The Inscription of Victurinus
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION
- Type
- Lateral panel of the sarcophagus.
- Material(s)
- Limestone.
- Execution
- Inscribed.
- Dimensions
- 53 × 77 cm
- Epigraphic Field
- 53 × 77 cm
- Letters Height
- 4-5 cm
Palaeographic comment
Dextrorse direction, horizontal alignment, vertical module, irregular ductus, left-aligned layout.
A with a broken crossbar.
E, F, and T strongly compressed laterally.
INSCRIPTION
INTERPRETATIVE TRANSCRIPTION
APPARATUS CRITICUS
1. FL(AVIVS), Bertolini 1874a, Bertolini 1874b,
CIL V 8761,
ILCV 481,
EDR097909
D(OMESTICVS),
ILCV 481
.
3. VIXIT, Bertolini 1874a, Bertolini 1874b,
CIL V 8761,
ILCV 481,
EDR097909
.
4. EMPTA, Lettich 1983
.
TRANSLATION
Flavius Victurinus, of the numerus of the Batavi seniores, who lived for approximately thirty-five years.
This arca was bought with his own earnings; if anyone should wish to open it, by law his hands shall be cut off, or he shall pay one (roman) pound of gold to the fiscus.
PEOPLE
Flavius Victurinus
- NOMEN
- Flavius
- COGNOMEN
- Victurinus
- GENS
- Flavia
- ORIGIN (of the name Victurinus)
- latin
- GENDER
- male
- OCCUPATION
- soldier
- RANK
- miles
- NUMERUS
- Batavi Seniores
- ROLE
- dedicator/deceased
Bibliography
| Bertolini 1874a, 29, n. 24. |
| Bertolini 1874b, 289, n. 11. |
| Bertolini 1875a, 108. |
| Bertolini 1875b, 123. |
| CIL V 8761 |
| ILCV 481 |
| Hoffmann 1963, 42, n. 21. |
| Lettich 1983, 84, n. 41. |
- EDR
-
EDR097909
- Author of the record:
- Damiana Baldassarra
- Date:
- 26-11-2007
COMMENTARY
Flavius Victurinus was a soldier belonging to the Batavi seniores. He was likely a common soldier (miles), given that his specific rank is not mentioned and the pecuniary penalty stipulated in the inscription is the lowest recorded among the Batavi. The mutilatory sanction, which dictates the cutting off of a hand for anyone violating the tomb without paying a fine to the fiscus, perhaps represents a compensatory element for a monetary fine of lower value compared to those of his higher-ranking colleagues. Diehl, contrary to other editors, expands the abbreviation D N as d(omesticus) n(umerus) ( ILCV 481). However, the expansion d(e) n(umero) appears more probable, as it is a common formula in all military inscriptions at Concordia, whereas the title domesticus is usually abbreviated as DOMEST or DOMESTI in other inscriptions from the burial ground (Alatancus | Carpilio). Furthermore, following Diehl’s hypothesis, one would expect a significantly higher pecuniary penalty, such as the 5 Roman pounds of gold recorded for the burial of the domesticus Flavius Carpilio.
The cognomen Victurinus derives from Victorinus, which in turn originates from Victor. It remains unclear whether the use of U instead of O is due to a simple lapidary error, as suggested by Hoffmann (Hoffmann 1963, 42, n. 21), or if the deceased actually went by this name. The tendency to confuse the back vowels /o/ and /u/ is frequent in Late Antiquity and finds a specular reflection in the epigraph of Ursacius, where the form doas replaces the classical duas; in this digital edition, it is therefore deemed preferable to respect the spelling found on the arca, as it expresses a specific phonetic reality.
The formula plus minus, also found in the inscription of Flavius Savinus, demonstrates that several soldiers did not have a precise knowledge of their own age. This creates an interesting contrast with the burials of local civilians, where months and even days of the deceased's life were sometimes recorded with precision (Dionisia [A, B] | Marinus | Zosimus).
Unlike some of his colleagues in the Batavi, such as Flavius Launio and Ursacius, the inscription of Victurinus explicitly states that the arca was purchased by the deceased himself. This act is emphasized by the use of the passive voice and the mention of proprio labore—a term that, in a Late Roman military context, underscores the service rendered to secure the resources necessary for the burial.
The burial of Victurinus is located in close proximity to the sarcophagus of Flavius Launio, another member of the Batavi. Slightly further to the west were positioned the chests of other fellow soldiers from the same unit: Flavius Carpilio, Flavius Savinus, and Ursacius. This spatial clustering appears to confirm the existence of a strong sense of camaraderie among members of the same military contingent, who chose to be interred alongside one another.