2026 | LIBRI http://www.libridergi.org/en Epigrafi, Çeviri ve Eleştiri Dergisi Mon, 29 Jun 2026 16:46:07 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.0 A New Latin Building Inscription from the Gaziantep Zeugma Mosaic Museum http://www.libridergi.org/en/2026/epigraphy-26/lbr-0357 Mon, 29 Jun 2026 16:40:11 +0000 http://www.libridergi.org/?p=9261

A New Latin Building Inscription from the Gaziantep Zeugma Mosaic Museum

Aykan AKÇAY
Hüseyin UZUNOĞLU

LIBRI XII (2026) 41-48
Received: 22.05.2026 | Accepted: 15.06.2026
DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.21040426
Online Publication Date: 29.06.2026

Abstract: This study examines a previously unpublished Latin inscription preserved in the stone artifacts depot of the Gaziantep Zeugma Mosaic Museum. Although the exact context is unclear, the inscription must have been erected to commemorate a construction activity in which Publius Iulius Satto and Publius Victorinius Mercator, who served as contubernales in the Roman army, were likely involved. The inscription records that these individuals served in the first cohors within the centuria of the primus pilus. The tradition of naming centuriae after their commanders (centurio) disappeared from the 3rd century CE onwards; instead, as is the case in this inscription, they began to be named according to the duty title within the centuria. Since this title is given as primus pilus in the inscription, it is understood that these two contubernales, Satto and Mercator, were in the first centuria of the first cohors, the most prestigious unit in the legion. The inscription does not specify to which legion this unit was attached; however, it was most probably one of the legions temporarily stationed in the region and attested by numerous stamped tiles. Both the Celtic origin of the cognomen Satto and the exclusive concentration of the name Victorinius in the Rhineland point to a likely Gallo-Germanic origin for these contubernales. Based on the naming convention of the centuria, the inscription is dated to the 3rd century CE.

Keywords: Latin Inscriptions, Primus pilus, Cohors Prima, Zeugma Mosaic Museum, Roman Army

Öz: Bu çalışmada Gaziantep Zeugma Mozaik Müzesi’nin taş eserler deposunda muhafaza edilen ve daha önce yayımlanmamış bir Latince yazıt incelenmektedir. Hangi bağlamda kaleme alındığı tam olarak belli olmasa da yazıt, Roma ordusunda contubernalis olarak hizmet veren Publius Iulius Satto ve Publius Victorinius Mercator’un olasılıkla dâhil oldukları bir inşa faaliyetinin anısına dikilmiş olmalıdır. Yazıtta bu kişilerin, ilk cohors bünyesindeki primus pilus’un centuria’sında görevli oldukları kayıtlıdır. Centu­ria’ların, komutanlarının (centurio) adlarına izafeten adlandırılma geleneği MS 3. yüzyıldan itibaren ortadan kalk­mış ve bunun yerine, bu yazıtta olduğu gibi centuria içindeki görev unvanına göre isimlendirilmeye başlanmıştır. Bu unvan da yazıtta primus pilus olarak verildiğinden, Satto ve Mercator adlı bu iki contuberna­lis’in lejyondaki en prestijli birim olan ilk cohors’un ilk centuria’sında bulundukları anlaşılmaktadır. Bu birimin hangi lejyona bağlı olduğu bilgisi yazıtta yer almamaktadır; ancak bu lejyon, büyük olasılıkla bölgede geçici görevle bulunan ve çok sayıda damgalı kiremitle belgelenen lejyonlardan biri olmalıdır. Satto cognomen’inin Keltçe kökeni ve Victorinius nomen’inin Ren Bölgesi’ndeki yoğunluğu, bu contubernales için muhtemel bir Galya-Germen kökenine işaret etmektedir. Yazıt, centuria’nın adlandırılma şeklinden dolayı MS 3. yüzyıla tarihlendirilmektedir.

