CATALOGUE

  FUNERARY INSCRIPTION
          OF PUBLIUS ASTRANIUS 
                                  VENUSTO 
Lucentum (Tossal de Manises, Alicante)

White marble with grey veining
h: 31.11cm; w: 28.4 cm; e: 2 cm
Roman culture
2nd century AD
 

Rectangular marble plaque attached to a monument by means of staples that left traces of rust on the sides. On its polished face there is a five-line inscription written in a square capital letter with cursive tendencies and a rustic appearance and a height of between 5 and 2.5 cm. It has triangular interpunctures and two heredae complete lines 3 and 5.
The text reads: "Here lies Publius Astranius Venustus, sevir augustus of Lucentes, 23 years of age; I beg you, wayfarer, to say: may the earth be mild to you".
Its Latin transcription is:
P(ublius) ASTRANI
VS VENVSTVS
IIIIII AVG(ustalis)
LVCENTIS ANNOR(um) XXIII
T(e) R(ogo)-P(raeteriens)-D(icas)-S(it)-T(ibi)-T(erra) LEVIS.
The Romans wished to perpetuate their memory and proof of this are the inscriptions on the monuments where they were buried next to the access roads to the cities. This epitaph, which mentions the city of Lucentum, shows Publius Astranius Venustus' yearning for eternity by inviting the traveller to remember his name.
C.S.: 3790
LLOBREGAT, E., 1981.
ABAD, L. and ABASCAL, J.M. 1991.
CORELL, J. 1999.