Archaeological Museum of Bologna

Small cineray urn made of white marble in the form of a semicircular box. Inside, the ashes of M. Ulpius Euhodus, the freedman of Euphron.

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Part of the University Collection, formerly part of the Marsili Collection, that may be dated to the first half of the 2nd century AD. It's a small urn in the form of a semicircular box with a double-sloped lid, decorated with doves and acroterial masks, contained the ashes of M. Ulpius Euhodus, the freedman of Euphron. The name of the deceased, carved in the epigraphic tabella on the front, is preceded by the invocation of the Diis Manibus (D M), the deified souls of dead; this invocation became frequent in the 2nd century AD. Until the spread of Christianity, the rite of cremation prevailed in the Roman world: the burnt bones of the dead were kept in cinerary urns that were generally made of terracotta, although they were sometimes crafted from glass, wood, metal and marble, as in this case.

Provenance: Possibly from Rome, University Collection, formerly part of the Marsili Collection
Datation: First half of the 2nd century AD
Material: White marble
Inventory #: 19083