Excavated: 1914 (Calza; after cleaning: NSc 1916, 328; Paribeni).
Mosaic: SO IV, 77-78 nr. 112, tav. 185 (bottom) and 190 (centre).
Inscription: CIL XIV S, 4549 nr. 34.
Date: 190-200 AD (SO IV).
Meas. of tesserae: 0.015-0.02 (SO IV).

Photos and drawings:

Front room and back room (ss)

Front room and back room (gh)

Front room and back room (gh2)

Front room (dga)

Front room (gh2)

Statio 35 + statio 34 (centre + right) (gh2)

Text (centre) (SO IV, tav. 190)

Text (et)

Depiction (bottom) (SO IV, tav. 185)

Depiction (et)

Depiction (kh; 2012)

Depiction (kh; 2013)

Depiction (kh; 2016)

Depiction (kh; 2018)

Depiction (left dolphin) (kh; 2016)

Depiction (left dolphin) (kh; 2016)

Depiction ((grain measure) (kh; 2016)

Depiction (right dolphin) (kh; 2016)

Depiction (right dolphin) (kh; 2016)

Mosaic

The floor of the back room is lost. On Gismondi's plan a structure is depicted in the back room: a square with a dot in the centre, surrounded by half a square at the north side. In the passage to the front room is a text. In the front room most of the floor of the north half has been preserved. In the south half is a panel (1.15 x 1.45), created by a black frame (two tesserae wide), and with a depiction and a text. The panel is moved slightly to the east. The room is bordered on the east end by a band of white marble and a piece of red stone or terracotta. In the north-west part is a solid, black patch with white speckles.

The text in the passage, without a tabula ansata or frame, is (h. of letters 0.27):

NAVICVLARICVRBITANIDS

Suggested reading:

NAVICVLARI CVRBITANI D(e) S(uo)

In the centre of the room is a depiction with a tabula ansata in the upper part. In the tabula is the text (h. of letters 0.14):

SNFC‧C‧

There is a black frame to the south of the tabula (two tesserae wide), and to the west and east (one tessera wide). To the left and right of the text is a leaf. Behind each C is a dot. The abbreviation has been interpreted as S(tatio) N(egotiatorum) F(rumentariorum) C(oloniae) C(urbitanae), incorrectly I believe. For a discussion see the section "The auxiliary grain fleet of Commodus".

Suggested reading:

S(tatio) N(aviculariorum) F(rumentariorum) C(lassis) C(ommodianae)
with a double meaning, also C(oloniae) C(urbitanae)

Depictions

In the panel in the front room, below the frame surrounding the tabula ansata, we see two dolphins, one going up, one going down. A few black lines indicate the sea below the object and around the left dolphin, but not around the right dolphin. In between is an object with which the stationarii and mosaicist transmit two visual messages, in exactly the same way as was done in statio 33. The first "image" is again that of a grain measure, with two solid black handles and two feet (with a peculiar way of depicting the floor it is standing on), but without an opening at the top and without a rutellum. The lower part of the depiction is not a grain measure. It is a wide and high doorway. Blocks of four white tesserae above it are presumably windows.[1]

Becatti
Grain measure. Un moggio su due piedi con fasciatura mediana e due anse laterali, decorato da due borchie bianche e da un riquadro bianco.
Dolphins. A destra e un delfino guizzante, verticale, con un solo dettaglio bianco per l'occhio; a sinistra altro delfino verticale, ma con la testa in alto, con coda falcata.

Masonry

At either end of the rear wall of the back room is a pier of opus vittatum simplex. in between is a section of opus latericium, set back somewhat to create an alcove. The west and east wall are of opus latericium.

Interpretation

We are dealing with Curubis, the modern city of Korba, on the eastern shore of Cap Bon, Tunisia.

As in statio 33 we see a combined depiction of a grain measure and the entrance of the statio. Contrary to statio 33 the mosaicist decided to use a black background, so the doorframe was depicted in white. As a result there is here no outline of the grain measure in the lower part, so that the windows can be white as well. The windows may have been at a high level, cf. this reconstruction. It is amusing to realize that a person looking at the depiction would "look at himself", standing in the entrance of the statio.

In this statio we do not have an object that is upside down, but instead two vertical dolphins, both in the special frame around the text and the object. One is going up and one is going down, one is surrounded by water, the other one is not. A vertical dolphin is also found in statio 35, but accompanied by a lighthouse with the same orientation. The depiction of two dolphins as the astrological sign Pisces in statio 10 may be compared. For a further discussion see the section "The auxiliary grain fleet of Commodus".

The structure depicted on Gismondi's plan in the back room may have been the support of a pedestal and statue.