Usually, in confirmation of the fact that the city of Pompeii, which died at the beginning of our era, was located on a hill not far from Torre Annunziata, the following inscription is given, apparently found on the same hill.
EX AVCTORITATE IMP. CAESARIS VESPASIANI AVG. LOCA PVBLICA A PRIVATIS POSSESSA T. SVEDIVS CLEMENS TRIBVNVS CAVSIS COGNITIS ET MENSVRIS FACTIS REI PVBLICAE POMPEIANORVM RESTITVIT.
Translated, it sounds like this: "By order of the Emperor Caesar Vespasian Augustus, the tribune Titus Svedius Clemens, after investigating and checking the dimensions, returned the public land occupied by private individuals to the city of Pompeii," which would make it possible to accurately and unambiguously establish the name and time of the city's death.
The date of finding this inscription, August 20, 1763, was first fully reflected in the work of G. Fioreli, who published in 1860 reports on the excavations of Pompeii in the 18th century.
The report for this number is written in Spanish, we present a translation from an unpublished book by Andreas Churilov. Quote: “August 20 [1763] - In the same place of the current [month] on the 16th, the body of a statue made of white marble of a man dressed in a toga without a head and separately two hands was met, the left had a ring and papyrus: the head belonged to this statue found on May 21 of the same year. And I also found another part of a white marble statue, clad in a toga, many fragments of columns, with a magnificent Ionic limestone capital well preserved. In addition, I found a pedestal made of travertine, measuring 5 palms by 2 palms and 2 m wide palms [approx. 1m x 0.4m x 0.14m - Approx. Auth.], With the following inscription. " This entry is interesting in that it carries information about a statue with characteristic features of a ring on the left hand and papyrus (probablymeaning a scroll of papyrus), and the size of the pedestal with the inscription.
In an earlier work by Canon Iorio, published in 1828, we find the following remark regarding the statue and the corresponding inscription. Quote: “In 1763, near the wall that forms the corner of the street, a marble statue of a toga clad was discovered, which was at a level much higher than the old floor. She had a roll (scroll) in her left hand and a ring on the finger of the same hand. On the pedestal, which served for the stability of the statue, there was an inscription that the tribune T. Clemens Svedy, by order of the Emperor Caesar Vespasian Augustus, after conducting investigations and checking the dimensions, returned the public land occupied by private individuals to the city of Pompeii. " in the gallery of inscriptions ", that is, it seems that the inscription was there at that time in the Museum of Naples, in addition, the statue is spoken of as a whole.
In the book of Canon Iorio, there are no references where this information came from, most likely from the work of C. Bonucci. In 1827, Carlo Bonucci's book "Description of Pompeii by Carlo Bonucci of an Architect" was published; this book is probably the first time that there are references to excavation reports from the 18th century. (Only this edition is available on the title page labeled "3rd edition", you should look at the 1st and 2nd editions to be sure). K. Bonucci, in his book, provides the following information on the issue of interest to us. Quote: “The Frugi dwelling ended in a lane that ran along the coast, towards the sea coast.
In the corner, there was a pedestal on which a consular statue was placed (now in the Royal Museum). It belonged to the tribune T. Svediy…. This message is characterized by the fact that the author gives a link where the relevant information came from, and he specifically refers to an entry in the excavation journal of Fr. La Vega dated August 16, 1763, while G. Fiorelli has the corresponding information under August 20 and there are no records of August 16. Bonucci does not mention any distinguishing features of the found statue, but reproduces the Latin inscription in full.
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Thus, the time of the appearance of information about the statue of Clemens Svedy and about the pedestal with the inscription is recorded in 1827, that is, 64 years after the alleged discovery of these artifacts. We owe the existence of the inscription itself without relative mention of the material carrier to Winckelmann. In his work "Report on the latest discoveries in Herculaneum" published for the first time in 1764, he quotes the inscription of Clement Svedius and gives only the following explanation.
Quote: “The true location of Pompeii is finally determined by the following inscription, found in August 1763. Until then, there were no indications at all, except for the amphitheater, which looked like an oval depression. Before the excavations, the location (of Pompeii) was questionable, and the fact that no evidence was found there at first is certain; but this inscription, and the new discoveries that were made there, and which I will talk about here, have finally dispelled any doubts on this issue. He does not mention any mention of the statue and on what the inscription was written.
Further, it is useful to see if the statue of Clemens Svedis and the corresponding pedestal were actually lying in the Neapolitan Museum. Check out the guides to the Museum of Naples from the 2nd half of the 19th century, edited by Domenico Monaco, the curator of the museum's antiquities.
In the editions of the guide in Italian, that is, the author's native language, for 1874 and 1876, no information about the statue of Clemens Svedius and the corresponding inscription is mentioned. And only in the edition for 1901 we have, at number 6235, there is a statue of Clemens Svedius from Herculaneum. (but not from Pompeii, and no distinctive signs for this statue are reported, the presence of a corresponding inscription is also not given) A slightly different picture is observed in the edition of the guide in English, edited by the same author, but with the corresponding edition of the translator.
Available editions from the 3rd, that is, from 1883. We have in the 3rd, 4th, 5th editions one simple phrase, at number 6235 in the museum there is a small statue of Clemens Svedius from Herculaneum. And starting with the 6th, 1893 edition, clarifications begin. In the 6th edition itself, it is already written, at number 6235, a small statue of Titus Sedius Clemens from Pompeii! And the following explanation is provided. “This statue was found on a pedestal in the street of tombs in Pompeii. At the bottom of the statue was the following inscription … and an English translation of the standard Latin inscription is given. For the first time, the statue is qualified as originating from Pompeii.
