Original scientific paper
Tituli of Petronia Ursa and Aemilius Attacinus from a Roman-era grave in Zadar
Ivo Fadić
; Museum of Antique Glass, Zadar, Croatia
Abstract
Rescue archaeological excavations at the site of the former
Relja Garden, i.e. the future commercial/residential centre
called Duca in Zadar, were conducted for a duration
of six months. 406 graves covering a chronological range of
1,300 years were discovered. Burials preceding Classical
Antiquity, as well as those dating to Antiquity and Late
Antiquity (?) were ascertained. Given that this research
has only recently been concluded and work on processing
the overall documentation and materials found is ongoing,
at this point it is still not possible to conduct a comprehensive
typological and chronological analysis of the burials,
finds and grave items. Therefore, this article contains an
analysis of two inscriptions from inhumation grave no. 21.
Both epigraphic monuments were found in secondary use,
so in order to learn about the date of destruction of the earlier
horizon and the secondary use of the tituli, the entire
context of the find was observed: grave construction and
the items found therein. One titulus was commissioned by
Sallustius Paramythius to the deceased woman Petronia Ursa. The name of the person commemorated on the other
titulus is Aemilius Attacinus. He died at the age of 87, so
it is certain that during his life he was one of the oldest inhabitants
of Roman-era Iader. The monument was raised
by the freedman Paulus. The possibility that the persons
named on both monuments are of Oriental origin has not
been excluded. Inhumation grave 21 may be dated to the
end of the second or beginning of the third century AD, and
both tituli emerged for their original purpose at the beginning
or first half of the second century AD.
Keywords
Zadar (Iader); Classical Antiquity; Late Antiquity; necropolis; inhumation; grave tituli; epigraphy; Petronia Ursa; Aemilius Attacinus
Hrčak ID:
26720
URI
Publication date:
22.8.2008.
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