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

9. ST Po 48, Ve 30(b), SE 45 (1977) 336,
d. pügin
Decius (? ) Pugin(? )
10. ST Po 49, Ve 30g, Co 66, Zvetaieff (1878) 85, tab. XVI. 3. On the corner pillar on
the facade in the Strada della Fontana
piküfn-[-?
11. ST Po 50, Ve 30h, Zvetaieff (1878) 99, Conway (1897) 75, SE 45 (1977) 336. In the
Strada Fontana, from the Strada dell'Abbondanza, nr. 15
IIII. n(erü)
Quattuorvir
The dating and interpretation of these electoral inscriptions have been a matter of debate.
Four texts contain references to the Ililner, the Oscan equivalent of the Roman
quattuorvir. 767
This office does not appear in stone inscriptions from the Samnite period
of Pompeii, but is characteristic of the earlier Roman municipal and colonial
constitutions. This has led many to believe that they were set up after the Roman
conquest of the town in 89 BC. It has been pointed out that because
they were written in
Oscan, they could not have been painted after the establishment of the Roman colony in
80 BC, when Oscan ceased to be the official language of the town. However, one could
argue that Oscan continued to be spoken in Pompeii well into the first century BC, and
767 ST Po 40 (twice), 41,46 and 50.
229