E CVNICVLIS EFFOSSVM PERFICITVR IGNI (PLIN. XXXV, 174): MANCEPS E SOCIETATES NELLA SICILIA ROMANA A PROPOSITO DELLA TEGVLA CIL X, 2, 8044.9

Abstract

The opportunity of performing an autopsy on a particularly complex tegula sulphuris allows us to suggest some new
hypotheses for reading both the text and the related issues. The tile belongs to the only type in which the figure of the manceps
appears, but even more importantly, both the Cassiana and Porciana officinae are mentioned simultaneously. The
events leading to the acquisition of the inscription also outline a complex picture of the cultural dynamics related to the construction
phase of the post-unitarian Italian State.

KEYWORDS : Tegulae sulphuris, 19th-century antiquarianism, manceps, Roman economy, Roman Sicily.