Las Geórgicas de Virgilio in figlinis: a propósito de un grafito ante cocturam sobre un ánfora olearia bética

Abstract

The wealth of epigraphic information that may be obtained from Baetican olive-oil amphorae is well known thanks to numerous potter's stamps, tituli picti, and graffiti ante cocturam (made in the fresh clay). Graffiti on Dressel 20 amphorae usually consist of simple combinations of signs, numbers, and individual letters. Less common are nominal graffiti that designate individuals, or graffiti that provide calendrical and consular dates. The example we present in this article is an unusual type with literary content, the first certain example on a Roman amphora. We propose it is a fragment of a poem by Virgil. We analyze and discuss the context in which it was made, its authorship, and its significance for knowing the degree of literacy of Roman rural society in the Guadalquivir Valley. It is of exceptional interest for archaeologists, epigraphists, and philologists of vulgar Latin.