Re-composing the two-part sepulchral stele from the archaeological museum in Split

Abstract

In this contribution, the author discusses the famous fragment of sepulchral monument with portraits of an elderly married couple. Up to now. it was believed that the fragment was found in Rupotine near Solin (Archaeological museum in Split, inv. n. D 556; Fig. la). The fragment, published more than once, at first was interpreted as a fragment of sepulchral stele, and then, as a fragment of a relief built into a large sepulchral building. Due to discovery of the monument’s lower part with the inscription in the same institution in which the piece with the portraits is kept, that is, in the Archaeological museum in Split (inv. n. A 1386, Fig. lb), the author has the opportunity to prove that both fragments surely belonged to a monumental sepulchral stele. Namely, the fragment with inscription shows on its lower end easily recognisable remains of roughly worked insertion tooth, which is the clear proof that it belonged to the stele group of monuments. Judging from the remains of the recesses at the upper part of the piece with portraits, the stele must have been made of two parts: the upper one with the gable, anil the lower one with the portrait field and inscription. The author accepts datation proposed by N. Cambi (seventh or eight decade of the second century) and concludes the paper showing that the monument did not come from Rupotine, but from the locality Pleštine (somewhat closer to Klis), situated at the left side of the Roman road connecting Salona with Klis.