Anahtar sözcükler: Latince Yazıtlar, Primus pilus, Cohors Prima, Zeugma Mozaik Müzesi, Roma Ordusu

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Url: http://www.libridergi.org/2026/lbr-0357

Aykan AKÇAY

Res. Assist. Dr., Akdeniz University, Mediterranean Civilizations Research Institute, Antalya, Türkiye. aykanakcay@akdeniz.edu.tr

Hüseyin UZUNOĞLU

Assoc. Prof. Dr., Akdeniz University, Faculty of Letters, Department of Ancient Languages and Cultures, Antalya, Türkiye

]]> A New Agonistic Epigram from Synnada: Antigonos the Trumpeter http://www.libridergi.org/en/2026/epigraphy-26/lbr-0356 Thu, 21 May 2026 09:01:21 +0000 http://www.libridergi.org/?p=9235

A New Agonistic Epigram from Synnada: Antigonos the Trumpeter

M. Ertan YILDIZ
N. Eda AKYÜREK ŞAHİN

LIBRI XII (2026) 27-39
Received: 07.04.2026 | Accepted: 06.05.2026
DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.20266542
Online Publication Date: 21.05.2026

Abstract: The subject of this article is a fifteen-line inscription (Figs. 1-4) on the front face of a marble block discovered in the Şuhut district of Afyon and currently preserved in the Afyon Museum. The findspot of the stone belonged to the territory of the city of Synnada, located in Phrygia during antiquity. The inscription is an agonistic epigram consisting of three distichs honoring a successful trumpeter. In the epigram, a trumpeter named Antigonos is praised. He is known to have participated in trumpet competitions and achieved success while still a child. In later periods, he also gained victories in the Actian and Pythian games. It is emphasized that Antigonos glorified his homeland – which is not named in the epigram but is likely Synnada based on the findspot – through his achievements. We include this inscription within the group of agonistic inscriptions known from Synnada to date, some of which are also in the form of epigrams. This marks the first time a trumpeter has been documented in Synnada. Based on current epigraphic and numismatic evidence, the only major festival and games identified in Synnada to date is the great festival known as the “Hadrianeia Panathenaia”. This inscription honoring the trumpeter was also likely erected during a celebration of the Hadrianeia Panathenaia agon in the city. Due to its letterforms and content, the epigram can be dated to the same period as similar epigrams from Synnada, such as those of Thallos and Aristainetos (see the appendix) -namely, the first half of the 3rd century CE.

Keywords: Agonistic Epigram, Afyon Museum, Synnada, Pythia, Actia, Salpinktes/Trumpeter

Öz: Afyon’un Şuhut ilçesinde bulunmuş ve günümüzde Afyon Müzesi’nde korunan mermer bir blok taşın ön yüzündeki on beş satırlık bir yazıt (Figs. 1-4) bu makalenin konusunu oluşturmaktadır. Taşın bulunduğu yer, antikçağda Phrygia’da yer alan Synnada kentinin topraklarına aitti. Yazıt başarılı bir trompetçinin onurlandırıldığı üç distykhondan oluşan agonistik bir epigramdır. Epigramda Antigonos isimli bir trompetçi övülmektedir. Bu kişinin daha çocukken trompet yarışmalarına katıldığı ve başarılar kazandığı anlaşılmaktadır. Daha sonraki zamanlarda Aktia ve Pythia oyunlarında da zaferler elde etmiştir. Antigonos’un adı epigramda verilmeyen ama buluntu yerinden dolayı Synnada olması muhtemel olan vatanını başarılarıyla yücelttiği vurgulanmaktadır. Bu yazıtı bugüne kadar Synnada’dan bilinen ve bazıları da epigram şeklinde olan bir grup agonistik yazıt grubunun içine dahil ediyoruz. Synnada’dan ilk kez bir trompetçi belgelenmektedir. Mevcut epigrafik ve nümismatik belgelere dayanarak Synnada’da bugüne kadar tespit edilmiş olan tek bayram “Hadrianeia Panathenaia” adıyla bilinen büyük bayram ve oyunlardır. Trompetçiyi onurlandıran bu yazıt da olasılıkla kentteki bir Hadrianeia Panathenaia agonu sırasında dikilmiş olmalıdır. Epigram harf karakterleri ve içeriği nedeniyle Synnada’daki Thallos ve Aristainetos epigramları gibi (bk. ekler kısmı) benzer epigramlarla aynı döneme, yani MS 3. yüzyılın ilk yarısına tarihlenebilir.

Anahtar sözcükler: Agonistik Epigram, Afyon Müzesi, Synnada, Pythia, Aktia, Trompetçi

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Kalıcı Bağlantı Adresi: http://www.libridergi.org/2026/lbr-0356

M. Ertan YILDIZ

Assoc. Prof. Dr., Akdeniz University, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Department of Ancient Languages and Cultures, Antalya, Türkiye. ertanyildiz@akdeniz.edu.tr

N. Eda AKYÜREK ŞAHİN

Prof. Dr., Akdeniz University, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Department of Ancient Languages and Cultures, Antalya, Türkiye. edasahin@akdeniz.edu.tr

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