Submitted for award of PhD September 2006. - King's College London

magistrates, it would be m. d. [k], but it could be also m. d. [III] or something else. For a
college of four magistrates in two pairs we could compare the quattuorviri of the Roman
municipal model. 622
Alternatively, the stone might name a group of commissioners sent out from Nola
to determine the borders of public or sacred property. The senate at Rome appointed
commissions of senators for various defined jobs, including land distributions. They
were often ex-magistrates and of various ranks or even non-magistrates 623
Three public inscriptions from Cumae, ST Cm 4,5 and 9 attest the office m x. I
have suggested that interpretations of this title as meddix degetasius or as meddix of a
board of ten colleagues are both possible. One tile-stamp from Campochiaro attests
Gaius Papius Mutilus as meddix tuticus x. 624 1 have suggested that the letter x following
this title implies that Gaius Papius Mutilus was a decennial meddix luticus rather than
being the member of a board of ten meddices tutici. 625
It is unlikely that the three strokes
here refer to membership of a college of three magistrates, because if the fragmentary
title of Pacius Calavius son of Pacius, was followed by the three strokes, he would be the
fourth meddix degetasius. The three strokes could either refer to a triennial office or,
more plausibly, indicate that the meddices degetasii who were holding hold office for
the third time.
We also need to consider what the letter k after the office of the second person of
the four could stand for. It seems certain that the letter belongs to the office rather than
to the name of the magistrate. It is not likely that the letter k is the abbreviation of the
place where the officer comes from because in Oscan the names of towns are usually
622
See section 6.5.2.
623
Gargola (1995) 60-3. Compare ILS 5946 of 117 BC: the brothers Q. M. Minucius Rufus and Q.
Minucius Rufus, who were not holding office at the time, were instructed to resolve a border dispute
between the people of Genua and the Langenses Veiturii.
624 ST tSa 24: g. papi. mt. m. t. X. For further discussion see the 'Highland Samnites section'.
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