Lepcis Magna: Theater (2) Inscriptions

Lepcis Magna: Phoenician colony, later part of the Carthaginian empire, the kingdom of Massinissa, and the Roman empire. Its most famous son was the emperor Septimius Severus (193-211).

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Theater Inscriptions

Behind the stage of the theater of Lepcis Magna (first page) was a trapezoidal construction that was called Porticus post scaenam by ancient architects. It is a square garden, surrounded by colonnades; in the center was a temple. (Comparable portici are known from Rome: e.g. the Theater of Balbus and the Theater of Pompey.) In Lepcis, the temple was built for the Dei Augusti, "the august gods", by Iddibal, another member of the Tapapius family that had built the theater. It was dedicated by governor Quintus Marcius Barea.

The theater was adorned by many inscriptions, like this modest one, known as IRT 376:

IMPeratori ANTONINO
AVGvsto PIO
Qvintvs POMPEIVS Qvirinia
SATVRNINVS
STATVAM QVAM
PRO HONORE AEDILITATIS PRO-
MISIT POSVIT

To the emperor Antoninus
Pius Augustus
has Quintus Pompeius Saturninus,
of the Quirinian district,
erected this statue
to the honor of the aediles,
as he had promised. (more...)

Another inscription, known as IRT 534, graced the stage. The names of the governor and his deputy help us to date the construction to the last years of Antoninus Pius (138-161).

PROSCAENIVM COLVMNIS ET MARMORIBVS EX HS CC milibvsA MARCIO VITALE ITEMQVE EX CCC milibvsA IVNIO GALBA IN EAM REM DATIS ITEM TETRASTYLIS LACVNARVM PECvniaPVBLica EXORNATVM DEDICATVM EST Lvcio HEDIO RVFO LOLLIANO AVITO PROCOnSvle Caio VIBIO GALLIONE CLAVDIO SEVERO LEGato

The proscaenium, adorned with columns and marble statues financed from 200,000 sesterces given by Marcius Vitalis and 300,000 sesterces given by Junius Galba for the same object, and a tetrastylis with a coffered ceiling from public money, was dedicated when Lucius Hedius Rufus Lollianus Avitus was governor and Gaius Vibius Gallio Claudius Severus was his deputy.

IRT 391 is a dedication to Septimius Severus, the Lepcitanian emperor. The inscription was erected in 201 by an organization known as the Curia Germanica, which had a counterpart that erected a similar inscription to Severus' wife Julia Domna (next photo).The date suggests that the two Curias wanted to welcome the imperial couple when they visited Lepcis Magna in 202/203.

IMPeratori CAESari Lvcio SEPTIMIO
SEVERO PIO PERTINACi
AVGvsto ARABico ADIABENico
PARTHICO MAXimo PONTifici
MAXimo TRIBvnicia POTEStateVIIII
IMPeratori XI COnSvli II Patri Patriae PRO-
COnSvli CVRIA
GERMANICA
EX VOTO STATVIT

To emperor Caesar Lucius Septimius Severus Pius Pertinax Augustus Arabicus Adiabenicus Parthicus Maximus, pontifex maximus, vested with the tribunician power for the ninth time, eleven times proclaimed imperator, twice consul, father of the fatherland, proconsul, the Curia Germanica erected this, as promised.

IRT 405 is the counterpart of the inscription above.

IVLIAE AVGVSTAE
MATRI CASTRORVM
MATRI AVGvstorvm
CONIVGI INVICTI
IMPeratoris CAESaris Lvcii SEPTIMIi
SEVERI PII
PERTINACIS AVGVSTI
ARABICI ADIABENICI
PARTHICI MAXIMI
CVRIA AVGVSTA
NVMINI EIVS DEVOTISSIMA POSVIT

To Julia Augusta, mother of the camps, mother of the emperors, wife of the unconquerable emperor Caesar Lucius Septimius Severius Pius Pertinax Augustus Arabicus Adiabenicus Parthicus Maximus, the Curia Augusta -most loyal to her majesty- dedicated this.

