Some Observations on the Military Funeral Altar of Adamclisi
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SOME OBSERVATIONS ON THE MILITARY FUNERAL ALTAR OF ADAMCLISI Some unpublished fragments with inscriptions pertammg to the Ad�m clisi «Mausoleum» are to be found in the lapidarium of the Bucharest National Museum of Antiquities. A study of these fragments, as well as the attempt of locating them within the complex of the «Mausoleum» inscriptions, led th� author to a closer and more thorough analysis of some of the problems risen by this monument, which is of outstanding documentary value for the events on the Lower Danube towards the last years of the first century of our era. The discovery of the «Mausoleum» at the end of the last century stirred up great interest among the scientists of that time, which displayed much ingeniousr_es� in the analysis of its complex problems. Later on, however, the «Mausoleum•> was shadowed by the stately triumphal monument, and, but for a few and highly valuable exceptions, it was mentioned only when it could serve as explanatio::-_ for some of the Trophy problems. ln the meantime (there are more than 60 years since its discovery) many of the problems of the Roman domination in these provinces have been resumed, either on the basis of archaeologic investigatior_s ' results, or on the basis of general studies about the politica! and military history of the Roman Empire in the fîrst and second centuries - and regarded in a new light, thus making possible for the author to take up again some of the problems connected with the Adamclisi «Mausoleum». In the years 1895 -- 1896, the excavations in a hillock at about 200 m -=�st of the Tropaeum brought to light a square construction having a 16.20 m side. Only the foundation has been completely preserved. Of the super structure a few stair-steps were preserved, as well as a few architectonic fragm(nt.;; among which a corner-pilaster, a frieze-fragment adorned with acanthus leaves, the fragment of a column sode and some cornice fragments should be mention ed . Only the foundations of the building could be reconstituted with the:se fragments ; each wall had a length of 11.67 m and a height of 6 m, while fîve steps led to each of the four sides. For the roof, severa! variants of reconstitution were proposed. Accordin.� to the hypothesis put forward by S. Theiss, the building had a pyramidal t:ile roof. He considered that a flat terraced roof would have required the exister_ce 346 Di l i.I.\ l>Ol\LTil: of supporting columns, while an earth or massive stane pyramid would have been impossible since the walls were much too weak to resist such a pressure 1• As the interior was unprocessed, the discoverer thought it was filled with earth, and that it was not a room. The opinion has also been put forwa::d that funerary urns had been stored in the room ; however the reports of the excava tions record nothing of the kind in the interior. The walls were externally plated with slabs, 1. 30 m long, 0.9.0 m wide and 0.30 m thick, covered with inscrip t:ions. C. Cichorius assumed that there had been three superposed files of 12 slabs each, on each side of the building. Only five slabs and a block-fragment from the east side, one slab from the north side and some smaller fra;;ments were preserved. They had been discovered either on the spot, or later on, during excavations at the Tropaeum Trajani Stronghold. The front fa c;ade is the eastern side. The slabs discovered there are engraved with fragments of the Emperor's title (Fig. 1/1, 2 and Eg. 2) : - I_IMP ; lGJE[RMANICUSJ ; [TRI]B. POT. (great, capital letters), as well as part of the dedication written on two lines (Fig. 1/3, 4, 5,6 and Fig. 2) : IN HONOREM ET] MEMORIAM FORTIS [SIMORVM VIRORVM] QV I PVGNANTES] PRO RE.P. MORTE OCCVBV lERVNT Below, the name of the commandant follows, of which only the domus, the resid ence, and part of his function indications were preserved (Fig. 1/4, 5, 6 and Fig. 2): C] OL. [PO] MP. DOMICIL. NEAPOL. ITALIAE PRA ... then follow, engraved with smaller letters, the lists comprising the names of the fallen praetorians and legionaries (Fig. 1/3, 4, 5, 6 and Fig. 2). The slab discovered on the north side shows names of soldiers 2:-iaving fought in auxiliary units (Fig. 3 a and No fragment of inscription was bfound ). on the south and west sides. It is however