Acta Ant. Hung. 45, 2005, 225–230
0044-5975 / $ 20.00 © 2005 Akadémiai Kiadó, Budapest
PÉTER KOVÁCS
A NEW ROMAN GRAVE-ALTAR
FROM PANNONIA INFERIOR
Summary: In this paper the author publishes a new Roman grave-altar from Bikács (County Tolna). The
richly decorated altar was erected by a peregrine Eraviscus and it can be dated to the first decades of the
2nd century. In eastern Pannonia very few grave-altars are known and this is the first one which was
erected to a native father. He still had a Celtic cognomen but his son was called Appius. The find-spot
can be found in the southern edge of the civitas Eraviscorum. This region is very poor in inscriptions.
Key words: Epigraphy, Roman history, Pannonia.
At Bikács-Újrét (Pannonia Inferior, Tolna county, about 15 km W of the auxil-
iary fort Lussonium (Paks-DunakömlĘd)) near a late Roman grave an early Roman
grave-altar was found in 1993.
1
Now it is in the Wosinszky Mór Museum in Szek-
szárd (without Inv.-Nr.) (Figs. 1–2).
2
The find-spot is surely secondary, because no
Roman layers were found during the control excavation in 1994.
Grave-altar, limestone. Multiply moulded capital and base. On the abacus cy-
lindrical bolsters with rosettes. Between the volutes two branches with leaves can be
seen which are connected with a ring course. The lower part of the inscription field
and the bolsters are partly damaged.
H: 90, W: 46, Th: 43, Lh: 10 (1. line)-5.5 cm.
Lit: TRH 202.
In the inscription field the following inscription can be read:
Dis Mani(bus) | Vergissa Magi|mari f(ilius) ann(orum) LXXXI | h(ic) s(itus) e(st)
Appius fil[i]|us pa(tri) pientissi[mo] | ti(tulum) me(moriae) po(suit).
Vergissa Magimari filius and his son, Appius were surely peregrini of Celtic
origin. The name Magimarus or Magiomarus occurs in Pannonia and Noricum (CIL
III 5255, 5272, 11579) as well but it was mostly used by Eravisci: RIU 893 (Szent-
endre), 1360 (Gyúró), 1393 (Csákvár), i.e. in the territory of the civitas Eravisco-
1
Régészeti Füzetek Ser. I. No. 48 (1997) 30.
2
I am much indebted to Zs. V. Péterfi (Paks) and A. Gaál (Szekszárd) for their permission and
help to publish the inscription.