Funerary inscription for Marcus Aurelius Zenon
created: Transcription (Reynolds)
source date: Probably third century CE
language: en; grc; grc-Latn
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ἡ ϲορόϲ ἐϲτιν καὶ ὁ τόποϲ Μάρκου Αὐρηλίου Ζήνωνοϲ τοῦ τοῦ Ζήνωνοϲ τοῦ Ὀφελίου Χριϲτοῦ μνήμηϲ χάριν

The sarcophagus and the plot (on which it stands) belong to Marcus Aurelius Zenon son of Zenon the son of Ophellius Christos. In (his) memory.

Lines 8-9 at least were presumably cut after the owner's death.

Another grandson of Ophellius Christos, Marcus Aurelius Atticus was the owner of (=Sarcophagus 10), (the two were found in the same tomb). Atticus presumably died some years later than Zenon since he abbreviates his Roman nomen, which Zenon writes out in fulines This might suggest a period when the superfluity of Marci Aurelii created by Caracalla's grant of Roman citizenship to most free persons in the Roman Empire, in 212, had reduced pride in the name; but the criterion is an uncertain one. It appears that both Zenon and Atticus belonged to a family in which at least one grandfather was already a Roman citizen in the second century. Neither makes the status of his father clear (could each of them have been a non-citizen who married a daughter of Ophellius?) Both seem to have stressed their status as derived from the Caracallan Edict. In so far as their status is discernible, it seems likely to be modest.

[...] in 1989/90, whence [...] 90.g, Sarcophagus 8

[...] 28 , whence [...] 40.948 , [...] 1992.437 ; [...] 81 ; [...] 13.602.