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Inscriptions: Epitaph of the imperial slave Severa by her husband

Edit This Inscription

Identification

Reference as: MPL02241
Title Epitaph of the imperial slave Severa by her husband
Trismegistos-No. 348731

Object

Provenance and Location

Find Place Carthago
Find Context Byrsa, cemetery of the "officiales" of Bir-el-Djebbana, inside a masonry tomb.
Latitude 0.0
Longitude 0.0
Current Location unknown
Inventory number
Current Location Details
Vicinity

Object Details

Object Type slab
Material marble
State of Preservation complete
Dimensions

width: 26.0 cm

height: 37.0 cm

depth: unknown
Letter Size in cm (min) 0.0
Letter Size in cm (max) 0.0
Execution Technique chiselled
Religion Pagan

Decoration

Decoration and Iconography
Decoration Tags

Verse Layouts

  • Prose Verse PresenceVerse interrupted by prose
    Prose Verse Distinction
    • No distinction
    Layout Types (Prose)
    • Centered
    • Left aligned
    Layout Types (Verse)
    • Left aligned
    Scriptio Continua in verse partno
    Abbreviations in verse partyes
    Verse Line CorrespondenceNo
    Graphic Signs and Spaces for Easier Carmen Reading
    • To separate words - Interpunction

Text

Function funerary inscription
Language(s)
  • Latin
Verse Type(s)
  • Phalaecian hendecasillabus
  • Dactylic rhythm
  • iambo-trochaic rhythm
Rhythmisation Quantitative scheme

Inscription & Translations

DISMS

TVQVICVMQPIVSVELINBENIG
NVS
LEGENSEITVM Q MEOFLESAE
TATEMMAEQVAEAVTENONDEBVI
5TALEM Q LVCEMNECTALESSVPEROS
LINQVEREQVAREMQVEDICIS:FVIENIM
HOBESCAROSPONSOCVIVS Q MO
RESTIMIDASEMPRER Q CASTITATEM
VIVSQCARITATEMSERVAVIQVIA
10ETENIMISAMEMEREBATVRQVIME
TAMCASTEDILIGEBATVIXIADQSIM
PLICITERINCVIVSOPVDOREM
NEMONECIACTARENEQAPVTCARO
MARITOINODIARIPOTVI
OQCVM
15QTVSANCTAFEMINAPOTVERIS
TAMCASTEVIVERESCIOENIMPOS
SETECAREDILIGISIMEO Q RITOCAS
TITATIVIVASQVIAEGOPOSTMEVM Q
OBITVMMVLTORVMANNORVM
20MEMORIAMARITORELI
SEDAGO
SVPERISGRATIAS
QVODDVMQEO
VIVERENILVOLVPTATIBVSMEIS
NEGAVITQVIAETIPSAMERVERA
SEVERAAVGSERVAPIAVIXANXX
25IIIIMVIDIEXI    HSE      
        FECITMERENTICONIVX
Dis M(anibus) s(acrum).

Tu, quicumq(ue) pius vel inbenig-
nus,
legens eit<ul>um ((Q)) meo, fles ae-
tatem maequae aute<m> non debui
5talem ((Q)) lucem nec tales superos
linquere, quare{m}que dicis: fui enim
hobes caro sponso, cuius ((Q)) mo-
res timida, semp{r}er ((Q)) castitatem
<h>uiusq(ue) caritatem servavi; quia
10{et}enim is a me merebatur; qui me
tam caste diligebat. Vixi ad q(uem) sim-
pliciter, in cuius O pudorem
nemo nec iactare, neq(ue) aput caro
marito inodiari potui.
-
O q(uae)cum-
15q(ue) tu, sancta femina, potueris
tam caste vivere. Scio enim pos-
se te care diligi, si meo ((Q)) rito cas-
titati<s> vivas, quia ego post meum ((Q))
obitum multorum annorum
20memoria<m> marito reli<qui>;
sed ago
superis gratias,
quod dum q(u)eo
vivere, nil voluptatibus meis
negavit, quia et ipsa meruera<m>.
Severa, Aug(usti) serva, pia, vix(it) an(nos) XX-
25IIII, m(enses) VI, die(s) XI. ( vac. 2) H(ic) s(ita) e(st). ( vac. 3)
( vac. 4) Fecit merenti coniux.
Dis M(anibus) s(acrum).

