Marisia - Maros Megyei Múzeum Évkönyve 31/1. (2011)
Articles
198 D. PeTRUT-R. ZÄGREANU in pair (7, 8) and 3) family representations,16 with over two persons depicted (1, 5 and 6). This last category can be broken down into variants with 1) the busts aligned in a single row (5, 6), and 2) with the busts represented in two superimposed rows (1). Research has shown that the overlaid rows usually emphasize and distinguish the different age groups from within the portrayed family (Ciongradi 2007, 118). In the case of stela no. 1, this distinction is only partially clear, considering that the upper row displays the busts of three persons, and an obvious age-difference between the two male figures from the right side of the relief held is difficult to point out. It is not an unfeasible hypothesis however, based on an analogy from Micia (Ciongradi 2007, 118, S/M 4), that the two male figures depict the father and the eldest son, the mother on their left, while the lower row shows the youngest children of the family. With regard to the posture displayed by the representation of the deceased, we can observe that the female depictions (5, 7 and 8) exhibit a clear connection with the statuary type known as ‘La Piccola Ercolanese. The choice of clothing for the representation of the deceased can be described as being relatively homogenous. For the women, we can observe a predilection towards the palla (no. 5, 7 and 8), only in one case has the deceased been depicted only in a tunica (30). For the men, we can notice a preference for mantles worn over the tunica: the sagum (31) and the paenulla (1), both being representative for the clothing of the soldiers. The epigraphy. Aspects of social and ethnic identity The discussion of the epigraphic information will focus on the evidence related to social and ethnic identity. Beyond the intention of presenting an overview of the social and ethnic background of the owners of the funerary stelae from Porolissum, the aim is to correlate this information with the typological and iconographical data discussed above. For this type of survey to be complete, the following information is needed: 1) the name of the deceased (indicative of ethnic origin or associated with additional information of this nature), 2) information regarding the social status, 3) clearly definable typology and 4) preserved iconographical elements. Unfortunately due to the highly fragmentary state of the stelae in question, the sequence of data described above, can be acquired in a very small number of cases (see Appendix). 17 The framework for the discussion of the epigraphic aspects mentioned above is given by the vague social structures in which the owners of the funerary stelae can be included. Based on the record provided by the stelae, four categories could be differentiated on social and occupational grounds:18 1) honestiores: members of the municipal elite and their families 2) members of the army,19 3) members in the familia Caesaris: in this case probably customs servants and 4) humiliores with unknown profession: in our case freedman, peregrines. 16 Many of the deceased chose to appear on the funerary relief in a family setting, in order to emphasize their role as member of a family: paterfamilias, mater (Ciongradi 2007, 370). Therefore the majority of these representations, can be considered fictional, rather than ‘family portraits’. 17 An extended version of this analysis, involving all of the funerary monuments, will be included in the study concerning the funerary monuments from Porolissum (see note 2). 18 The members of the large social class known from the Roman juridical sources as humiliores (Alföldy 2000, 108-110) were grouped into occupational categories (soldiers, imperial slaves, persons without indication of profession). The categories which emerged from our classification are characterized by specific ways of manifestation, according to their social and occupational identity (Hope 1997). 19 We excluded those veterans who appear in the epitaphs as magistrates, and included them in the category of honestiores.
