Decoration of Roman tomb shrine
A fragment of the right part of the niche, which had the form of aedicula – a shrine. The niche adorned the tombstone, and the painting showed the scene of a funeral banquet.
You can see a painted olive branch on the plaster and a young slave in a tunic. At the top of the painting, in turn, you can see a part of the inscription in Latin “SPEX”, which researchers develop as “HARUSPEX”, referring to a Roman priest dealing with fortune-telling from the entrails of sacrificial animals. It is possible that it was the nickname of the deceased.
The object dates back to Roman times – at least the middle of the 3rd century BCE. The artifact is on display at the Parco Archeologico di Lilibeo in Marsala (Sicily).
