Funerary Inscription for Julia Prima

Place of OriginItaly, Rome, found in the Centocelle district

Date1st-2nd century CE

DimensionsObject: 14 1/2 × 27 1/4 × 1 3/4 in. (36.8 × 69.2 × 4.4 cm)
Object including pedestal: 16 3/4 × 31 1/2 × 9 1/2 in. (42.5 × 80 × 24.1 cm)

Mediummarble

ClassificationUtilitarian Objects

Credit LineGift of Mr. Harold W. Parsons

Object number

1924.62

Not on View

DescriptionFunerary plaque inscribed in Latin: IVLIA MODESTA FECIT IVLIAE PRIMAE MATRI SVAE DVL- CISSIMAE CVM M IVNIO EVTYCHO CONIVGE SVO ET LIBTERTIS LIBERTABVSQUE POSTERISQ SVORVM IN FR P V IN AGR P X

Label TextThis funerary inscription, carved in marble, was discovered during construction work in the Centocelle neighborhood of Rome, along Via Casilina. The inscription belongs to a group of similar epitaphs found within a tomb complex, indicating a family or communal burial space. It commemorates the deceased Julia Prima, described affectionately as “dulcissima” (the sweetest), and was erected by her daughter, Julia Modesta, with the involvement of her husband, Marcus Junius Eutyches. The dedication extends not only to family but also to their freedmen, freedwomen, and descendants, reflecting typical Roman funerary customs of inclusivity within the household. The final lines of the text—"in fr P V in agr P X"—specify the dimensions of the burial plot: five feet in the front and ten feet within the burial field, offering insight into the spatial regulations governing tombs in ancient Rome.Published ReferencesCorpus Inscriptionum Latinarum (CIL), VI, no. 37613.

Ghislanzoni, E., in Notizie degli Scavi di Antichità, Reale Accademia dei Lincei, vol. 9, 1912, p. 18, no. 11. Arnoldus-Huyzendveld, Antonia, Patrizia Gioia, and Rita Volpe (eds), Centocelle: Roma S.D.O., Le Indagini Archeologiche, Soveria Mannelli, Rubbettino, 2004, 65-127, cited under monument no. 36.