Vatican Museums

The founder of the tomb to which this slab belongs, Publius Aelius Iobacchus, freedman of the emperor Hadrian, provides interesting data on it 1) the intended users: the founder himself, Yacinthus, an house-born slave at home (verna), his children, freedmen, freedwomen and their descendants; 2) the dimensions in feet (pedatura): 30 (8.87 m) in front of both epigraph and the façade; 100 (29.58 m) towards the countryside; 3) the claim to ancient customary rules of private law, then merged in public legislation, regarding a) freedom of access to the tomb and movement around it and b) the use of the well, the oven and the woodshed arranged for religious ceremonies linked to the cult of the dead. It also states that the building is to remain within the family and may not be inherited by outsiders; this is to guarantee the continuity of the cult. It concludes by expressing the hope that the tomb be spared from malicious or evil acts. The date of the tomb is deduced by reference to the pair of consuls in office.