AgoraXVII 1056 Funerary altar of Valeria Fortunata

Funerary altar of Valeria Fortunata

Agora XVII 1056 Date: ca. 70-96 AD

Latin text: To the underworld spirits (dis manibus), for Valeria Fortunata,^[1] his well-deserving companion (contubernali),^[2] Antiochus, house-slave (verna) (5)of our Caesar, set this up. Greek text: For Valeria Fortunata, his companion (sumbiō), Antiochos, slave of Caesar, had this made.

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References:

Agora XVII 1056 (Translated text) (PHI)

SEG 21.1058

SIA VI 71 (PHI)

EDH HD019457 (EDH)

SEMA 2297

Translation by: Justin Dooley

Images: Agora Excavations - (1)
Wikimedia Commons - (1)

Monument type: Altar

Inscription type: Funerary

Findspot: Agora, modern foundations above the Temple of Ares (Ag. I 774)

Transliterations on Places on

[1] This bilingual (Latin and Greek) funerary altar has a hanging cord carved around the text, a castanet sprouting leaves on the left side, and a tambourine on the right; a hole on top indicates a lost crowning block. The husband of the deceased may be identified with Titus Flavius Antiochus, an imperial freedman found in a dedication at Corinth, whose name implies he was manumitted under the Flavians (Corinth VIII.3 62). Although slaves and freedmen had a low social status, in the Roman Imperial period, those connected to the Imperial family could become very wealthy and powerful (see P. R. C. Weaver, Familia Caesaris, 1972).

The musical instruments and leaves invoke a thiasos, a euphoric procession in honour of Dionysos that is commonly depicted on Roman sarcophagi (Grossman in Agora XXXV). Although both languages are employed, the Greek text is squeezed into the remaining space beneath the Latin, suggesting it was an afterthought. The use and centrality of the Latin coupled with the unusual choice for Athens of commemorating the dead with an altar, suggests that Antiochus wished to present a primarily Roman identity for Fortunata. [2] The Latin term contubernalis ("companion," literally "tent-mate") primarily refers to de facto marriages between slaves or freedmen, who could not legally marry under Roman law (see B. Rawson, TAPA 104, 1974, 293-99). Antiochus’ designation as a verna ("house-slave") – often found on epitaphs – means that he was a slave born into the household (familia), rather than purchased or inherited, i.e. he was the son of a woman who was enslaved to the Imperial household (see H. Mouritsen, The Freedmen in the Roman World, 2011, 100).

Added: 24 Sep 2026
Updated: 24 Sep 2026
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ID: AIO_3876