Inscriptions: Epitaph of Iulia Callo by her husband C.Iulius, freedwoman and freedman of king Juba

Identification

Reference as:	MPL00807
Title	Epitaph of Iulia Callo by her husband C.Iulius, freedwoman and freedman of king Juba
Trismegistos-No.	203351

Object

Provenance and Location

Find Place	Caesarea
Find Context	Western necropolis of the El Kantara wadi, 1960.
Latitude	0.0
Longitude	0.0
Current Location	Cherchell, Musée Public National de Cherchell
Inventory number
Current Location Details
Vicinity	[{"coords": [36.6073, 2.18683], "id": 807, "item_url": "https://db.mappola.eu/r/Inscriptions/show/807", "long_id": "MPL00807", "place": "Caesarea", "text": "Iuliae reg\u0323[is [---] l(ibertae) Calloni] C(aius) I\u2026", "thumbnail_url": "https://ccj-epicherchel.huma-num.fr/interface/phototheque/125/112988_det.jpg", "title": "Epitaph of Iulia Callo by her husband C.Iulius, freedwoman and freedman of king Juba"}, {"coords": [36.6073, 2.18683], "id": 808, "item_url": "https://db.mappola.eu/r/Inscriptions/show/808", "long_id": "MPL00808", "place": "Caesarea", "text": "[Hic eg]o quae iaceo fatis sum rapta sinistris. [S\u2026", "thumbnail_url": "https://db.edcs.eu/epigr/bilder/$AE_1985_00958.jpg", "title": "Epitaph of an unknown girl from Caesarea"}, {"coords": [36.6073, 2.18683], "id": 809, "item_url": "https://db.mappola.eu/r/Inscriptions/show/809", "long_id": "MPL00809", "place": "Caesarea", "text": "[\u2066 - - - - - - - - - - \u2069] n(um) X [---] dolere nol\u2026", "thumbnail_url": null, "title": "Epitaph from Caesarea \u2013 Cherchell (Mauretania Caesariensis) - HD002885"}, {"coords": [36.6073, 2.18683], "id": 2239, "item_url": "https://db.mappola.eu/r/Inscriptions/show/2239", "long_id": "MPL02239", "place": "Caesarea", "text": "Salvius. Duo. Bis denos vitae qu[i compleverat\u2026", "thumbnail_url": "https://books.openedition.org/efr/file/3201/tei/img-2.jpg/download/1500", "title": "Epitaph of the slave Salvius"}, {"coords": [36.6073, 2.18683], "id": 2244, "item_url": "https://db.mappola.eu/r/Inscriptions/show/2244", "long_id": "MPL02244", "place": "Caesarea", "text": "Philo, L(uci) Vibi Secundi vern(a). Vibius Gemellu\u2026", "thumbnail_url": null, "title": "Epitaph of the verna Philo by his father Vibius Gemellus"}, {"coords": [36.5942, 2.44192], "id": 210, "item_url": "https://db.mappola.eu/r/Inscriptions/show/210", "long_id": "MPL00210", "place": "Tipasa", "text": "Hic iacet egregia meritis et gratia morum, nobilis\u2026", "thumbnail_url": "https://db.edcs.eu/epigr/bilder/$ER_CLE_01836.jpg", "title": "Funerary inscription for Astania"}, {"coords": [36.5942, 2.44192], "id": 388, "item_url": "https://db.mappola.eu/r/Inscriptions/show/388", "long_id": "MPL00388", "place": "Tipasa", "text": "Si quis ut vivat quaerit addisc-cere semper, hic l\u2026", "thumbnail_url": "https://db.edcs.eu/epigr/bilder/$EDCS-26500017.jpg", "title": "Mosaic inscription from a baptistery "}, {"coords": [36.5942, 2.44192], "id": 391, "item_url": "https://db.mappola.eu/r/Inscriptions/show/391", "long_id": "MPL00391", "place": "Tipasa", "text": "Vivite felices quibu[s] haec sunt condita tecta, s\u2026", "thumbnail_url": null, "title": "Didactic mosaic from Tipasa"}, {"coords": [36.5942, 2.44192], "id": 397, "item_url": "https://db.mappola.eu/r/Inscriptions/show/397", "long_id": "MPL00397", "place": "Tipasa", "text": "Resurrectionem