Milestone for Emperor Gordian III, erected by the city of Philippopolis

Monument III.1069

Editor(s)

Georgi Mihailov, Nikolay Sharankov.

Type of monument

column

Material

limestone

Find place

to the East from the village of Vetren, in the ruins of a Late Antique fortress

Observed in

Origin

around to the East from the village of Vetren, in the ruins of a Late Antique fortress

Dimensions

height 55 cm, diam. 35 cm

Institution and inventory

National Archaeological Institute with Museum
No 802

Letter size

height 2.5 - 3 cm

Layout description

Decoration description

Text

Category of inscription

milestone

Date

238 - 241 AD

Dating criteria

titulature, office

Images

Text

[Ἀγαθ]ῆι τύχηι.
[Αὐτοκράτορι] Καίσαρι Μ(άρκῳ) Ἀντωνίῳ [Γορδιανῷ]
[Εὐσεβεῖ Εὐτυχε]ῖ Σεβαστῷ, ἡγεμονεύοντος
[τῆς Θρᾳκῶν ἐπ]αρχείας Κατίου Κέλερ[ος]
5[πρεσβ(ευτοῦ) Σεβ(αστοῦ) ἀ]ντιστρατήγου, ἡ λαμπροτάτη
[τῆς Θρᾳκῶν ἐπαρ]χείας μητρόπολις Φιλιππό-
[πολις ἀνέσ]τησεν τὸ μείλιον ((·))
(vac.) γ´.

--------------------------

--
no[Ἀγαθ]ῆι τύχηι.
no[Αὐτοκράτορι] Καίσαρι Μάρκῳ Ἀντωνίῳ [Γορδιανῷ]
no[Εὐσεβεῖ Εὐτυχε]ῖ Σεβαστῷ, ἡγεμονεύοντος
no[τῆς Θρᾳκῶν ἐπ]αρχείας Κατίου Κέλερ[ος]
no[πρεσβευτοῦ Σεβαστοῦ ἀ]ντιστρατήγου, ἡ λαμπροτάτη
no[τῆς Θρᾳκῶν ἐπαρ]χείας μητρόπολις Φιλιππό-
no[πολις ἀνέσ]τησεν τὸ μείλιον ((·))
no [---] γ. --

[....]HΙΤYΧΗΙ
[...........]ΚΑIΣΑΡΙMANΤΩNIΩ[........]
[.............]IΣΕΒΑΣΤΩHΓΕMΟNΕYΟNΤΟΣ
[............]ΑΡΧΕIΑΣΚΑΤIΟΥΚEΛΕΡ[..]
5[.............................................]NΤΙΣΤΡΑΤHΓΟΥHΛΑMΠΡΟΤAΤΗ
[..............]ΧΕIΑΣMΗΤΡOΠΟΛΙΣΦΙΛΙΠΠO
[.........]ΤΗΣΕNΤOMΕIΛΙΟN ·
vacat Γ

Text

To Good Fortune!
To Imperator Caesar Marcus Antonius Gordianus Pius Felix Augustus, when governor of the province of Thrace was Catius Celer, propraetorian legate of the Augustus – the most splendid metropolis of the province of Thrace Philippopolis erected this milestone. 3 miles.

