EPITAPH OF FREEDWOMAN NAEVIA MA, ROME(?) Alison E. Cooley AEC/ASHL ANChandler.3.108.xml Oxford Ashmolean Museum ANChandler.3.108 AshLI 107

An attractive small rectangular slab of white marble imitating a tabula ansata (in a modern mount) (0.10 0.194 0.025). It is decorated on the front surface at the top and bottom edges around the inscription with two patterns. At the top is a line of ten triangles symmetrically arranged (almost) according to a pattern of loops at their tops; at the bottom is a wavy line, which has small dashes in between it, alternating above and below. These decorative motifs are also found on C3-129. The rear is not visible because of the modern mount. Holes for attaching the slab, with traces of metal and oxidisation are visible on the front, half way up on left and right. Overall it is in good condition, with a little abrasion to the first two letters of the inscription and to the middle of the last line.

Inscription on the front face is surrounded by decorative borders. Triangular interpuncts throughout, except at line ends. Guiding lines for the stonecutter are still faintly visible. In line 2, the spacing of SOR OR and a small mark which resembles an interpunct (although it is not as large as the others) suggests that the quality of the stonecutter’s inscribing lacks finesse; furthermore, an attempt is made to centre line 3, but is not quite accurate.

 0.021 (line 1); 0.017 (line 2); 0.012 (line 3). Of unknown provenance, it probably originated from Rome. first century AD (on onomastic grounds: Solin 1996: p.300). It is first recorded in Oxford according to CIL, but is in fact 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 54 on 6th April 1749, after his death. Lot 54 comprised a Greek inscription and seven Latin inscriptions (also C3-109; C3-120; C3-122; C3-123; C3-129; C3-133). 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 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 (Chandler 1763), 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 it is included in the archive MS. ‘Marbles sent from Ashmolean Museum’ (p.33, no.160), 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. The epitaph is currently on display in the Reading and Writing Gallery Photograph
Naevia U+0186 liberta Ma soror Quinti Lucreti Primogenis

Naevia Ma, freedwoman of a woman, sister of Quintus Lucretius Primogenes.

The epitaph provides a glimpse of the upward social mobility of Naevia Ma and her brother. Naevia is a former slave, and so at the time she was born her mother must also have been a slave, but Naevia was subsequently freed by a woman (indicated with the usual epigraphic abbreviation). Her brother, however, records his full tria nomina. Primogenes may have been freed by a different owner, a Quintus Lucretius, but has chosen not to record his freed status. It is possible that either Naevia Ma or Lucretius Primogenes may have been sold into a different household from that in which (s)he was born, but subsequently maintained a sibling relationship. Alternatively, Primogenes may have been born after their mother had herself gained her freedom and married a Lucretius, and so would be Naevia’s younger sibling.

Chandler (1763) Part 3, Pl.III.cviii, with drawing; CIL VI.3 no.22851 [Hübner] (1886).

Online: EDCS-13201135 [accessed 27/06/14]; EDR 138179 [last updated 05-07-2014, Di Cola] [accessed 02/09/16]

Ashmolean Museum Department of Antiquities Marbles sent from Ashmolean Museum Chandler R. 1763 Marmora Oxoniensia Oxford Clarendon Press 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 Solin H. 1996 Die stadtrömischen Sklavennamen Stuttgart Steiner