Archaeology and Memory – XX
Stele with aedicula superimposed on the motif of the closed door. Fine local work, datable to the second half of the 1st century BC.The representation of the double-leaf door is realistic and follows canonical proportions typical of an architectural language still inspired by Republican models: its height is three times its base width, and it features the characteristic leonine protomes with imitated ring knockers. The door is framed by Tuscan pilasters, which form the base for the second register, consisting of smooth small columns supporting the depressed semicircular arch of the aedicula, from which the busts of the spouses emerge, wrapped in the picturesque drapery of their garments.
The portraits show slender, elongated faces with high, protruding cheekbones, typical of the indigenous population, and hairstyles characteristic of the late Republican period. The female figure recalls portraits of Octavia in the arrangement of the hair, while her necklace with an oval bezel clasp is also noteworthy.
The inscription on the base of the aedicula informs us that the stele was commissioned by Publius Rameius Hilarus for the freedman Arius, and for the other freedmen and freedwomen. The latin text reads:
P(ublius) Rameius / Hilarus v(ivus) f(ecit) Ario l(iberto) / et libert(is) liberta(bus).
The last line, reporting the name “Firmius Primigenius,” was carved in the imperial period.
Source: Valnea Santa Maria Scrinari, “Museo Archeologico di Aquileia, Catalogo delle Sculture Romane”
Limestone stele
Dimesions [cm]: height 365 , width 69,. depth 33
Late 1st century BC
Aquileia, Museo Archeologico Nazionale
Archaeology and Memory – XX
Stele with aedicula superimposed on the motif of the closed door. Fine local work, datable to the second half of the 1st century BC.The representation of the double-leaf door is realistic and follows canonical proportions typical of an architectural language still inspired by Republican models: its height is three times its base width, and it features the characteristic leonine protomes with imitated ring knockers. The door is framed by Tuscan pilasters, which form the base for the second register, consisting of smooth small columns supporting the depressed semicircular arch of the aedicula, from which the busts of the spouses emerge, wrapped in the picturesque drapery of their garments.
The portraits show slender, elongated faces with high, protruding cheekbones, typical of the indigenous population, and hairstyles characteristic of the late Republican period. The female figure recalls portraits of Octavia in the arrangement of the hair, while her necklace with an oval bezel clasp is also noteworthy.
The inscription on the base of the aedicula informs us that the stele was commissioned by Publius Rameius Hilarus for the freedman Arius, and for the other freedmen and freedwomen. The latin text reads:
P(ublius) Rameius / Hilarus v(ivus) f(ecit) Ario l(iberto) / et libert(is) liberta(bus).
The last line, reporting the name “Firmius Primigenius,” was carved in the imperial period.
Source: Valnea Santa Maria Scrinari, “Museo Archeologico di Aquileia, Catalogo delle Sculture Romane”
Limestone stele
Dimesions [cm]: height 365 , width 69,. depth 33
Late 1st century BC
Aquileia, Museo Archeologico Nazionale