Inscription on a public work of the Emperor Nerva

Photogallery

Inscription on a public work of the Emperor Nerva
Inscription on a public work of the Emperor Nerva
Section II. Emperors and the Imperial House

The emperor Marcus Cocceius Nerva, indicated here with a series of official names, titles, and political and religious offices summarising the role of supreme head of the Roman State, undertook an unidentifiable work of public utility: we are not aware of the ancient site or the archaeological context in which the epigraph was located. Subsequently, in the year 152 A.D., the emperor Antoninus Pius promoted a new project, probably for restoration rather than enlargement. He therefore added a second commemorative inscription to the back of the block, with an identical textual structure, including personal names and a few other titles. A cut was effected at the end of the eighteenth century, separating the two engraved sides; the second face, inferior in height, may be seen in the Lapidary Gallery 39.4, cat. 6906.