Find place

Google maps

Info

Geonames

List: Vetren

⤦ n: 1

tag: lb

Ἀγαθῆι

lemma: ἀγαθός
tag: w

Ἀγαθ

tag: supplied

ῆι

tag: #text

τύχηι

lemma: τύχη
tag: w

tag: #text

⤦ n: 2

tag: lb

Αὐτοκράτορι

lemma: Αὐτοκράτωρ
tag: w

Καίσαρι

lemma: Καῖσαρ
tag: w

Μάρκῳ Ἀντωνίῳ Γορδιανῷ

ref: Gordianus
type: emperor
tag: persName

Μάρκῳ

tag: name

Ἀντωνίῳ

tag: name

Γορδιανῷ

tag: supplied

⤦ n: 3

tag: lb

Εὐσεβεῖ

tag: supplied

Εὐτυχεῖ

lemma: εὐτυχής
tag: w

Εὐτυχε

tag: supplied

ῖ

tag: #text

Σεβαστῷ

lemma: σεβαστός
tag: w

tag: #text

ἡγεμονεύοντος

lemma: ἡγεμονεύω
tag: w

⤦ n: 4

tag: lb

τῆς Θρᾳκῶν

tag: supplied

τῆς

tag: w

Θρᾳκῶν

type: ethnic
ref: Thrace
tag: placeName

ἐπαρχείας

lemma: ἐπαρχία
tag: w

ἐπ

tag: supplied

αρχείας

tag: #text

Κατίου Κέλερος

type: official
ref: Catius
nymRef: Κάτιος Κέλερ
tag: persName

Κατίου

ref: Catius
nymRef: Κάτιος
type: gentilicium
tag: name

Κέλερος

ref: Celer
nymRef: Κέλερ
type: cognomen
tag: name

Κέλερ

tag: #text

ος

tag: supplied

⤦ n: 5

tag: lb

πρεσβευτοῦ Σεβαστοῦ

tag: supplied

πρεσβευτοῦ

lemma: πρεσβευτής
tag: w

Σεβαστοῦ

lemma: Σεβαστός
tag: w

ἀντιστρατήγου

lemma: ἀντιστράτηγος
tag: w

ἀ

tag: supplied

ντιστρατήγου

tag: #text

ἡ

tag: w

λαμπροτάτη

lemma: λαμπρός
tag: w

⤦ n: 6

tag: lb

τῆς Θρᾳκῶν

tag: supplied

τῆς

tag: w

Θρᾳκῶν

type: ethnic
ref: Thrace
tag: placeName

ἐπαρχείας

lemma: ἐπαρχία
tag: w

ἐπαρ

tag: supplied

χείας

tag: #text

μητρόπολις

lemma: μητρόπολις
tag: w

Φιλιππό πολις

ref: Phil
nymRef: Φιλιππόπολις
tag: placeName

Φιλιππό

tag: #text

⤦ n: 7

break: no
tag: lb

πολις

tag: supplied

ἀνέστησεν

lemma: ἀνίστημι
tag: w

ἀνέσ

tag: supplied

τησεν

tag: #text

τὸ

tag: #text

μείλιον

lemma: μίλιον
tag: w

type: dot
tag: g

⤦ n: 8

tag: lb

extent: unknown
unit: character
tag: space

value: 3
tag: num

tag: #text

 
<ab>
                    <lb n="1"/><w lemma="ἀγαθός"><supplied>Ἀγαθ</supplied>ῆι</w> <w lemma="τύχη">τύχηι</w>.
                    <lb n="2"/><w lemma="Αὐτοκράτωρ"><supplied>Αὐτοκράτορι</supplied></w> <w lemma="Καῖσαρ">Καίσαρι</w> <persName ref="listemperors.xml#Gordianus" type="emperor"><name><expan><abbr><hi rend="supraline">Μ</hi></abbr><ex>άρκῳ</ex></expan></name> 
                        <name>Ἀντωνίῳ</name> <supplied><name>Γορδιανῷ</name></supplied></persName>
                    <lb n="3"/><supplied><w lemma="εὐσεβής">Εὐσεβεῖ</w></supplied> <w lemma="εὐτυχής"><supplied>Εὐτυχε</supplied>ῖ</w> 
                        <w lemma="σεβαστός">Σεβαστῷ</w>, <w lemma="ἡγεμονεύω">ἡγεμονεύοντος</w>
                    <lb n="4"/><supplied><w>τῆς</w> <placeName type="ethnic" ref="listPlaces.xml#Thrace">Θρᾳκῶν</placeName></supplied> <w lemma="ἐπαρχία"><supplied>ἐπ</supplied>αρχείας</w> 
                    <persName type="official" ref="listemperors.xml#Catius" nymRef="Κάτιος Κέλερ"><name ref="Onom.xml#Catius" nymRef="Κάτιος" type="gentilicium">Κατίου</name> <name ref="Onom.xml#Celer" nymRef="Κέλερ" type="cognomen">Κέλερ<supplied>ος</supplied></name></persName>
                    <lb n="5"/><supplied><w lemma="πρεσβευτής"><expan><abbr>πρεσβ</abbr><ex>ευτοῦ</ex></expan></w> 
                        <w lemma="Σεβαστός"><expan><abbr>Σεβ</abbr><ex>αστοῦ</ex></expan></w></supplied> <w lemma="ἀντιστράτηγος"><supplied>ἀ</supplied>ντιστρατήγου</w>, <w>ἡ</w> <w lemma="λαμπρός">λαμπροτάτη</w>
                    <lb n="6"/><supplied><w>τῆς</w> <placeName type="ethnic" ref="listPlaces.xml#Thrace">Θρᾳκῶν</placeName></supplied> <w lemma="ἐπαρχία"><supplied>ἐπαρ</supplied>χείας</w> <w lemma="μητρόπολις">μητρόπολις</w> <placeName ref="listPlaces.xml#Phil" nymRef="Φιλιππόπολις">Φιλιππό
                    <lb n="7" break="no"/><supplied>πολις</supplied></placeName> <w lemma="ἀνίστημι"><supplied>ἀνέσ</supplied>τησεν</w> τὸ <w lemma="μίλιον">μείλιον</w> <g type="dot"/>
                    <lb n="8"/> <space extent="unknown" unit="character"/> <num value="3">γ</num>.
                </ab>

Apparatus

Letters in ligature:
2 ντων;
3 τωηγ, νε, ντ;
5 τηγ, μπρ, τη;
6 μητ;
7 ησ, με.
Apparatus:
The name of the provincial governor is given as Catius Celer in the older editions (Dumont, Kalinka), but, since in IGBulg 1375 the letter K is omitted and only ATIOY is present on the stone, Mihailov ‘s editorial decision was to separate the name as K. ATIOY, Quintus Atius. There are, however, several monuments where the legatus is attested as L. Catius, Λ. Κάτιος, and, thus, the initial reading is restored in all the inscriptions.
2Over the abbreviated praenomen Μ(άρκῳ) there is a curved line.
8The number of the miles is marked with a much larger letter.

Commentary

The milestone is probably connected with a road station on the Via Diagonalis, attested in Roman itineraries as Lissae or Bona Mansio ("The Good Station").

It is uncertain from which point the distance of 3 miles is measured.

Bibliography

Mihailov, Georgius. Inscriptiones Graecae in Bulgaria repertae. Vol. III.1, 1961.

Kalinka, Ernst. Antike Denkmäler in Bulgarien. In: Schriften der Balkankommission. Antiquarische Abteilung Vol. IV, 1906.

Dumont, Albert. Dumont, Albert. Mélanges d'archéologie et d'épigraphie. , 1892.

Gerasimova, Vasilka. Hollenstein, Lorenz. Drei unpublizierte Meilensteine aus Bulgarien. In: Herzig, H. E. / Frei-Stolba, R. (eds.). Labor omnibus unus. Gerold Walser zum 70. Geburtstag dargebracht von Freunden, Kollegen und Schülern Vol. Historia Einzelschriften 60, 1989, p. 45-58.

текуща версия 1 / 2022-08-13

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