New Observations on the Signii Family of Korčula and the Dating of the Temple of Venus Pelagia at Potirna

Abstract

The inscription from Potirna on the island of Korčula, which records the construction of a temple dedicated to Venus Pelagia by a certain Signia Ursa, has attracted scholarly attention since its discovery. However, certain key questions related to its content remain unresolved: its precise date, the origin of the dedicator, whose name is undoubtedly rare, and the very specific, indeed unique, dedication to Venus Pelagia. While some of these questions long seemed unanswerable, recent findings related to the Signii family and a renewed understanding of the cult of Venus Pelagia within Augustus’s “cultural program” now make a fresh reassessment of the Korčula inscription possible.