Publius Vibius Rufus

By
Elisabeth Campbell
Elisabeth Campbell is a graduate student in the Classics Department at Johns Hopkins, where she is writing a dissertation on Roman victory cognomina during the Republican period. Through her work with the museum, Elisabeth has further developed a special interest in Roman epigraphy and numismatics.

  • Accession Number: JHUAM 15 (Wilson 129)
  • Measurements: Height: 40 cm, Width: 57.8 cm, Thickness: 12.4 cm
  • Material: Marble
  • Date/Culture: Roman, 1st-2nd century CE.
  • Provenance: Rome, Italy

Translation

“Publius Vibius Rufus, son of Marcus, of the tribe Pollia,
Calpurnia, his wife.
Publius Vibius Optatus, freedman of Publius,
Of the tribe Palatina.
Marcus Apinius Dama,
Freedman of Marcus.
Iulia Nicario, freedwoman of Gaia.
Marcus Apinius Alexa,
Freedman of Marcus.”

Description

This inscription, dated to the early Augustan age, records the names of six freedmen who were buried in the associated tomb. Unlike most of the inscriptions on our wall it only contains the names and former masters of the deceased, but no information on their lives.

References

H.L. Wilson and R. van Deman Magoffin,  “Latin Inscriptions at the Johns Hopkins University VIII,” American Journal of Philology 35 (1914), 421-434, 429-431.