carnis futuram esse qui credit. Ang\u2026", "thumbnail_url": "https://db.edcs.eu/epigr/bilder.php?s_language=it\u0026bild=$Zarker_00073.jpg", "title": "Mosaic inscription on the Resurrection"}, {"coords": [36.5942, 2.44192], "id": 398, "item_url": "https://db.mappola.eu/r/Inscriptions/show/398", "long_id": "MPL00398", "place": "Tipasa", "text": "Quisquis es Christianus ad sublimia vere qui tendi\u2026", "thumbnail_url": null, "title": "Mosaic inscription on the importance of charity"}, {"coords": [36.5942, 2.44192], "id": 399, "item_url": "https://db.mappola.eu/r/Inscriptions/show/399", "long_id": "MPL00399", "place": "Tipasa", "text": "Suscipit eximium sublimis regia caeli Basilium mer\u2026", "thumbnail_url": null, "title": "Epitaph of Basilius"}, {"coords": [36.7245, 3.55632], "id": 400, "item_url": "https://db.mappola.eu/r/Inscriptions/show/400", "long_id": "MPL00400", "place": "beni A\u00efcha hill", "text": "EPIDOC IS INVALID; UPDATE WITH WELL-FORMED XML", "thumbnail_url": null, "title": "The inscription from the beni A\u00efcha hill"}, {"coords": [36.5942, 2.44192], "id": 403, "item_url": "https://db.mappola.eu/r/Inscriptions/show/403", "long_id": "MPL00403", "place": "Tipasa", "text": "Alexander episcopu[s l]egibus ipsis altaribus natu\u2026", "thumbnail_url": null, "title": "Epitaph of the bishop Alexander"}, {"coords": [36.5942, 2.44192], "id": 405, "item_url": "https://db.mappola.eu/r/Inscriptions/show/405", "long_id": "MPL00405", "place": "Tipasa", "text": "Qui potuit cunctos operum superare labores explici\u2026", "thumbnail_url": null, "title": "Mosaic inscription about some work of rearrangement in Tipasa"}, {"coords": [36.241, 1.64184], "id": 406, "item_url": "https://db.mappola.eu/r/Inscriptions/show/406", "long_id": "MPL00406", "place": "Tigava", "text": "Memorie Aurelie Tistciae, qui istitit sepultura. E\u2026", "thumbnail_url": null, "title": "Epitaph of Aurelia Tistcia"}, {"coords": [36.1444, 3.69127], "id": 411, "item_url": "https://db.mappola.eu/r/Inscriptions/show/411", "long_id": "MPL00411", "place": "Auzia", "text": "Sumptibus e propriis Felix Calvusque gratantes han\u2026", "thumbnail_url": null, "title": "An altar to Phoebus"}, {"coords": [36.5942, 2.44192], "id": 412, "item_url": "https://db.mappola.eu/r/Inscriptions/show/412", "long_id": "MPL00412", "place": "Tipasa", "text": "\u039c\u03b1\u03c4\u03c1\u03ce\u03bd\u03b1\u03bd \u03c4\u03ae\u03bd\u03b4\u1fbd(\u03b5)\u03b9-\u03c3\u03bf\u03c1\u1fb7\u03c2 \u03c4\u1f74\u03bd \u1f14\u03bd\u03b5\u03bd\u03ba\u03b1\u03bd \u03b3-\u03bd\u03af[\u03c3]\u03b9\u03bf\u03b9 \u03c0\u03bf\u2026", "thumbnail_url": null, "title": "Funerary inscription for Maxima"}, {"coords": [36.5942, 2.44192], "id": 798, "item_url": "https://db.mappola.eu/r/Inscriptions/show/798", "long_id": "MPL00798", "place": "Tipasa", "text": "Alto labsa loco, casu defuncta nefando. Primis rap\u2026", "thumbnail_url": "https://db.edcs.eu/epigr/bilder/$JL_AE_1982_00984.jpg", "title": "Epitaph of Fidentia by her father Fidentius"}, {"coords": [36.2964, 3.66993], "id": 855, "item_url": "https://db.mappola.eu/r/Inscriptions/show/855", "long_id": "MPL00855", "place": "A\u00efn-Bessem", "text": "Balnea rura domus fec[it C]onstantius auctor et fe\u2026", "thumbnail_url": null, "title": "Inscription from A\u00efn-Bessem, bei (Mauretania Caesariensis) - HD023151"}]

