Original scientific paper
https://doi.org/10.52064/vamz.59.1.4
Inscription of Emperor Claudius in Cavtat (Epidaurum)
Dino Demicheli
*
Niko Kapetanić
* Corresponding author.
Abstract
The article discusses a fragment of an inscription mentioning
Emperor Claudius, recently discovered in Cavtat (Epidaurum).
Although this is not the first imperial inscription in the Epidaurum
area, it is the first to name an emperor from the 1st century,
making it a significant find. The inscription likely refers to an imperial
donation for the construction or renovation of a building
in Epidaurum. In this Roman colony, as in other eastern Adriatic
colonies, many important infrastructure buildings were constructed
during the 1st century, with the central Roman government
encouraging and financing such projects. The inscription
was found reused in a private house, raising the possibility that
other inscriptions may also have been repurposed as building
material in private and public structures in Cavtat. Despite
the relatively small size of the inscription, analysis of the fragment allows the authors to associate this monument with the
construction or renovation of a tower, or possibly several towers,
probably connected to the city walls. It is not known who
supervised or carried out the construction, but this inscription
can be considered in the context of other 1st-century building inscriptions
in Dalmatia, particularly one from the Tiberian period
also found in Cavtat. The imperial nomenclature is presented in
an abbreviated form, and the authors believe that it refers to
Emperor Claudius and that the inscription was set up between
AD 51 and 54.
Keywords
Hrčak ID:
349900
URI
Publication date:
28.7.2026.
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