Inscriptions: Dedication to Liber Pater

Identification

Reference as:	MPL00383
Title	Dedication to Liber Pater
Trismegistos-No.	199557

Object

Provenance and Location

Find Place	Leptis Magna
Find Context	The inscription was discovered in 1934 at the Forum Vetus (more specifically in the exedra at its southeastern angle).
Latitude	32.638
Longitude	14.2914
Current Location	Leptis Magna, Forum Vetus
Inventory number
Current Location Details
Vicinity	[{"coords": [32.638, 14.2914], "id": 383, "item_url": "https://db.mappola.eu/r/Inscriptions/show/383", "long_id": "MPL00383", "place": "Leptis Magna", "text": "Iouigena Liber Pater uotum quod destinaueram Lari \u2026", "thumbnail_url": "https://irt2021.inslib.kcl.ac.uk/images/wp0351.jpg", "title": "Dedication to Liber Pater"}, {"coords": [32.638, 14.2914], "id": 435, "item_url": "https://db.mappola.eu/r/Inscriptions/show/435", "long_id": "MPL00435", "place": "Leptis Magna", "text": "Sum Liber, Amorq(ue) deus et pulcher Apollo.", "thumbnail_url": null, "title": "Dedication for an image of Liber Pater, Amor, and Apollo"}, {"coords": [32.638, 14.2914], "id": 436, "item_url": "https://db.mappola.eu/r/Inscriptions/show/436", "long_id": "MPL00436", "place": "Leptis Magna", "text": "\u0394\u03bf\u03c5\u03bb\u03ba\u1fd6\u03c4\u03b9\u00b7 \u0395\u1f30\u03ba\u1f79\u03bd\u03b1 \u03c7\u03b1\u03bb\u03ba\u03b5\u1f79\u03c4\u03b5\u03c5\u03ba\u03c4\u03bf\u03bd \u1f10\u03b8\u1f75\u03ba\u03b1\u03c4\u03bf \u03c4\u1f75\u03bd\u03b4\u03b5 \u03a3\u03b5\u03c1\u1f73\u03bd\u2026", "thumbnail_url": null, "title": "Honorary epigram on the base of a statue for Aurelius Sempronius Serenus Dulcitius"}, {"coords": [32.638, 14.2914], "id": 844, "item_url": "https://db.mappola.eu/r/Inscriptions/show/844", "long_id": "MPL00844", "place": "Leptis Magna", "text": "Sum Liber Amorq(ue) deus et pulcher Apollo", "thumbnail_url": null, "title": "Votive inscription from Lepcis Magna \u2013 Al Khums (Africa Proconsularis) - HD018194"}, {"coords": [32.638, 14.2914], "id": 845, "item_url": "https://db.mappola.eu/r/Inscriptions/show/845", "long_id": "MPL00845", "place": "Leptis Magna", "text": "Iovigena Liber Pater votum quod destinaveram Lari \u2026", "thumbnail_url": null, "title": "Votive inscription from Lepcis Magna \u2013 Al Khums (Africa Proconsularis) - HD018197"}, {"coords": [32.638, 14.2914], "id": 1057, "item_url": "https://db.mappola.eu/r/Inscriptions/show/1057", "long_id": "MPL01057", "place": "Leptis Magna", "text": "[\u0394[---]] [\u039f[---]] [\u03a5[---]]\u0394[---] [\u039b[---]]\u039a\u03a4\u0395\u0391[---]\u2026", "thumbnail_url": null, "title": "Votive inscription from Lepcis Magna \u2013 Al Khums (Africa Proconsularis) - HD067618"}, {"coords": [32.8976, 13.1753], "id": 382, "item_url": "https://db.mappola.eu/r/Inscriptions/show/382", "long_id": "MPL00382", "place": "Oea", "text": "Liber Pater s[a]nctissime arcem [hanc q]ui\u0323 p\u0323ossi\u2026", "thumbnail_url": "https://irt2021.inslib.kcl.ac.uk/images/wp0286.jpg", "title": "Votive inscription for Liber Pater"}, {"coords": [32.805, 12.4854], "id": 443, "item_url": "https://db.mappola.eu/r/Inscriptions/show/443", "long_id": "MPL00443", "place": "Sabratha", "text": "Concesit fort[unam] michi tam gra[to] gratia inpro\u2026", "thumbnail_url": null, "title": "Invocation on a mosaic"}]

Object Details

Object Type	base
Material	marble
State of Preservation	complete
Dimensions	width: 82.0 cm height: 102.0 cm depth: 47.0 cm
Letter Size in cm (min)	4.0
Letter Size in cm (max)	4.0
Execution Technique	chiselled
Religion	Pagan

Decoration

Decoration and Iconography	The text is inscribed on one face within a moulded panel.
Decoration Tags

Verse Layouts

Text

Function	dedication / votive inscription
Language(s)	Latin
Verse Type(s)	Iambic quaternarius
Rhythmisation	Quantitative scheme

Inscription & Translations

Diplomatic Interpretative Verse Visualisation

IOVIGENALIBERPATER
VOTVMQVODDESTINAVERAM
LARISEVERIPATRIO
IOVIGENAESOLISMEI
5PVDENSPATERPROFILIO
OBTRIBVNATVSCANDIDAM
ETOBPRAETVRAMPROXIMAM
TANTAMQVEINNOSPRINCIPP
CONLATAMINDVLGENTIAM
10CONPESVOTORVMOMNIVM
DENTESDVOSLVCAEBOVIS
INDORVMTVORVMDICO

