spalla
at 2025-06-11 09:12
by Fabio Spalla
at 2025-06-11 09:14
by Fabio Spalla
at 2025-06-13 06:53
by Fabio Spalla
at 2025-06-13 06:55
by Fabio Spalla
at 2025-06-13 07:06
by Fabio Spalla
at 2025-06-18 14:16
by Fabio Spalla
at 2025-06-18 14:18
by Fabio Spalla
at 2025-06-18 14:19
by Fabio Spalla
at 2025-06-18 14:21
by Chiara Cenati
at 2025-06-25 17:37
by Chiara Cenati
at 2025-06-25 17:41
by Fabio Spalla
at 2025-06-26 10:02
by Chiara Cenati
at 2025-06-27 15:38

Download

Download as XML