Arch of Orange shield nameplates/tabula

[Marcus Mummius]

Salvete,

Does anyone know what the rectangular square with what look to be letters on this oval shield form the Arch of Orange could be?



Valete,
Jef

[Marcus Mummius]

Salvete,

Does anyone know what the rectangular square with what look to be letters on the oval shield at the lower left of this picture form the Arch of Orange could be?



Valete,
Jef

[MARCvSVIBIvSMAvRINvS]

Looks to me like:

WWW RIO.

wouldnt have a clue.

M.VIB.M.

[Nathan Ross]

Looks to me like it says MA RIO - maybe Marius? Would victorious generals write their own names upon the spolia, perhaps?

- Nathan

[jho]

Salve,

several shields on the arch bear name tags. One of them actually has the name "sacrovir" inscribed and on this ground the arch is connected to the rebellion of 21 AD. It is open to speculation whether the owners inscribed their shields while living to be recognizable to their followers or whether they were inscribed after their death to document from whom they were taken.

I do not have access to my library here but see foonote 2 on page 30 in this link:

[url:1bwzh01y]http://books.google.com/books?id=WTcGAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA30&lpg=PA30&dq=Orange+Sacrovir&source=bl&ots=ap81IOoNLN&sig=vlWFN8kO1Pf2M_fUpi3OgpOxTyk&hl=en&ei=xrBbTNHhGYG88gappqn5AQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CBIQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=Orange%20Sacrovir&f=false[/url]

(i hope it works) You will also find a reference to this shield with the name "MARIO" as well as other shields with the names "BODVACVS", "CATVS" AND "VDILLVS" there.

If you read German, the fullest treatment appears to be:

Paar, I (1979) Der Bogen von Orange und der gallische Aufstand unter der Führung des Iulius Sacrovir 21 n.Chr. Chiron (Mitteilungen der Kommission für alte Geschichte und Epigraphik des Deutschen Archäologischen Instituts) 9: 215-236.

I have not read it myself.

[Gaius Julius Caesar]

Looks like VITA RTO ?

[M. Demetrius]

MVM said: Looks to me like: WWW RIO.

Naaah, I don't think they had the Internettvs yet. :roll: :lol: www.rio.com
OTOH, they'd have probably gone there if they could....

[PhilusEstilius]

I think that I have to go along with Nathan on this and say that I also see MA RIO ( does this indicate Marius ? )

[Nathan Ross]

I think Jens had it here:

You will also find a reference to this shield with the name "MARIO" as well as other shields with the names "BODVACVS", "CATVS" AND "VDILLVS"

The last three sound like regular 'native' Gallic names - referring to tribal leaders defeated by the Romans at some point I would guess - but Marius doesn't. Still, there were plenty of Romanised Gauls called Julius something (Sacrovir himself for one), so a Marius is perhaps possible too...

- Nathan

[Gaius Julius Caesar]

I'm afraid i am going to disagree with all of you, it looks more like VITA than MA to me.
Where do you see all these other names?

[Titvs Statilivs Castvs]

I would even dare to say it's "ATA RIO" but I don't know if that makes any sense...

[D B Campbell]

As far as I know, the locus classicus for the Arch at Orange is Chatelain's Les monuments antiques d'Orange (1908).

Chatelain picked out eleven names on the shields: CATVS (or CAIVS); BENE[?]; [?]OSRE; BODVACVS; VAVNE; SACROVIR; MARIO; DACVRDVS; [?]VDILLVS; AVOT; [?]DIX. Your picture shows the MARIO shield. The Arch was long thought to be Tiberian simply because of the name Sacrovir. :roll:

[MARCvSVIBIvSMAvRINvS]

Might the names refer to centurio's of the various auxilia contingents ?

M.VIB.M.