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Inscriptions: Epitaph of the slave Rodine and her two children by her owner Caius Rulius

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Identification

Reference as: MPL00889
Title Epitaph of the slave Rodine and her two children by her owner Caius Rulius
Trismegistos-No. 210671

Object

Provenance and Location

Find Place Mogontiacum
Find Context Area of the sedimentary basins of the Mainzer Becken, found beside a cinerary urn and two vessels, 1903.
Latitude 0.0
Longitude 0.0
Current Location Mainz, Landesmuseum Mainz
Inventory number S 13
Current Location Details External depot
Vicinity

Object Details

Object Type stele
Material limestone
State of Preservation complete
Dimensions

width: 47.0 cm

height: 123.0 cm

depth: 21.0 cm

Letter Size in cm (min) 2.5
Letter Size in cm (max) 4.0
Execution Technique chiselled
Religion Pagan

Decoration

Decoration and Iconography Inscription within moulded frame, topped by moulded tympanum. On pediment, rosette. On both corners of tympanum slants, tendril-shaped acroteria.
Decoration Tags
  • Architecture / Acroterion
  • Architecture / Moulding
  • Architecture / Pediment
  • Architecture / Rosette
  • Architecture / Tympanum
  • Architecture / frame
  • Plant / Tendril

Verse Layouts

  • Prose Verse PresencePraescriptum + carmen
    Prose Verse Distinction
    • Yes, by bigger lettering in prose
    • Yes, by different layout
    Layout Types (Prose)
    • Left aligned
    Layout Types (Verse)
    • Centered
    • Left aligned
    Scriptio Continua in verse partno
    Abbreviations in verse partno
    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)
  • Dactylic hexameter
  • Dactylic pentameter
Rhythmisation Quantitative scheme

Inscription & Translations

RODINEPOLE
NTINAANOXX
QVMNATISII
HSECRVLIVSC(scil. FILIVS)
5POLIPOLENTIA
RODINEANCILAE
SVAENATISII
POS
SITGRATA
REQVIESQVEMPIA
10QVRATEGITOSPES
QVICASVSLEGISTI
NOSTROSETPRECOR
VTDICAS:SITTIBI
RODINETERA
15LEVIS
Rodine Pol<l>e-
ntina, an(n)o(rum) XX,
qum natis II
h(ic) s(ita) e(st). C(aius) Rul<l>ius, C(ai) (scil. filius),
5Pol<l>i(a) Pol<l>entia,
Rodine, ancil<l>ae
suae, natis II
pos(uit).
Sit grata
requies quem pia
10qura tegit. <H>Ospes,
qui casus legisti
nostros, et precor
ut dicas: sit tibi,
Rodine, ter<r>a
15levis.
Rodine Pol<l>entina, an(n)o(rum) XX, qum natis II h(ic) s(ita) e(st). C(aius) Rul<l>ius, C(ai) (scil. filius), Pol<l>i(a) Pol<l>entia, Rodine, ancil<l>ae suae, natis II pos(uit).

Sit grata requies quem pia qura tegit.
<H>Ospes, qui casus legisti nostros,
et precor ut dicas: sit tibi, Rodine, ter<r>a levis.
Apparatus

l.1 reg., orig. Rodine
l.3 reg., orig. qum
l.6 reg., orig. Rodine
l.10 reg., orig. qura
l.14 reg., orig. Rodine

Text follows López Sánchez. Picture checked by Spalla 2025.
l. 5: Pol(l)i(a), CIL. Poli(a), AE 1904; Selzer.
l. 12: et pro te, CIL.

Main Translation

Translation Rodine Polentina lies here at the age of twenty, with her two children. Caius Rulius, son of Caius, of the tribe Pollia of Pollentia, put this up for his slave and her two children.

May rest be pleasing to her, whom devoted care has buried. Stranger, who read of our misfortunes, I beg you say: "May the earth, Rodine, be light upon you".
Citation Fabio Spalla

Other Translations

Prosopographical Information

  • NameRodine Polentina
    GenderFemale
    Age RangeSubadult (13–20) [expression: Canonical, precision: high]
    OriginForeign
    Legal StatusSlave
    RoleDedicatee
  • NameCaius Rulius
    GenderMale
    OriginForeign
    RoleDedicator

Further Information

Comment

Dating proposed by Boppert (CSIR 02, 06). Selzer proposes a dating to the broad 1st century AD. Both Knebusch and López Sánchez proposes a dating to the broad 1st century AD, based on onomastics, language and type of support.

Squeeze

Have Squeeze? no

Dating

Date (From) 1 AD
Date (To) 30 AD
Date (Criteria)
  • names
  • language

Bibliography

Images

  • Epitaph of the slave Rodine and her two children by her owner Caius Rulius.

    Epitaph of the slave Rodine and her two children by her owner Caius Rulius.

    Source: Ubi Erat Lupa 16598 (c) Mainz - Landesmuseum. Photo: Institut für Alte Geschichte Osnabrück

Editing History

Created 2025-10-19, by Eric Andreas Kunz
Work Status Complete
Import Notice Imported from Epigraphische Datenbank Heidelberg at 2024-07-11T12:07:00, ID there: HD033045
Revisions
  1. by Unknown
    at 2024-07-11 12:06
  2. by Eric Andreas Kunz
    at 2024-08-10 12:32
  3. by Anna Pokorny
    at 2025-01-29 15:55
  4. by Fabio Spalla
    at 2025-09-17 07:59
  5. by Fabio Spalla
    at 2025-09-17 08:03
  6. by Fabio Spalla
    at 2025-09-17 08:06
  7. by Fabio Spalla
    at 2025-09-17 10:49
  8. by Fabio Spalla
    at 2025-09-17 15:58
  9. by Fabio Spalla
    at 2025-09-17 16:12
  10. by Chiara Cenati
    at 2025-10-19 12:39
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