Slab with inscription by Publilius Ceionius of Cirta

TNMM 772 ↔ CIMRM 129

Speleum cum [sig]/nis et omamen[tis] / Publilius Ceion[ius] / Caecina Albinu[s v(ir) c(larissimus)].

Publilius Ceionius was a praeses consularis of Numidia under Valentinianus and Valens (364-367).

Referring to this inscription, E. Levi in Rec. Const. XLV, 1911, 265ff observes that there are a great many of caves in the neighbourhood. The inscription was discovered à la Kasbah and he therefore thinks it acceptable, that a possible Mithraeum should have been in the immediate surroundings.

Description from CIL VIII: Rectangular block broken at right, H 43, W 82 cm.

Inscription

In four lines:

Speleum cum [sig]/nis et ornamen[tis] / Publilius Ceion[ius] / Caecina Albinu[s] / [f(aciendum) c(uravit)].

Publilius Ceionius Caecina Albinus took care of the (Mithraic) cave with its statues and ornaments.

Letter height 6-7 cm.

Description (from CIL VIII)

Rectangular block broken at right, H 43, W 82 cm. There are no published images.

Provenance and current location

The inscription was first recorded by CIL VIII in 1881 in the Casbah of Constantine, built in a scondary use into a wall of the so-called ‘courtyard of the genius’. This is the area of the antique city center of Cirta-Constantina. ILAlg recorded it built into the outer wall of the Casbah. There is no more recent record of its location.

Honorand, awarder and date

The inscription records the decoration of a mithraic cult room (speleum with statues (signa, lines 1-2) and additional furniture (ornamenta, line 2) by Publilius Ceionius Caecina Albinus.

The awarder, Publilius Ceionius Caecina Albinus was governor (consularis) of Numidia in 364/7 (PLRE I, 34-5 Publilius Ceionius Caecina Albinus 8). However, the title of Albinus is not mentioned in the inscription and it is therefore likely that our inscription testifies to a private benefaction. Albinus was a pagan; he is mentioned in the Saturnalia of Macrobius as member of the circle of Quintus Aurelius Symmachus (Macrobius, Saturnalia XII, 15).