Tu, quicumq(ue) pius vel inbenignus,

legens eit<ul>um ((Q)) meo,
fles aetatem maequae aute<m>
non debui talem ((Q)) lucem
nec tales superos
linquere, quare{m}que dicis:
fui enim hobes caro sponso,
cuius ((Q)) mores timida, semp{r}er ((Q))
castitatem <h>uiusq(ue) caritatem servavi;
quia {et}enim is a me merebatur;
qui me tam caste diligebat.
Vixi ad q(uem) simpliciter,
in cuius O pudorem nemo nec iactare,
neq(ue) aput caro marito inodiari potui.
O q(uae)cumq(ue) tu, sancta femina, potueris tam caste vivere. Scio enim posse te care diligi, si meo ((Q)) rito castitati<s> vivas, quia ego post meum ((Q)) obitum multorum annorum memoria<m> marito reli<qui>;

sed ago superis gratias,
quod dum q(u)eo vivere, nil voluptatibus meis negavit, quia et ipsa meruera<m>. Severa, Aug(usti) serva, pia, vix(it) an(nos) XXIIII, m(enses) VI, die(s) XI. ( vac. 2) H(ic) s(ita) e(st). ( vac. 3) ( vac. 4) Fecit merenti coniux.
Apparatus

l.3 reg., orig. meo
l.4 reg., orig. maequae
l.7 reg., orig. hobes
l.13 reg., orig. aput | reg., orig. caro
l.14 reg., orig. marito
l.17 reg., orig. rito
l.22 reg., orig. nil
l.26 reg., orig. coniux

Text follows Butini. Picture checked by Spalla 2025.
l. 3: leges, Bianchi. fles, Bianchi.
ll. 3-4: ae/tat[e]m meque. A[n]te, CIL.
l. 4: mae(stus), CLE; ILTun. mae(am), Hamdoune.
l. 6: Qua re<m>?, CIL. quaeris?, CLE; ILTun. Qua re{m}?, Bianchi.
l. 7: hob(oedi)e(n)s, CIL. {h}o⌜p⌝es, Hamdoune.
l. 8: et castitatem, Bianchi.
l. 11: advixi, CIL. vixi ad que(m)?, CLE. atque vixi, Bianchi. ad(ae)q(ue), Hamdoune.
l. 12: pudore, Bianchi.
ll.14-15: Q(uae)cum/q(ue) tu (es), CIL.
l. 16: Scito, CLE; Bianchi.
l. 17: ritu, Bianchi.
l. 20: reli(nquo), Hamdoune.
ll. 21-22: dum e[g]o viver[em], CIL; Bianchi. dum q(um) eo / viver(em), Hamdoune.
{Q} and {O}: paragraphoi. {Q} could represent hederae, Hamdoune.

Main Translation

Translation (This monument is) sacred to the Dei Manes. Whoever you are, good or un-benevolent, that while reading my inscription mourn for my age because I shouldn’t have left such life and such living ones, and say “why”: I was indeed the treasure of (my) dear husband of which I, being fearful of him, have preserved the habits, the chastity, and his affection; and this is exactly because, he was deserving me, he who loved me so chastely (sc. I have made this because he was deserving it since he loved me…). I lived honestly beside him, (so that) nobody (could) publicly speak against his modesty, and I could not be hated at the (solely) presence of (my) dear husband.
O whoever you are, pious woman (sc. taking my place beside my husband), may you live as chastely (as me). In fact, I know that you (too) could be loved dearly if you follow my ritual of chastity, because, after my death, I left to (my/your?) husband a memory of many years; by the way, I thank the upper gods because as long as I could live, he never denied anything to my pleasures, because I was deserving it myself.
Severa slave of the emperor, pious, lived twenty-four years, six months, eleven days. Here she lies. (Her) husband made (this tomb) up for her since she deserved it.
Citation M. Butini

Other Translations

Prosopographical Information

  • NameSevera
    GenderFemale
    Age RangeAdult (21–60) [expression: Canonical, precision: high]
    Legal StatusSlave
    RoleDedicatee

Further Information

Comment

Dating proposed by Lassère.

Squeeze

Have Squeeze? no

Dating

Date (From) 101 AD
Date (To) 200 AD
Date (Criteria)
  • archaeology
  • formulae

Bibliography

Images

  • Epitaph of the imperial slave Severa by her husband.

    Epitaph of the imperial slave Severa by her husband.

    Source: EDCS-25002134 (c) Corpus Inscriptionum Latinarum - BBAW

Editing History

Created 2025-11-18, by Fabio Spalla
Work Status Complete
Import Notice
Revisions
  1. by Fabio Spalla
    at 2025-10-13 08:42
  2. by Fabio Spalla
    at 2025-10-13 08:59
  3. by Fabio Spalla
    at 2025-10-13 09:34
  4. by Fabio Spalla
    at 2025-10-13 09:54
  5. by Fabio Spalla
    at 2025-10-13 09:56
  6. by Chiara Cenati
    at 2025-10-19 13:40
  7. by Fabio Spalla
    at 2025-11-11 10:39
  8. by Fabio Spalla
    at 2025-11-11 10:46
  9. by Fabio Spalla
    at 2025-11-11 10:47
  10. by Chiara Cenati
    at 2025-11-18 13:33
  11. by Chiara Cenati
    at 2025-11-18 13:38
  12. by Chiara Cenati
    at 2025-11-18 13:38
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