Dedication of the Colosseum
(0383) Text: [first hand] I[mp(erator)] [second hand] T(itus) [first hand] Caes(ar) Vespasi[anus Aug(ustus)] | amphitheatru[m novum] | [ex] manubi(i)s [fieri iussit]
Translation: Emperor [second hand] Titus [first hand] Caesar Vespasian Augustus ordered a new amphitheatre to be made from spoils.
Provenience: Rome, Italia 78-80 CE
Commentary: Dedication of the Colosseum in Rome. Note that the name Titus was later added to attribute the building to Vespasian’s son and eventual emperor. The Colosseum, of course, was built from the spoils of the Jewish War 66-73 CE, especially the looting of the Jerusalem temple.
Bibliography: CIL 6.40454a; CIL 6.1763; CIL 6.32089b; AE 1995.111; AE 2009.464