The following set of four inscriptions was also erected in 200, and was probably also meant to welcome the imperial family when it visited Lepcis Magna. It is obvious that the official who erected these stelae (a man who had been in charge with the taxes of Thrace and the granaries in the Mercurius quarter of Alexandria) was trying to impress the royals and wanted a better procuratorship. IRT 392:

IMPeratori CAESariLvcio SEPTIMIO SEVERO
PIO PERTINACi
AVGvsto ARABico ADIABENico
PARTHICO MAXimo
PONTifici MAXimoTRIBvniciaPOTEState
VIII IMPeratori XI
COnSvli II Patri Patriae PROCOnSvli
Marcvs IVNIVS PVNICVS PROCvrator SEXAGENA-
RIVS PROVINCIAE THRACIAE CENTE-
NARIVS ALEXANDRIAE AD MERCVRI-
VM

To emperor Caesar Lucius Septimius Severus Pius Pertinax Augustus Arabicus Adiabenicus Parthicus Maximus, pontifex maximus, vested with the tribunician power for the eighth time, eleven times proclaimed imperator, twice consul, father of the fatherland, proconsul, Marcus Junius Punicus, procurator sexagenarius of the province Thrace and procurator centenarius of Alexandria ad Mercurium.

Junius Punicus' second inscription, IRT 403, is dedicated to Julia Domna:

IVLIAE AVGVSTAE
MATRI CASTRORVM
MATRI AVGvstorvm CONIVGI
INVICTI
IMPeratoris CAESaris Lvcii SEPTIMIi
SEVERI PII PERTINACIS
AVGvsti ARABici ADIABENICI
PARTHICI MAXIMI
Marcvs IVNIVS PVNICVS
PROCvrator SEXAGENARIVS
PROVINCIAE THRACIAE
CENTENARIVS ALEXAN-
DRIAE AD MERCVRIVM

To Julia Augusta, mother of the camps, mother of the emperors, wife of the unconquerable emperor Caesar Lucius Septimius Severius Pius Pertinax Augustus Arabicus Adiabenicus Parthicus Maximus, Marcus Junius Punicus, procurator sexagenarius of the province Thrace and procurator centenarius of Alexandria ad Mercurium.

The third monument, IRT 422, was dedicated to the eldest son of Severus and Julia Domna, who was officially called Marcus Aurelius Antoninus, but is better known as Caracalla.

IMPeratori CAESari Marco AVRELIO ANTONINO
AVGVSTO PIO TRIBVNICAE
POTESTATIS IIII PROCOnSvli
IMPeratoris CAESaris Lvcii SEPTIMIi
PII PERTINACIS AVGVSTI
ARABICI ADIABENICI PAR-
THICI MAXIMI FELICISSIMI
Patri Patriae FILIO
Marcvs IVNIVS PVNICVS PROCvrator SEXAGENA-
RIVS PROVINCIAE THRACIAE
CENTENARIVS ALEXANDRIAE AD
MERCVRIVM

To emperor Caesar Marcus Aurelius Antoninus Augustus Pius, vested with the tribunician power for the fourth time, proconsul, son of emperor Caesar Lucius Septimius Severus Pius Pertinax Augustus Arabicus Adiabenicus Parthicus Maximus, most lucky, father of the fatherland, Marcus Junius Punicus, procurator sexagenarius of the province Thrace and procurator centenarius of Alexandria ad Mercurium.

The final inscription, IRT 434, was a dedication to the youngest son of the emperor and his wife, Geta. After he had been assassinated in 211 by his brother Caracalla, Geta's name was erased (damnatio memoriae).

Pvblio SEPTIMIO GETAE CAESari
IMPeratoris CAESaris Lvcii SEPTIMIi
PII PERTINA-
CIS ARABICI ADIABE-
NICI PARTHICI MAXIMI
FELICISSIMI Patri Patriae ~~FILIO~~
Marcvs IVNIVS PVNICVS PROCvrator
SEXAGENARIVS PROVINCI-
AE THRACIAE CENTENA-
RIVS ALEXANDRIAE AD
MERCVRIVM

To Publius Septimius Geta Caesar, son of emperor Caesar Lucius Septimius Severus Pius Pertinax Arabicus Adiabenicus Parthicus Maximus, most lucky, father of the fatherland, Marcus Junius Punicus, procurator sexagenarius of the province Thrace and procurator centenarius of Alexandria ad Mercurium.