Object Details

Object Type	slab
Material	marble
State of Preservation	incomplete
Dimensions	width: 23.0 cm height: 24.0 cm depth: 5.0 cm
Letter Size in cm (min)	0.8
Letter Size in cm (max)	5.5
Execution Technique	chiselled
Religion	Pagan

Decoration

Decoration and Iconography
Decoration Tags

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)	Centered
Scriptio Continua in verse part	no
Abbreviations in verse part	no
Verse Line Correspondence	Yes
Graphic Signs and Spaces for Easier Carmen Reading	To mark a pentameter in an elegiac couplet (indentation)

Text

Function	funerary inscription
Language(s)	Latin
Verse Type(s)	Elegiac couplet
Rhythmisation	Quantitative scheme

Inscription & Translations

Diplomatic Interpretative Verse Visualisation

IVLIAERE.[]
CIVLIVSREGIS[---]

HOSPESQVITVMVLVMHVN[---]
SINONFORTEGRAVEST[---]
5HICCALLOIACEOTELLVREA[---]
FINIBVSITALIAELVCISAD[---]
CONIVNXSADSVPEROSREM[---]
ETFRATERQVORVMESTLVCT[---]
IGNOTISCARA[]NVLLINONGR[---]:
10QVISOBITVSNOSTERESTSIN[---]
NVNCHOSPESTITVLOHOCLECTO[---]
DISCEDENS:CALLOSITTIBITE[]

ET[]

Iuliae reg̣[is [---] l(ibertae) Calloni]
C(aius) Iulius regis [---]

Hospes qui tumulum hun[c ---]
si non forte gravest ḍ[---].
5Hic, Callo, iaceo tellure aṣ[---]
finibus Italiae lucis ad[---].
Coniunxs ad superos rem [---]
et frater quorum est luct[us ---].
Ignotis cara [e]ṭ nulli non gr[ata ---]:
10quis obitus noster est sin[---].
Nunc, hospes, titulo hoc lecto [dic---]
discedens: Callo, sit tibi teṛ[ra levis].

Et [tu].

Iuliae reg̣[is [---] l(ibertae) Calloni] C(aius) Iulius regis [---]

Hospes qui tumulum hun[c ---]
si non forte gravest ḍ[---].
Hic, Callo, iaceo tellure aṣ[---]
finibus Italiae lucis ad[---].
Coniunxs ad superos rem [---]
et frater quorum est luct[us ---].
Ignotis cara [e]ṭ nulli non gr[ata ---]:
quis obitus noster est sin[---].
Nunc, hospes, titulo hoc lecto [dic---]
discedens: Callo, sit tibi teṛ[ra levis].

Et [tu].

Apparatus

l.4 reg., orig. gravest
l.7 reg., orig. Coniunxs
l.12 reg., orig. discedens

Text follows Hamdoune. Picture checked by Spalla 2025.
Metrics according to M. Griffe (in Hamdoune).
l. 1: reg̣[is Iubae ou Ptolemaei l(ibertae) Calloni,], Leveau.
l. 2: regis [Iubae ou Ptolemaei l(ibertus) ---], Leveau. regiṣ [--- l(ibertus)] (?), CLE. regis [[– – –] l(ibertus) [– – –]], Hamdoune.
l. 3: hun[c vidis,], Leveau. hun[c excelsum respicis, oro], Meyers (in Hamdoune). hun[c vides,], CLEAfr. hun[c contemplas ---], CLE.
l. 4: d[isce], Leveau. d[icere, pauca lege], Meyers (in Hamdoune). d[isce ---], CLE.
l. 5: as[pera], Leveau. as[cita frigida, numquam], Meyers (in Hamdoune). aṣ[p(e)ra ---], CLE.
l. 6: ad[olesco], Leveau. ad[ibo viam], Meyers (in Hamdoune). a[dolevi], CLEAfr. ad[---], CLE.
l. 7: rem[eavi rapta sinistris], Meyers (in Hamdoune). remẹ[avi (?) ---], CLE.
l. 8: luc[tus], Leveau. et (ut?) frater, quorum est luct[us acerbus dolo], Meyers (in Hamdoune).luc[tus ---], CLE.
l. 9: gr[ata], Leveau. gr[ata remansi], Meyers (in Hamdoune). gr[ata ---], CLE.
l. 10: sin[ister], Leveau. sin[e tristitia?], Meyers (in Hamdoune).
l. 11: lecto [dic], Leveau. lecto, [dic mihi, quaeso], Meyers (in Hamdoune).
l. 13: Et, larger letters inscribed to the left of the poem.