assumed that the lists with the names of the fallen soldiers continued over all sides and it has been reckoned that there must have been in all 3 800 names engraved 2• This figure might be somewhat exaggerated. The new fragment we examined, reconstituted out of 18 pieces, has a length of 85 cm and a width of 90 cm, that is equal to the slabs already k1 own. The author has found no indication whatsoever on the circumstances in which these fragments were discovered, except a photograph in Mss. no. 5 130, of Or. Tocilescu, in the R.P.R. Academy Library. However, it seems highly probable that they were found in the Stronghold, where they had been used as bLilding material, like other fragments discovered during the Stronghold excavc;.tions. Dobrudscha : Ein Erklănmgsversuch, 1 From volume 5 129 of Tocilescu's mss„ f. Berlin, 1904, 30. 206 -207. p. 2 C. Cichorius, Die rămischen Denkmăler in der TllEWLI TAHY l·T'.'\EIUL ALTAH OF ADA�!CLISI Of the inscription, 13 lines have been preserved, with 4 cm high letters (Fig. 4 a and Although the edges are worn out, the text may be satisfactorily completed, exceptb). the last two lines, of which a few letters only have been preserved. 1 L. Macrin(ius) ... Valerius [Su]rus Agrip(pina) 11 . Lollius [Se]cund(us ?) Agrip(pina) . Iulius [V] ? al(ens ?) Agrip(pina) 5 A. [A]lbanius M[ac]edo Agrip(pina) P. [P] ompon(ius) M[a]nsuet(us) Alba . Voconius . TAT. Pol(lentia) Valerius [Sat]urn(inus) Ag[rip(pina) C. [S]tratoni(us) .. 10 C. [Va]leri[us]. A ...C A .. I[ul]ius [G]er[m]an(us) Agr(ippina) TC.IV ...S ... 10 Iuva(vo) .. [?An] NIV S .... I .... Line 2, middle, a gap of two letters ; line 3, middle, a gap of two letters ; line 4, a gap ;)f one or two letters, then the sloping hasta of a letter V; line 5, beginning the lower part ·-:Jf an A, then a gap of one letter and lbanius ; the same line, middle, half an M, then a gap of two letters ; line 6, beginning, letter P, then a gap of one letter ; middle, an M and a gap -:Jf one letter ; line 7 middle, a gap of one letter, then a blurrred sign, a T?; line 8, m�ddle, a gap of three letters ; end of the line AG and a gap of two letters ; line 9, beginning, C, 6en a gap of one letter and the upper half of a T; line 10, beginning, upper half of the ringlet o: a C and a gap of two letters ; in the same line, after LERI follow a gap of three letters, an A, a gap of three letters, then CA, and a gap of two letters ; line 11, beginning, lower half of an I and a gap of two letters ; middle, gap of one letter, then ER, gap of one letter and AN ; line 12, beginning, T, then half of an O, gap of one letter, lower half of an I and of a V; middle of the same line, gap of faur or five letters, then IO ; line 13, beginning, gap of thre� letters, then NIVS ; in the second part of the line nothing but a doubtful I can be distinguish�. The inscription comprises a list of names of Roman citizens, which, judging by their origin, had served in a legion. Thus the place of this frc.gment îs presumably the front side of the building, together with the slabs com:�Jrising names of Praetorians and legionaries. To the same category belongs the name on another fragment, the photo, graph of which îs to be found in vol. 5 130 of the Manuscripts. The fragme::it was discovered during the 1901 excavations at the « Marble Basilica » and it wa5 probably left at the Stronghold, since it has not been included in the collectic·m of the Bucharest NMA. The fragment is cut out of the right side of a slab (Fig. 5) ; sv ND.IV ...Alexa]nd. lu[vavo ALENS.BO ...V]alens Bor nnae ? EMEN . ...Cl]emen ls ...... FP It comprises the last part of fi.ve lines, with part of the cognomen and of the domus of the dead. H · I·: .\ I I I.I. \ I 11: l "I' 11 On the same photograph there is yet another fragment of the same inscrip, tion, discovered at the « Marble Basilica »:1• This fragment has not been included m the NMA collections, either (Fig. 6) . AQVIL. ..Aqui l' a I3ITHI . ..Bithi (f.) SEVT ...Seutli (f.)? A MANO ...Amand[ us DAS ...Das[i (f.) It comprises the cognomen, respectively the patronymic of five soldiers of an auxiliary unit. Y et another unpublished fragment of the « Mausoleum » inscription is to be found at the NMA. It is a small fragment of a slab on which there is engraved in monumental characters the letter D and a fragment of the hasta of an I probably, from the line below (Fig.