EPITAPH OF AELIA URBICA, ROME Alison E. Cooley AEC/ASHL ANChandler.3.107.xml Oxford Ashmolean Museum ANChandler.3.107 AshLI 106

A rectangular stele (0.266 0.163 0.018) in a modern mount, with a rounded pediment flanked by acroteria moulded in relief. In the centre of the pediment is a garland with ribbons trailing to either side. The rear is smoothly finished. There are traces of metal clamps on the top and rear sides. At some point the stele has been broken and subsequently mended.

The inscription is inscribed on the front face. DM appears as a heading, but words are subsequently divided across lines. There are large triangular interpuncts in line 1, then smaller interpuncts throughout. There is a palm-leaf at the end of the inscription. Guiding lines for the stonecutter are visible throughout.

 0.019 throughout Of unknown provenance, it probably originated from Rome. possibly second century AD (Solin 1996: vol.1, p.128). It is first recorded by Christopher Wren (1708: Tab. 6 no.4) as part of his collection of coins and inscriptions in London. This inscription is later listed in the sale catalogue (Langford 1749) for the collection belonging to Christopher Wren, Esq., of Hampton Court (son of Sir Christopher Wren) sold at auction in London as lot 50 on 5th April 1749, after his death. Lot 50 comprised seven marble inscriptions in frames (but only six listed in the catalogue: also C3-114, C3-115, C3-119, C3-124, C3-125). This lot was bought by Richard Rawlinson: he is listed in the sale catalogue as one of the buyers at the auction, and also himself writes later that year of having bought Latin inscriptions from Mr Wren’s sale (Enright 1956: p.306 - Rawlinson Bod. MS. C 989 f.123, 16 Nov 1749, letter to Bodleian’s librarian). All of these Latin inscriptions are in the Ashmolean as part of the Rawlinson Collection, which was given to Oxford University in 1753, and at first kept in the University Collection in the Bodleian Library (Enright 1956: p.340). At some point it then ended up in the basement of the (Old) Ashmolean Museum on Broad Street (now the Museum of the History of Science) (Munby 2013), since in the archive MS. ‘Marbles sent from Ashmolean Museum’ (p.33, no.159), a list of ancient marbles transferred in Jan. 1888 from the (Old) Ashmolean Museum basement room to the marble rooms of the Randolph Building on Beaumont Street, which had been built alongside the University Galleries. The Ashmolean Museum in its current location was built behind the University Galleries, was opened in 1894, and finally the University Galleries and Ashmolean were amalgamated by statute in 1908. It is currently in a storeroom. Photograph Photograph
dis manibus Aeliae Ur bicae quae v ixiit annnos XVIII menses VI dies XXIII fecerunt Urbicus Augusti et Mulvia Iucunda pa rentes

To the departed spirits of Aelia Urbica, who lived for 18 years, 6 months, 23 days. Her parents Urbicus, imperial slave, and Mulvia Iucunda set this up.

MVIVIA (Chandler and all others) – possibly L with a truncated lower bar rather than an error

This epitaph reflects an interesting family set-up, with the father, Urbicus, an imperial slave, but the mother Mulvia Iucunda either freeborn or freed. The name of the deceased, Aelia Urbica, suggests that Urbicus was slave of Hadrian, Lucius Verus, or Commodus. In cases where a child was born to parents who were not both freeborn, it would be usual for the child to take its status from its mother, but in this case the child’s name is based upon the father’s nomenclature as imperial slave. Weaver (1972: pp.144-145) suggests that the mother named here was actually a step-mother or, more likely, that the child was adopted: it would be normal for an adopted child to take its name from its adoptive father’s. Her name suggests further that Aelia Urbica was then freed by the emperor. The use of the word parentes reflects the social and emotional reality, that Urbicus and Iucunda regarded themselves as parents to Urbica, even though she was not necessarily their biological daughter.

Wren (1708) Tab. 6 no.4; Muratori (1740) p.988 no.7 (information from de Mazaugues, via David Mortier in London) and p. 1125 no.9 (in error assigned to Delos); Chandler (1763) Part 3, Pl.III.cvii, with drawing; CIL VI.2 no.11002 [Hübner] (1882); CIL VI (p.3507)

Online: EDCS-17200722 [accessed 09/9/15]

Ashmolean Museum Department of Antiquities Marbles sent from Ashmolean Museum Chandler R. 1763 Marmora Oxoniensia Clarendon Press Oxford Enright B.J. 1956 Richard Rawlinson: collector, antiquary, and topographer (Bod. MS. D.Phil. d.1786) Langford A. 1749 A catalogue of the genuine and entire collection of medals and statues of Christopher Wren Esq, late of Hampton Court, deceased; together with the collection of drawings of architecture of the late Sir Christopher Wren, his father (London 1749) http://artworld.york.ac.uk R. Stephens The art world in Britain 1660 to 1735 Munby J. 2013 A rare collection: Oxford museums past and present Excalibur: Essays on Antiquity and the History of Collecting in Honour of Arthur MacGregor H.Wiegel and M.Vickers Oxford BAR Int. ser. 2512 75-85 Muratori L.A. 1740 Novus thesaurus veterum inscriptionum II Milan Solin H. 1996 Die stadtrömischen Sklavennamen Stuttgart Steiner Weaver P. R. C. 1972 Familia Caesaris: A Social Study of the Emperor's Freedmen and Slaves Cambridge Cambridge University Press WrenC. 1708 Numismatum Antiquorum Sylloge Populis Graecis, Municipiis & Coloniis Romanis Cusorum, ex Cimeliarchio Editoris David Mortier London