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Dedication to Asclepius by M. Virdius Taurus

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Dedication to Asclepius by Publius Virdius Bassus

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

Monument III.1174

Editor(s)

Georgi Mihailov.

Type of monument

plate

Material

marble

Find place

Haidushko Kladenche locality near the former village of Batkun

Origin

Sanctuary of Asclepius Zymydrenos near Batkun

Institution and inventory

Regional Archaeological Museum - Plovdiv
No 2245

Dimensions

height 30 cm, width 27 - 25 cm, depth 5 cm

Letter size

height 1.3 cm

Layout description

Trapezoid votive plate; the text is divided in two parts - it begins on the upper frame and the rest is on the lower frame.

Decoration description

The relief depicts Asclepius standing, giving an egg with his right hand to a snake entwined around his wand; in the lower left corner - a round altar with a garland and a cone on it. To the right - a column with moulded base and capital, with a large egg on it; a snake entwines the column attempting to reach the egg; its tail goes between the feet of Asclepius and ends on the lower frame. A garland with ribbons on its ends adorns the upper part of the plate.

Text

Category of inscription

private dedicatory inscription - prose

Date

II c. AD

Dating criteria

lettering, iconography, onomastics

Images

Text

above

Ἀγαθῆι τύχηι. Ἀσκληπι-
ῶι

below

Ζυλμυσδριηνωι σωτῆρι Μᾶρ-
κος Οὐίρδιος Ταῦρος εὐχαριστή-
5ριον.

above

AΓΑΘHΙΤYΧΗΙAΣΚΛΗΠΙ
ΩΙ

below

ΖΥΛMΥΣΔΡΙΗNΩΙΣΩΤHΡΙMAΡ
ΚΟΣΟYIΡΔΙΟΣΤΑYΡΟΣΕYΧΑΡΙΣΤH
5ΡΙΟN

To Good Fortune! Marcus Virdius Taurus (dedicated this) thank-offering to the saviour Asclepius Zylmysdrienus.

Find place

Google maps

Info

Geonames

List: Batkun

⤦ n: 1

tag: lb

Ἀγαθῆι

lemma: ἀγαθός
tag: w

τύχηι

lemma: τύχη
tag: w

tag: #text

Ἀσκληπι ῶι

ref: Asclepius
type: divine
tag: persName

Ἀσκληπι

tag: #text

⤦ n: 2

break: no
tag: lb

ῶι

tag: #text

⤦ n: 3

tag: lb

Ζυλμυσδριηνωι

ref: Zymydrenus
type: divine
tag: persName

σωτῆρι

lemma: σωτήρ
tag: w

Μᾶρ κος Οὐίρδιος Ταῦρος

nymRef: Μᾶρκος Οὐίρδιος Ταῦρος
tag: persName

Μᾶρ κος

ref: Marcus
nymRef: Μᾶρκος
type: praenomen
tag: name

Μᾶρ

tag: #text

⤦ n: 4

break: no
tag: lb

κος

tag: #text

Οὐίρδιος

ref: Virdius
nymRef: Οὐίρδιος
type: gentilicium
tag: name

Ταῦρος

ref: Taurus
nymRef: Ταῦρος
type: cognomen
tag: name

εὐχαριστή ριον

lemma: εὐχαριστήριον
tag: w

εὐχαριστή

tag: #text

⤦ n: 5

break: no
tag: lb

ριον

tag: #text

 
<ab>
<lb n="1"/><w lemma="ἀγαθός">Ἀγαθῆι</w> <w lemma="τύχη">τύχηι</w>. <persName ref="listDivine.xml#Asclepius" type="divine">Ἀσκληπι
<lb n="2" break="no"/>ῶι</persName>
                        </ab>
 
<ab>
<lb n="3"/><persName ref="listDivine.xml#Zymydrenus" type="divine">Ζυλμυσδριηνωι</persName> <w lemma="σωτήρ">σωτῆρι</w> <persName nymRef="Μᾶρκος Οὐίρδιος Ταῦρος"><name ref="Onom.xml#Marcus" nymRef="Μᾶρκος" type="praenomen">Μᾶρ
<lb n="4" break="no"/>κος</name> <name ref="Onom.xml#Virdius" nymRef="Οὐίρδιος" type="gentilicium">Οὐίρδιος</name> <name ref="Onom.xml#Taurus" nymRef="Ταῦρος" type="cognomen">Ταῦρος</name></persName> <w lemma="εὐχαριστήριον">εὐχαριστή
<lb n="5" break="no"/>ριον</w>.
                         </ab>

Apparatus

Letters in ligature:
1 ληπ;
2 τηρ;
3 τη.
Apparatus:
2 Due to the lack of space on the upper frame, the last two letters of Ἀσκληπιῶι were added on the right frame.
3-4 The text on l. 3-4 is interrupted by the snake's tail sculpted on the lower frame.
5 The last line is written with much smaller letters.

Commentary

The sanctuary of Asclepius near Batkun was founded in the early II c. AD under Emperor Trajan and became the most important sanctuary in Roman Thrace. The cult was worshipped even in Rome by praetorian soldiers of Thracian origin (CIL VI 2799 = 32543).

The epithet of Asclepios Ζυλμυσδριηνος is characteristic for the sanctuary and appears in several different variants. It is derived from a toponym attested as "Sindrina reg(ionis) Philippopolitanae" in the inscription from Rome CIL VI 16 = 30685.

Marcus Virdius Taurus belonged to the equestrian family of the Virdii (cf. IGBulg 1144+1170, IGBulg 1454 and AE 2005, 1382); on this family, see Sharankov 2005, p. 62-69, Шаранков 2006, p. 191-192.

Bibliography

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

Sharankov, Nicolay. Virdii, Munatii, Antii. Знатните римски родове във Филипопол и провинция Тракия. In: Societas Classica, 2006, p. 191-192.

текуща версия 1 / 2024-08-01

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Dedication to Asclepius by Publius Virdius Bassus

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