LAPIDARIUM SEPTENTRIONALE, 549 



And in his Moretum, vv, 48, 49 — 



Lcevat opus, palmisque suum dilatat in orbem 

 Et notat, impressis cequo discrimine quacMs. 



Quadra thus may be used here for quarta, and the two objects — the ff alius (stand- 

 ing for Galli), and the quadra (standing for quarta) — may symbolize the Oal- 

 lorum Quarta, the 4th cohort of Gauls. Now, from the Notitia we learn that 

 this cohort was stationed in Britain, "per lioieam valli," at Vindolana, and two 

 altars (with a commemorative slab) erected by commanding officers of this 

 cohort (see Lapidarium, nn. 244, 251, 262), that were found at Chesterholm, 

 identify the places. So far there can, I think, be little or no doubt of the mean - 

 ing of the symbols." 



" The object regarded as a cross may be a monogram for TI! = iterum, the tall 

 I being crossed or the T elongated ; and suggest, as the most probable solution 

 consistent with this view, that the sun and moon are used, as the heads repre- 

 senting them are on a unique coin of Postumus, described by Eckhel, vii, p. 441, 

 with the following comment: — Solem et Lunam ceternHath esse symbola satis 

 haclenus vidimus. In prcesente numo aliam allegoriam constituunt, nimiruin prce- 

 claris suis factis, inclarescere Postumum, et esse late conspieuum ceque ac solem et 

 lunam astra lucentissima. Pofetumus held the office of Governor of Gaul, to which 

 he had been appointed by Valerian, when he took the imperial title, and he 

 entered on his second Consulship in that Province. According to this view the 

 eun, moon and monogram stand for Postumus Augustus, Consul for the second 

 time, i.e., A.D. 259. This solution has the additional recommendation of account- 

 ing in some degree for the use of symbols, for in that year Valerian and Gallienus 

 were really the Emperors, and iEmilianus and Bassus the Consuls, whilst Postu- 

 mus was but a usurper of only one year's standing, not sufficiently firmly estab- 

 lished to warrant the safety of recognizing him in the dignities that he had 

 assumed. The 1st cohort of Dacians in Britain adopted the title Postumiana, 

 as we know from altars found at Burdoswald, = Amboglanna, in Cumberland (see 

 Lapidarium Septentrionale, nn. 359, 360), but no year is given for this adoption, 

 and I suspect that the epithet was not publicly used before at least A.D. 262, 

 when Postumus celebrated his ludi quinquetmales and took the title Qevmanicus 

 Maximus. According to this view, then, the objects carved on this stone may 

 be regarded as symbolical of some such inscription as POSTVMO AVG-COS" 



ircoH • mi • gallorvm." 



In n. 537, an altar, that was supposed to be lost, is figured. It 

 bears the inscription : — 



CONSERYATO 

 RI PRO SALV 

 TE M ** REL 

 ANTONINI 

 AYG * * IT MAX 



***** *^ BEJSTS * 

 OB REDITV 



