Roman honorific pedestal

Inv. 2014/107/1

Marble Salto de línea Height: 81.5; width 50.5 cm, depth 29 cmSalto de línea Origin: Denia, Alicante.Salto de línea 2nd century.

The rectangular pedestal has an inscription in a double frame. Its text takes up the whole of the main face of the piece, its contents running into nine lines. It is inscribed in square capitals of 5.5-6.5 cm. height and the words are separated by triangular interpunctions.

Transcription:

L(ucio) VALERIOSalto de línea L(uci).F(ilio). GAL(eria)Salto de línea PROPINQUOSalto de línea FLAMINISalto de línea P(rovinciae).H(ispaniae).C(iterioris)Salto de línea BAEBI.IVSTVSSalto de línea ET.CALPVRNIASalto de línea NVS.AMICOSalto de línea OPTIMO

Translation:

Bebio Justo and Bebio Calpurniano dedícate this monument to their great friend Lucio Valerio Propincuo, son of Lucio of the Galerian tribe and Flamen from the province of Hispania Citerior.

As a member of one of the families of the municipal elite, Lucio Valerio Propinquo occupied all the civic magistratures, among which were probably the local flaminate he held in Denia before he went to Tarraco, in which city he held the provincial flaminate, practising as a priest dedicated to a single, important deity, perhaps Jupiter. The importance of his role in the city of Dianium is proven by the number of inscriptions dedicated to him and by his relationship with all the people who dedicated these monuments to him.

With regard to the dedicators of this pedestal, Baebius Iustus and Baebius Calpurnianus, we know that these two personalities belonged to the powerful Baebia gens, many of whom lived in the city of Saguntum. This pedestal with its inscription and sculpture that stood on it will consider that monument and exhibited in a public place. This gave not only the person honoured a strong public presence, but also the brothers dedicating it and declaring themselves friends of the priest of Hispania Citerior Lucius Valerius Propinquus, who held this position between the years 120 and 180.

This pedestal belonged to the collection of the Marquis de Casa Loring, and was added to the National Archaeological Museum in 1897, year in which the bronze Roman laws of Osuna III, Osuna IV and Osuna V, the Lex Malacitana, the Lex Salpensana, and the legal Bonanza Bronze were acquired. In 2004, to these six magnificent pieces which are part of the museum’s permanent collection and have always been exhibited, were added the marble Roman sculpture of the muse Urania. Since its discovery in Malaga in 1870, this exceptional representation of Urania had been kept on the La Concepción estate there belonging to Jorge Enrique Loring Oyarzábal and Amalia Heredia Livermore, niece of the Marquis of Salamanca, whose influence led them to create what was called the Loringian Museum in 1851.