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Thibursicum Bure

During the reign of Septimius Severus a statue base was set up by the grain measurers of Ostia for Quintus Acilius Fuscus. Fuscus must have been born in a city called Thibursicum Bure in Africa Proconsularis. The citizens of that city set up a very similiar statue base for him as their patronus.

Fuscus had been working as an official in the Imperial government in Rome and became procurator of the annona in Ostia. It is noteworthy that he was also curator of the settlement to the south of Ostia, the Vicus Augustanus Laurentium, and priest of the Laurentes Lavinates, a bit further to the south. Obviously his involvement with the city went further than being stationed there as an Imperial official.

Q(uinto) ACILIO C(ai) FIL(io) PAP(iria)
FVSCO V(iro) E(gregio)
PROCVRAT(ori) ANNON(ae)
AVGG. NN. P(atrono) C(oloniae) OST(iensis) PROCVR(atori)
OPERIS THEATR(i) POMPEIAN(i)
FISCI ADVOCAT(o) CODICILL(ari)
STATIONIS HEREDITAT(ium)
ET COHAERENT(ium) SACERD(oti)
LAVRENT(ium) LAVINAT(ium)
CORPVS MESORVM
FRVMENT(ariorum) ADIVTORVM
ET ACCEPTORVM OST(iensium)
ERGA SE BENIGNISSIMO
Statue base for Quintus Acilius Fuscus from the Piazzale delle Corporazioni.
Set up by the corpus mensorum frumentariorum adiutorum et acceptorum Ostiensium in 198-211 AD.
CIL XIV, 154; EDCS-05700154; EDR148063. Photo: Bill Storage.

Q(uinto) ACILIO C(ai) F(ilio) PAPIR(ia)
FVSCO V(iro) E(gregio) PROC(uratori) AN
NONAE AVGG[[g(ustorum)]] NN[[n(ostrorum)]]
[o]STIENSIVM PROC(uratori) O[pe]
RIS THEATRI POMP[eiani]
FISCI ADVOCATO CODOC[il]
LARI STATIONIS HEREDI[ta]
TIVM ET COHAERENTIVM CV[r(atori)]
LAVRENTIVM VICO AVGVSTANORVM
SACERDOTI LAVRENTIVM
LAVINATIVM RES P(ublica)
MVNICIPI(i) SEVERIANI
ANTONINIANI LIB(eri) THIB(ursicum) BVRE
[civi] ET PATRONO
Click on the image to enlarge.
Statue base for Quintus Acilius Fuscus from Thibursicum Bure (recomposed remains).
Set up by the municipium Thibursicum Bure in 198-211 AD.
CIL VIII.1, 1439; CIL VIII Suppl. 1, 15255; EDCS-17900350. Photo: Wikimedia, Noomen9.

Thibursicum Bure, modern Téboursouk, Tunisia, is located about 100 kilometers to the south-west of Tunis. A more or less recent overview of the archaeological remains does not seem to exist. Many of these have been walled in in a Byzantine fortress, including parts of two triumphal arches and baths. Many inscriptions have been found, some of which mention buildings (temples, baths, a porticus, a gymnasium). The city was made a colonia by Gallienus.



Ruins at Teboursouk. Photo: Wikimedia, Noomen9.

Literature:
- E. Babelon - R. Cagnat - S. Reinach, Atlas archéologique de la Tunisie, Paris 1893, 35.27, Feuille XXXIII.
- P. Ruggeri - S. Ganga, "Il Tempio di Nettuno a Thignica e la colonizzazione di Thugga e Thibursicum Bure sotto Gallieno", L'Epigrafia del Nord Africa: novità, riletture, nuove sintesi, Faenza 2020.