In the 10th edition of 1905 under the number 6235 they already write: “Swedius Clemens. Small statue. It is written on the pedestal…”a standard Latin inscription and an English translation are reproduced. That is, it seems that a statue and a pedestal with an inscription actually appear in the museum.
It is also worth noting the guidebook, published in French, that is, with the corresponding edition of the translator. There is no real possibility to trace all the reprints yet, but the available 5th edition for 1890 contains the following interesting information. Quote: "6235. Swedius Clemens. In his left hand he clutches a papyrus scroll. The gesture of the other hand indicates that he is speaking. Statuette. (Herculaneum) "That is, this edition gives one of the characteristic features of the statue of Swedy Clemens, the statue seems to be obtained with hands, that is, whole. But it is noted that this statue is from Herculaneum. So, by the beginning of the 20th century, a statue of Clemens Svedius and the corresponding inscription began to appear in the Museum of Naples.
Further, it is useful to recall that Ernest Breton, in the first edition of 1855, his book Pompeii Descriptions and Images, noted another oddity associated with the statue of Clemens Swedy: as well as the inscription now in the museum, but replaced in Pompeii by a copy. That is, somewhere in the middle of the 19th century, at the Herculanean Gate, there was actually a pedestal with an inscription, which E. Breton calls a copy and, in his opinion, the original should have been in the museum.
In fact, the reality of the existence of a copy is confirmed by the reports of Russian scientists. V. Klassovsky in his book "Pompey and the Antiquities Discovered in It, with a Sketch of Vesuvius and Herculaneum" asserts: the following inscription: Tribune T. Swede Clement, having carried out an investigation at the behest of the Emperor Caesar Vespasian, and having died out the city land, seized by private people, returned it to the Pompeian community."
The Latin inscription itself is reproduced by the author in the text. And in the book by A. Levshin "Russian Walks in Pompeii" published in 1843, the Latin inscription itself is given and it is reported where it is located: "Opposite the same house [Cicero's villa] on the street on a pedestal"
That is, in the forties of the XIX century, the real existence of a pedestal with an inscription standing near the Herculaneus gate is visible. Such a copy actually existed, the question remains, where did this copy go? Currently, there is no such pedestal at the Herculanean Gate. Perhaps this pedestal migrated to the Neapolitan Museum, and to replace it, a column with the corresponding inscription was found and left in place, at the Vesuvian Gate. When for the first time, a copy appears in the form of a pedestal, it has not yet been possible to find out at the Herculanean Gate.
But you can trace a slightly different version associated with the material carrier of this inscription. In 1755, the Herculanean Academy was founded, one of the tasks of which was the systematization of excavation materials and the publication of excavation materials. Let's see when the Herculanean academics learned and accepted that Civita was called Pompeii in ancient times. To do this, you need to look at their fundamental work "Explanation of the Antiquities of Herculaneum" published in eight volumes for the period 1757-1792.
The period of time when the views of academicians changed on the name of the excavated city is determined quite simply. In the sixth volume, published in 1771, at the very end on page 345 we read "Furono trovate in Civita la anno 1769", that is, found in Civita in 1769 and on page 355 "Fu trovato in Chivita nel Luglio del 1767", that is, found at Civita in July 1767. Thus, at the beginning of the 70s of the 18th century, the academicians did not yet know that in 1763 a clear confirmation of the existence of Pompeii was received. But in the seventh volume, published in 1779, from the very beginning all the finds are signed in this way "ritrovate nelle scavazioni di Pompei" (found during excavations in Pompeii). And there is one wonderful testimony that brings understanding,why exactly in this period of time the academicians changed their views on the name of the excavated city.
In the book Letters from Italy describing manners, customs, antiquities, painting, etc. of this country, in 1770 and 1771”second edition 1777, volume second. The author, in a letter dated February 9, 1771, describes his impressions of his visit to Pompeii. Quote: “One of the gates and the street of the city is now completely cleared; the gate is built in much the same manner as the ordinary gate of the provincial towns of England; a wide arch in the middle, with small arches on each side for pedestrians.
Here I must digress to inform you that by the time we reached this part of the city, our spies were so tired of us, it was time for them to dine, so that they left us in the care of only one person who, when they turned their backs on us, perhaps softened a little towards us, and allowed us to do the work and observations that we wanted; however, he was very much afraid that he himself would be seen, and often turned in all directions, considering whether anyone would appear in his field of vision; meanwhile M. - copied into his notebook the following inscription, which is inserted into the wall just outside the gate, while our guide avoided seeing him: EX. AUCTORITATE. IMP. CÆSARIS. VESPASIANI. AUG. LOCA. PUBLICA A PRIVATIS POSSESSA. T. SUEDIUS. CLEMENS. TRIBUNUS. CAUSIS. CONGNI- TIS. ET. MENSURIS. FACTIS. REIPUBLICÆ. POMPEI- ANORUM. RESTITUIT."
Thus, in 1771, an inscription was inserted into the wall near the Herculanean Gate, as we see, there is no question of any pedestal here. Probably, this recently inserted tablet was the reason for the Herculanean academicians to finally confirm that Civita is ancient Pompeii. However, no further traces of the inscription inserted into the wall are currently found. Such a confusing detective story happened with a widely advertised inscription, from which the entire scientific world learned the name and time of the death of Pompeii.
First, Winckelmann, according to rumors, came up with, then archaeologists implemented the idea in stone, the first version of the plate for tourists either did not really like it, or for other reasons was lost, then at some point in the 19th century a copy appeared in the form of a pedestal, then and she disappeared, but a post appeared at the Vesuvian Gate. And then for the favorite tourists they found two more identical columns. And now any tourist can admire the columns of Clemens Svedia at any point in Pompeii.
What real specialists will not do just for tourists.