Iouigena Liber Pater
uotum quod destinaueram
Lari Seueri patrio
Iouigenae solis mei
5Pudens pater pro filio
ob tribunatus candidam
et ob praeturam proximam
tantamque in nos principp(um)
conlatam indulgentiam
10conpes uotorum omnium
dentes duos Lucae bouis
Indorum tuorum dico

Iouigena Liber Pater
uotum quod destinaueram
Lari Seueri patrio
Iouigenae solis mei
Pudens pater pro filio
ob tribunatus candidam
et ob praeturam proximam
tantamque in nos principp(um)
conlatam indulgentiam
conpes uotorum omnium
dentes duos Lucae bouis
Indorum tuorum dico

Apparatus

Text follows IRT 295. Checked against image by Mirko Tasso in 2024.

Main Translation

Translation	O Liber Pater, son of Jupiter! The offering which I had destined for the Lar of the homeland of Severus, the son of Jupiter and my sun, I, Pudens, the father, (sc. paid) on behalf of my son, on account of his candidature for the tribunate, his future praetorship, and the great indulgence which the two principes have conferred on us: as an offering that comprises all that I have vowed, I dedicate two elephant tusks from your own Indian animals.
Citation	Mirko Tasso (based on J. M. Reynolds)

Other Translations

(scil. Statue of) Liber Pater, son of Jupiter, the offering which I had destined for the Lar of the home city of Severus, the son of Jupiter, who is my sun, my father Pudens (scil. paid) on behalf of his son, on account of my candidature for the tribunate (scil. at Rome) and my subsequent praetorship and the great indulgence which the two principes have conferred on us; as an offering which comprises all that I have vowed I dedicate two elephant tusks from your own Indian animals (English, J. M. Reynolds 1952)
Liber Pater, né de Jupiter!
En exécution du voeu que j'avais adressé
au lare familial de Sévère,
mon Soleil né de Jupiter,
moi, Pudens, un père au nom de son fils,
pour sa recommandation au tribunat,
la préture qui va venir et
l'extrême bienveillance
que nous ont témoignée les princes,
voyant tous mes voeux exaucés
je consacre les deux défenses
d'un éléphant de tes chères Indes. (French )

Prosopographical Information

Name Pudens (Sicinius Pudens?)
Gender Male
Age Range Adult (21–60) [precision: undetermined]
Origin Native
Legal Status Roman citizen
Role Dedicator

Name	Pudens (Sicinius Pudens?)
Gender	Male
Age Range	Adult (21–60) [precision: undetermined]
Origin	Native
Legal Status	Roman citizen
Role	Dedicator

Name	Q. Sicinius Clarus Pontianus (?)
Gender	Male
Age Range	Adult (21–60) [precision: undetermined]
Origin	Native
Legal Status	Roman citizen
Rank	Ordo senatorius
Profession	Imperial and municipal staff
Role	Dedicatee

Further Information

Comment

Guey 1952 suggests that the dedicator might be Apuleius' stepson Sicinius Pudens (PIR2, S. 702), whilst the dedicatee might be Q. Sicinius Clarus Po[ntianus] (PIR2, S. 699), who was legatus pro praetore in Thrace in 202.

Squeeze

Have Squeeze?	no

Dating

Date (From)	193 AD
Date (To)	211 AD
Date (Criteria)	formulae

Bibliography

IRT 295
Zarker 23
CLEAfr 1
CLE 2714
AE 1942/43, 2
J. Guey, Lepcitana septimiana VI, 4 - L'offrande éléphantine et les vers de Pudens, père d'un sénateur romain, RAfr. 96 (1952), 25-43. 🔗 link
D. Pikhaus, Répertoire des inscriptions latines versifiées de l'Afrique romaine (Ier– VIe siècles), Bruxelles 1994, 29-30. 🔗 link
C. Hamdoune, Parure monumentale et paysage dans la poésie épigraphique de l'Afrique romaine: Recueil de carmina latina epigraphica, Bordeaux 2016, 62-65. 🔗 link

Images

Editing History

Created	2024-03-01, by Mirko Tasso
Work Status	Confirmed
Import Notice

Revisions

by Mirko Tasso
at 2023-06-30 08:20
by Mirko Tasso
at 2023-06-30 08:22
by Mirko Tasso
at 2023-06-30 08:22
by Mirko Tasso
at 2023-06-30 08:24
by Mirko Tasso
at 2023-06-30 08:24
by Mirko Tasso
at 2023-06-30 08:29
by Mirko Tasso
at 2023-06-30 08:29
by Mirko Tasso
at 2023-06-30 08:29
by Mirko Tasso
at 2023-06-30 08:35
by Mirko Tasso
at 2023-09-14 10:35
by Mirko Tasso
at 2024-03-01 08:51
by Mirko Tasso
at 2024-03-01 08:53
by Mirko Tasso
at 2024-03-01 08:57
by Mirko Tasso
at 2024-03-01 09:09
by Mirko Tasso
at 2024-03-01 09:09
by Mirko Tasso
at 2024-03-01 09:10
by Mirko Tasso
at 2024-03-01 10:53
by Mirko Tasso
at 2024-03-01 10:54
by Peter Kruschwitz
at 2024-03-01 11:26

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