Archaeological Museum of Bologna

Parallelepiped stele, made of limestone, framed. Are appointed two freedmen of M. Papuleius, Pudens, which was sevir and Claudialis, and Primus, who was sevir, both negotiatores ferrarrii. The stele was laid by Faustus, another freeman.

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The inscription tells about the construction of the monument for two freedsmen, the first a sevirus and cludialis, the other a simple sevirus, and a third one, also a sevirus, of the same family. It's really importnat the mention of their profession - negotiatores ferrarii - that is one of the few cases in the roman world. The identification with a metal workshop helps the association with other stelae from the Wall of Reno, one where two freedsme, seviri and negotiatores ferrarii are remembered, and the other of a faber anularius, a ring producer. The presence of metals artisans and producers in bologna dues to the presence aof a bolognaise who bought iron in the Noricum (Austria), in Virunum, and then brought it in the city to work it. Perhaps part of this iron came to the workshop identifyed in Maccaretolo, an area in the north of Bologna, where the metal ends of the arrows which Plinius the Elder (Nat. Hist. XVI, 36, 161: ...nullus sagittis aptior calamus quam in Rheno Bononiensi amne, cui plurima inest medulla pondusque volucre et contra flatus quoque pervicare libra.) talks about were produced.

Provenance: Bologna, "Reno's Wall"
Datation: 1st century AD
Dimensions: height cm 143; widht cm 815; depth cm 18
Inventory #: 19099