Main Translation

Translation	To Iulia Callo, freedwoman of king Juba, Caius Iulius, freedman of the king, made this. Passer-by, who ... this tomb ... If it does not cause you trouble ... out loud (?) ... I, Callo, lie here in a land ... to the land of Italy ... of light ... While married I reached the gods above ... and my brother too, for the mourning of both of us ... Always dear to strangers and never wicked with anyone: to whom is our death without ... Now, stranger, when this inscription is read, say: "Callo, may the earth be light upon you". And farewell to you too!
Citation	Fabio Spalla

Other Translations

À Iulia Callo, affranchie du roi Juba, C. Iulius [---], affranchi du roi Juba. Passant, toi qui vois ce noble tombeau je t’en prie, si ce n’est pas trop pénible de les prononcer, lis ces quelques vers. Ici, moi Callo, je repose froide dans une terre adoptive. Jamais je ne reprendrai le chemin de la lumière sur le territoire de l’Italie. Alors que j’étais mariée, j’ai rejoint les dieux d’en haut, arrachée par un funeste sort, comme mon frère, nous dont le deuil est une cruelle douleur. J’ai toujours été chère à ceux qui m’étaient étrangers, et aimable pour tous : à qui notre mort est-elle sans tristesse ? Maintenant, passant, une fois cette inscription lue, dis pour moi, s’il te plaît, en partant : Callo, que la terre te soit légère. (French , J. Meyers, C. Hamdoune)

Prosopographical Information

Name Iulia Callo
Gender Female
Origin Foreign
Legal Status Freedman / Freedwoman
Role Dedicatee
Name Juba
Gender Male
Rank Rulers (foreign)
Name Caius Iulius
Gender Male
Legal Status Freedman / Freedwoman
Role Dedicator

Name	Iulia Callo
Gender	Female
Origin	Foreign
Legal Status	Freedman / Freedwoman
Role	Dedicatee

Name	Juba
Gender	Male
Rank	Rulers (foreign)

Name	Caius Iulius
Gender	Male
Legal Status	Freedman / Freedwoman
Role	Dedicator

Further Information

Comment

Dating proposed by Leveau.

Squeeze

Have Squeeze?	no

Dating

Date (From)	1 AD
Date (To)	50 AD
Date (Criteria)	names

Bibliography

CLEAfr 00233
CLE 02870
P. Leveau, Nouvelles inscriptions de Cherchel, 3, Bull. Arch. Alg. 7 (1977-1979), 149, nr. 244 (with photo, fig. 28; also on dating) - AE 1985 🔗 link
AE 1985, 00956
P. Cugusi, M. T. Sblendorio Cugusi, I Carmina Latina Epigraphica non-bücheleriani delle province africane. Introduzione al tema, materiali preparatori, edizione di testi, aspetti e problemi, Bologna 2012, 82. 🔗 link
C. Hamdoune, Les distiques élégiaques de Césarée et la Familia des rois de Maurétanie, Ant. Afr. 49 (2013), 5-7 (with French translation and photo, 6, fig. 1; also on metre) - AE 2013 🔗 link
AE 2013, 02163
EDCS-08300653 🔗 link
HD002876 🔗 link
EpiCherchell I 023 🔗 link
MQDQ 🔗 link

Images

Epitaph of Iulia Callo by her husband Caius Iulius, freedwoman and freedman of king Juba.
Source: EpiCherchell I 023 (c) Centre Camille Jullian

Editing History

Created	2025-12-18, by Eric Andreas Kunz
Work Status	Complete
Import Notice	Imported from Epigraphische Datenbank Heidelberg at 2024-07-11T11:58:49, ID there: HD002876

Revisions

by Unknown
at 2024-07-11 11:58
by Eric Andreas Kunz
at 2024-07-27 10:48
by Eric Andreas Kunz
at 2024-07-27 10:49
by Anna Pokorny
at 2025-01-29 14:49
by Fabio Spalla
at 2025-10-06 10:00
by Fabio Spalla
at 2025-10-06 10:21
by Fabio Spalla
at 2025-10-06 10:24
by Chiara Cenati
at 2025-10-10 11:55
by Fabio Spalla
at 2025-10-23 06:30
by Fabio Spalla
at 2025-12-15 06:41
by Chiara Cenati
at 2025-12-18 17:20
by Chiara Cenati
at 2025-12-18 17:23

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