Latin Funerary Inscriptions | Epitaphs for Men
Philargyrus (Gladiator Trainer)
By Elisabeth Campbell
Measurements: Height: 19.3 cm, Width: 37.4 cm, Thickness: 3.4 cm
Material: Marble
Date/Culture: Roman,1st century CE.
Provenance: Porta Salaria, Rome, Italy
Translation
“Gaius Futius, freedman of Gaius
Philargyrus
Instructor of the Velites.”
Description
This slab marked the burial niche of a Gaius Futius Philargyrus. It was found together with the inscription for Gaius Futius Hyacintus. Both men share the Name Futius, which may indicate that they were freedmen of the same man. It was customary that freedman adopted the nomen gentile of their former master.
Like Gaius Futius Hyacintus, this man was also a trainer. The term Velites can apply to a type of soldier or gladiator, but the find context suggests that he trained gladiators.
References
P. Sabbatini Tumolesi, Epigrafia anfiteatrale della Occidente Romano I: Roma, Rome: Edizioni Quasar 1988, p. 64 f. Nr. 62; Tav. XVII 2.
H.L. Wilson, “Latin Inscriptions at the Johns Hopkins University III,” American Journal of Philology 30 (1909), 153-170, 169-70.
The inscription is described in the US Epigraphy Project hosted by Brown University.