Lucius Antonius Menander
He was from Aphrodisias in Caria, where he erected a relief depicting Mithras killing the bull.
Tauroctony of Vratnitsa
Ubi Erat Lupa / Ortolf Harl
Biography
of Lucius Antonius Menander
- Lucius Antonius Menander was a syndexios.
- Born in Ἀφροδισιάς, Asia.
- Resident in Vratnitsa, Dalmatia in c. 3rd – 4th century (TNMM 701).
TNMP 241
Lucius Antonius Menander was from Aphrodisieus in Caria. His cognomen Menander is Greek and his nomen Antonius is from the distinguished Roman plebeii family of Antonius. He was probably a freed man who got his nomen from his previous owner. Stating the place of origin was very common among the freed. Given the fact that a word Aphrodisieus was carved in Greek with epsilon instead of a Latin U, it is assumed that the stonemason was a foreigner or Lucius Antinius Menander was a dedicant and a stonemason for the statue at the same time.
References
- Epigraphic Database Heidelberg. Tauroctony from Vratnitsa in EDH
- Epigraphik-Datenbank Clauss / Slaby. Tauroctony from Vratnitsa in EDCS
- Gligor M. Samardžić (2011) On ancient cults from the south of the province of Dalmatia
Attestations
Tauroctony from Vratnitsa
TNMM 701
This relief of Mithras as a bullkiller found at Vratnitsa, near Lisicici in northern Macedonia, was signed by a certain Menander Aphrodisieus.
