Harvard Art Museums > 1980.83: Latin Funerary Inscription of Q. Caecilius Hilarus and Caecilia Eleutheris Inscriptions Collections Search Exit Deep Zoom Mode Zoom Out Zoom In Reset Zoom Full Screen Add to Collection Order Image Copy Link Copy Citation Citation"Latin Funerary Inscription of Q. Caecilius Hilarus and Caecilia Eleutheris , 1980.83,” Harvard Art Museums collections online, Apr 25, 2024, https://hvrd.art/o/288929. Reuse via IIIF Toggle Deep Zoom Mode Download This object does not yet have a description. Identification and Creation Object Number 1980.83 Title Latin Funerary Inscription of Q. Caecilius Hilarus and Caecilia Eleutheris Classification Inscriptions Work Type inscription Date 1st century CE Places Creation Place: Ancient & Byzantine World, Europe, Rome (Latium) Period Roman Imperial period, Early Culture Roman Persistent Link https://hvrd.art/o/288929 Physical Descriptions Medium Marble Technique Engraved Dimensions 19 x 32.5 x 1.8 cm (7 1/2 x 12 13/16 x 11/16 in.) Provenance Recorded Ownership History Found at the Porta Salaria Necropolis, Via Po at Via Tevere, Rome, 1905. Acquisition and Rights Credit Line Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Gift of Hugh B. Pagon in memrory of Garrett Dunn Pagon, W. Watters Pagon, and George Garrett Dunn Accession Year 1980 Object Number 1980.83 Division Asian and Mediterranean Art Contact am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu Permissions The Harvard Art Museums encourage the use of images found on this website for personal, noncommercial use, including educational and scholarly purposes. To request a higher resolution file of this image, please submit an online request. Descriptions Description Marble Latin Funerary Inscription of Caecilius Hilarius, physician to Caecilia Metella. Excellent condition. Thin crack from right-of-center bottom to middle of fourth row of inscription. Portion of concrete attached to back when brought to museum; this was determined to be modern. Modern paint spots on surface and some rust spots. Rectangular shaped slab of marble of even thickness. The front is framed with a border roughly 2.5 cm. wide, comprised of a flat surface, a groove, a curve with a raised border, and a deep groove bordering the inscription. The first four lines are aligned close to the left frame; the fifth line in inset at both ends. The bottom line is begun slightly closer to the left frame than the other lines. The last is the longest line, measuring 27 cm. The letters are capitals of an average height of 1.7 cm. tall and 1.5 cm. wide. In the second line, the inscriber ran out of space and put the final "us" of "medicus" in small letters. He also made the final "s" of "suis" as a smaller letter. Found in situ at the tomb of Caecilia Metella in a huge necropolis northwest of the Porta Salaria and Piazza Fiume in Rome (near present-day Via Po). The necropolis, containing tombs of members of leading Roman families, is dated from the end of the Republican period to early Augustan times. Latin Inscription: Q. CAECILIVS.CAECILIAE CRASSI.L.HILARVS.MEDIC CAECILIA.DVARVM SCRIBONIARVM.L ELEVTHERIS EX.PARTEM.DIMIDIAE.SIBI.ET.SVI Translation by Professor Mason Hammond in 1980: Quintus Caecilius Hilarus, a doctor, Freedman of Caecilia, wife of Crassus. Caecilia Eleutheris, freedwoman of two Scriboniae. With the share of a half. For himself (themselves?) and their (family). OR "With half (of this columbarium) for themselves and their family." Caecilius Hilarus was a physician of the famous Caecilia Metella. Her circular tomb is still seen as a large monument on the Appian Way south of Rome. The doctor's praenomen Quintus was taken from the name of Caecilia Metella's father. Caecilia Eleutheris was Hilarus' wife. She was the freedwoman of the two "Scriboniae," one of whom was the first wife of Augustus (40-39 BCE) and mother of his only child, Julia. The other sister was married to the son of Pompey the Great, Sextus Pompeius, who was defeated by Augustus/Octavian in 36 BCE. This inscription was most likely acquired in Rome in 1906-7 by Professor Harry L. Wilson, a member of the Department of Classics at Johns Hopkins University. It was then mounted on a chimney breast in a house in Baltimore owned by Professor Wilson from 1908 until his death in 1913. The house was purchased by the family of Hugh Pagon in 1920, with the inscription still attached to the chimney. Hugh Pagon gave the inscription to Harvard in 1980 in memory of his family members who attended Harvard. This piece was originally thought to be part of Professor David Robinson's collection of objects brought back from Antioch in Pisidia. However, later evidence proved this theory incorrect, as his excavation there took place in the summer of 1924, when the object was already in Baltimore. In March, 1981 the cement on the back of the plaque was tested by E. Farrell and R. Newman to determine its age. They concluded that material most resembles modern Portland cement. If it were Roman mortar, the Fe would have formed rust and stained both the cement and plaque. Commentary LIVE LIKE A ROMAN: DAILY LIFE OBJECT COLLECTION Funerary inscriptions were very common in the ancient world. They would most often be seen outside the city walls, since burials in Rome were restricted to outside the city. They were carved in stone using all capital letters. Funerary inscriptions were often multiple lines long and contained numerous details about the deceased's life. It would list their age at the time of death, parentage, family connections, and sometimes even profession. It would often send the deceased off on their trip to the "diis manibus," or the "spirits of the dead." Some funerary dedications are more elaborate than others, depending on the class of the deceased. Many tombs would feature a depiction of the person, either just a bust or sometimes even a full statue. The inscription could contain terms of endearment, such as "dedicated by her beloved husband." These dedications help paint a picture of Roman family life and the culture's view on death. We are also able to see the development of the Latin language and alphabet through the evolution of these inscriptions. [Jessica Pesce 8/10/2010] Publication History Corpus Inscriptionum Latinarum VI (1902), no. 37380. Herbert Bloch, "The Funerary Inscription of the Physician of Caecilia Crassi in the Fogg Art Museum", Harvard Studies in Classical Philology, Harvard University Press (Cambridge, MA, 1982), Vol. 86, pp. 141-150, pp. 141-150, fig. 1 Susan Auth, Artisans of Ancient Rome: Production into Art, Minerva, The Newark Museum (Newark, NJ, 1997), Vol. 9(3), p. 16. John Bodel and Stephen Tracy, Greek and Latin Inscriptions in the USA: A checklist, American Academy in Rome (New York, 1997), p. 50. Exhibition History Artisans of Ancient Rome: Production into Art, The Newark Museum, 09/11/1997 - 12/31/1998 32Q: 3620 University Study Gallery, Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, 09/04/2021 - 01/02/2022 Verification Level This record was created from historic documentation and may not have been reviewed by a curator; it may be inaccurate or incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of Asian and Mediterranean Art at am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
