Ingsoc Posted July 10, 2008 Report Share Posted July 10, 2008 Could anyone help me transcribe the inscription on this milestone? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Klingan Posted July 10, 2008 Report Share Posted July 10, 2008 I must admit that it's rather difficult to read the full inscription on the sides. My Latin isn't good enough to work without a quite clear text. Would it be possible to get shots of the sides too? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gaius Paulinus Maximus Posted July 10, 2008 Report Share Posted July 10, 2008 (edited) It's difficult to read, even when you zoom in on it. From what I can make out it starts of with IMPERATOR CAESAR DIVI VESPASIAN after that it becomes harder to work out. I can possibly see VIC which could indicate 'victorious' or 'he has lived for/ his age is...' Then further down we see COS which indicates 'consul' or 'bearing consular powers' and that's about as much as I can work out! Just out of interest, where is this picture taken? Edited July 10, 2008 by Gaius Paulinus Maximus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ingsoc Posted July 10, 2008 Author Report Share Posted July 10, 2008 Just out of interest, where is this picture taken? This milestone was found in Israel (it's suppose to be from Domitianus era), it's is now display at the entrence to the Tel-Aviv University. I will try to get more picture when I can. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ASCLEPIADES Posted July 11, 2008 Report Share Posted July 11, 2008 (edited) Just out of interest, where is this picture taken? This milestone was found in Israel (it's suppose to be from Domitianus era), it's is now display at the entrence to the Tel-Aviv University. I will try to get more picture when I can. Salve, I From your pic, I can read eight incomplete lines. The first four are relatively easy: ...IMP... ...CAESARDIVI... ...VESPASIANFILOA... ("A" is probably the beginning of another regnal title). ...TIANUSAUG... ie, Imp(erator), Caesar, Divi...Vespasian filo A(?)...(Domi)tianus Aug(ustus) In English: "Emperor (or Victorius), Caesar, Son of the God Vespasian, Domitianus Aug(ustus)". Most of the 5th and 6th lines are relatively easy too: ...PAXTRPCT... (too many possibilities for the last "T") ... Edited July 11, 2008 by ASCLEPIADES Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ASCLEPIADES Posted July 11, 2008 Report Share Posted July 11, 2008 (edited) Salve, I. After some research I was able to tentatively identify your pic with the Roman milestone on the Antioch Akko road, in nowadays northern Israel, but still in the Roman province of Syria. Admitting that's true, I think I was also able to complete the inscription using other pics from different angles. What I think is written would be: ...IMP(erator)... ...CAESAR-DIVI... ...VESPASIAN-FILIUM ...(domi)TIANUS-AUG(ustus)... ...MAX(imus)-TR(ibunicia)-P(otestae)-GERM(anicus).. ...III-P(ater) P(atriae)-CO(n)S(ul) IX-T(a)X(a)T(ionis)... ...LI(berta)-Q(uintus)-RVF(us)-CL(audius)-E(?)... ...T(ribunus) RO(mani) PR(aefect)-CCCIV... And in English, something like: "Emperor Caesar, Son of the God Vespasianus, Domitianus Augustus, (Pontifex) Maximus, with Tribunicial power and victorious over the Germans for the third time, Father of His Country, Consul for the ninth time, exempts from taxation (prob. Antioch); (being) Quintus Rufus Claudius E(?;may be "egregio", distinguished) Tribune of the Roman people and prefect, (at) 324..." The caption of those pics states (sic): "...In the inscription - The and title of emperor Domitian, the name of the governor who repaired the road and the distance of 304 miles from Antioch". Needless to say, all of this is totally amateur and unprofessional; just an interesting exercise. BTW, I haven't been able to find who was the Governor of Syria at 83 AD. Edited July 11, 2008 by ASCLEPIADES Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ingsoc Posted July 13, 2008 Author Report Share Posted July 13, 2008 Thanks, here are some better pics: http://img146.imageshack.us/img146/4022/img0497jr2.jpg http://img292.imageshack.us/img292/3700/img0496ad5.jpg http://img230.imageshack.us/img230/6507/img0498fp5.jpg IMP/CAESAR/DIVI/VESPASIANI/F/DOMITIANVS /AVG/PON/MAX/TR/POT/IMP/III/PP/COS/IX/TAT I didn't manage to make out the last two lines. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ASCLEPIADES Posted July 13, 2008 Report Share Posted July 13, 2008 Thanks, here are some better pics:IMP/CAESAR/DIVI/VESPASIANI/F/DOMITIANVS /AVG/PON/MAX/TR/POT/IMP/III/PP/COS/IX/TAT I didn't manage to make out the last two lines. Salve, I. You're a quite gifted photographer. Your corrections are still basically compatible with my previous interpretation, including TA(axa)T(io) instead of TXT. Last lines remain more or less the same to me; I think the name of the Tribune/Prefect was Q(uintus) RUF(us or -inus) CLE(mens or -ment). Most probably his Legion of adscription would have been IV Scythica; other candidates can be VI Ferrata and III Gallica, less likely X Fretensis. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Antiochus III Posted September 17, 2008 Report Share Posted September 17, 2008 I have question that is probably to basic for this, but I'll go for it anyway: was latin written without spaces? I know it was writtten in all caps, but it seems on here there are no spaces either. if there were no spaces, wouldnt it be difficult to read? ATG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nephele Posted September 17, 2008 Report Share Posted September 17, 2008 I have question that is probably to basic for this, but I'll go for it anyway: was latin written without spaces? I know it was writtten in all caps, but it seems on here there are no spaces either. if there were no spaces, wouldnt it be difficult to read? ATG I believe the ancient Romans generally used interpuncts to separate the words, although perhaps these interpuncts weren't always apparent? -- Nephele Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ingsoc Posted September 17, 2008 Author Report Share Posted September 17, 2008 I have question that is probably to basic for this, but I'll go for it anyway: was latin written without spaces? I know it was writtten in all caps, but it seems on here there are no spaces either. if there were no spaces, wouldnt it be difficult to read? ATG I believe the ancient Romans generally used interpuncts to separate the words, although perhaps these interpuncts weren't always apparent? -- Nephele It's all depend on the quality of the inscriber, for example it's likely that a milestone in some minor province would be of a much lesser quality then an imperial inscription in Rome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ASCLEPIADES Posted September 17, 2008 Report Share Posted September 17, 2008 Salve, Amici I have question that is probably to basic for this, but I'll go for it anyway: was latin written without spaces? I know it was writtten in all caps, but it seems on here there are no spaces either. if there were no spaces, wouldnt it be difficult to read? ATG I believe the ancient Romans generally used interpuncts to separate the words, although perhaps these interpuncts weren't always apparent? -- Nephele It's all depend on the quality of the inscriber, for example it's likely that a milestone in some minor province would be of a much lesser quality then an imperial inscription in Rome. Actually, interpuncts are uncommon in surviving Roman inscriptions, even from Rome itself. It seems they derived from the Alexandrian distinctiones system from Aristophanes of Byzantium and Aristarchus of Samothracia (II century BC). They were apparently discarded due to the influence of the contemporary Greek writing (scriptio continua). The spaces for interword separation weren't used until the Middle Ages. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ASCLEPIADES Posted September 18, 2008 Report Share Posted September 18, 2008 (edited) This funerary inscription from a soldier of Legio XXII Primigenia (Geramania) illustrates the use of interpuncts. Edited September 18, 2008 by ASCLEPIADES Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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