Latin Funerary Inscriptions | Epitaphs for Men
Aristarchus (A Nomenclator)
By Elisabeth Campbell
Accession Number: JHAM 35 (Wilson 32)
Measurements: Height: 14.1 cm, Width: 27.5 cm. Thickness: 3.8 cm
Material: Marble
Date/Culture: Roman, 1st century CE
Provenance: Porta Salaria, Rome, Italy
Measurements: Height: 14.1 cm, Width: 27.5 cm. Thickness: 3.8 cm
Material: Marble
Date/Culture: Roman, 1st century CE
Provenance: Porta Salaria, Rome, Italy
Translation
“[Here lie] the bones
Of Aristarchus, freedman,
A nomenclator.”
Description
This inscription marked the columbarium niche of Aristarchus. He worked as a nomenclator, an announcer of names. Influential men (patrons) in Rome often employed nomenclatores to announce the names of clients to them as they approached.
References
H.L. Wilson, “Latin Inscriptions at the Johns Hopkins University IV,” American Journal of Philology 31 (1910), 25-42, 36.
The inscription is described in the US Epigraphy Project hosted by Brown University.