Inscriptions: Funerary inscription for Secundus
Identification
| Reference as: | MPL00418 |
|---|---|
| Title | Funerary inscription for Secundus |
| Trismegistos-No. | 204088 |
Object
Provenance and Location
| Find Place | Sitifis |
|---|---|
| Find Context | The epitaph was found east of Sétif. |
| Latitude | 36.1921 |
| Longitude | 5.40418 |
| Current Location | |
| Inventory number | |
| Current Location Details | |
| Vicinity |
Object Details
| Object Type | slab |
|---|---|
| Material | limestone |
| State of Preservation | complete |
| Dimensions |
width: 70.0 cm height: 70.0 cm depth: 14.0 cm |
| Letter Size in cm (min) | 4.0 |
| Letter Size in cm (max) | 5.0 |
| Execution Technique | incised |
| Religion | Pagan |
Decoration
| Decoration and Iconography | |
|---|---|
| Decoration Tags |
|
Verse Layouts
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Prose Verse Presence Verse Scriptio Continua in verse part no Abbreviations in verse part no Verse Line Correspondence Yes
Text
| Function | funerary inscription |
|---|---|
| Language(s) |
|
| Verse Type(s) |
|
| Rhythmisation | Quantitative scheme |
Inscription & Translations
SIPARVIVENDIREPARATVRGRATIAMANES
ENQVIPERHELYSIOSHABEATMETACVLACAMPOS
CVIPATERASVPERISMVLTOSCVMPOSCERETANNOS
VLTERIVSFATAVETVERVNTVOTAPARENTIS
5NAMVIGINTIPVERVIXITLAVDABILISANNIS
DEPRIMOMENSEMRAPVITSORSIMPIAFATI
VTTAMENAGNOSCASQVISHACREQVIESCATINVRNA
SVMMATIMVERSVSCONSIDERASEDCAPITATIM
Si par vivendi reparatur gratia, Manes,
En qui per Helysios habeat metacula campos.
Cui pater a superis multos cum posceret annos.
Vlterius fata vetuerunt vota parentis
5Nam viginti puer vixit laudabilis annis
De primo mensem rapuit sors impia Fati.
Vt tamen agnoscas quis hac requiescat in urna
Summatim versus considera sed capitatim.
Si par vivendi reparatur gratia, Manes,
En qui per Helysios habeat metacula campos.
Cui pater a superis multos cum posceret annos.
Vlterius fata vetuerunt vota parentis
Nam viginti puer vixit laudabilis annis
De primo mensem rapuit sors impia Fati.
Vt tamen agnoscas quis hac requiescat in urna
Summatim versus considera sed capitatim.
Apparatus
Text follows CLEAfrique.
ll. 1-8: the name SECVNDVS can be read in the acrostic.
Main Translation
| Translation | O Manes, whether favours are allotted according to the life of a person, here there is a man who deserves to tread on the Elysian Fields. And although his father begged the gods to grant him a long life, the destiny opposed the vows of the parent; for the praiseworthy boy lived twenty years: the cruel Fate caught him on the first month of his twenty-first year. Nonetheless, so that you recognize the man who rests in this urn, examine the verses as a whole, but focus on the initials. |
|---|---|
| Citation | Mirko Tasso |
Other Translations
- O Mani, se esiste una giusta ricompensa per ciò che si è vissuto, eccovi uno che merita di calpestare i Campi Elisi. Sebbene il padre avesse chiesto agli dèi molti anni per lui, il destino ha posto un termine ai voti del genitore, visto che il fanciullo, invero degno di encomi, ha vissuto vent’anni. Un mese dopo aver compiuto gli anni, la sorte ingiusta voluta dal destino l’ha portato via. Nondimeno, affinché tu conosca l’identità di chi riposa in questa urna, osserva l’insieme di questi versi, volgendo la tua attenzione alle prime lettere. (Italian, Tasso 2024)
Prosopographical Information
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Name Secundus Gender Male Age Range Subadult (13–20) [expression: Canonical, precision: high] Legal Status Roman citizen Role Dedicatee
Further Information
Comment
Squeeze
| Have Squeeze? | no |
|---|
Dating
| Date (From) | 301 AD |
|---|---|
| Date (To) | 400 AD |
| Date (Criteria) |
|
Bibliography
- J. Zarker, Studies in the Carmina Latina Epigraphica, Princeton 1958, 81. 🔗 link
- C. Hamdoune, Vie, mort et poésie dans l'Afrique romaine d'après un choix de Carmina Latina Epigraphica, Bruxelles 2011, no. 140. 🔗 link
- CLEAfr 02, 00170
- AE 1925, 00041
- E. Albertini, Seance de la commission de l'Afrique du Nord, Bulletin archéologique du Comité des travaux historiques et scientifiques (1924), 173-179 🔗 link
- M. Tasso, Dio, gli dèi e il divino: religione, credenza e identità nelle iscrizioni versificate del Nord Africa romano, Wien 2024, 441, 5. 🔗 link
- MQDQ 🔗 link
Images
Editing History
| Created | 2026-08-18, by Mirko Tasso |
|---|---|
| Work Status | Complete |
| Import Notice |
Revisions
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by Mirko Tasso
at 2023-09-08 12:13 -
by Mirko Tasso
at 2023-09-08 12:43 -
by Mirko Tasso
at 2023-09-08 12:45 -
by Mirko Tasso
at 2023-09-08 13:06 -
by Mirko Tasso
at 2023-09-08 13:07 -
by Mirko Tasso
at 2023-09-08 13:14 -
by Mirko Tasso
at 2023-09-13 11:18 -
by Mirko Tasso
at 2023-09-13 11:28 -
by Anna Pokorny
at 2026-03-06 13:41 -
by Anna Pokorny
at 2026-03-06 13:52 -
by Anna Pokorny
at 2026-03-06 13:52 -
by Anna Pokorny
at 2026-03-06 13:54 -
by Chiara Cenati
at 2026-03-09 11:55 -
by Chiara Cenati
at 2026-03-09 11:59 -
by Chiara Cenati
at 2026-03-09 12:00 -
by Anna Pokorny
at 2026-03-10 13:40 -
by Chiara Cenati
at 2026-03-10 13:53 -
by Anna Pokorny
at 2026-03-11 12:39 -
by Anna Martelli
at 2026-08-18 11:01