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

of Mefitis and Privati of Stabiae, which date from the fourth century BC, so are not
specific to the area of Nuceria and Pompeii.
The shrine was an extra-urban sanctuary and was probably maintained by the
community of nearby Surrentum. I therefore accept Lejeune's argument, according to
which the meddices Minervii were public officers of Surrentum responsible solely for
the administration of the shrine. 805 Poccetti added another possible interpretation: the
title could also denote officers of a cult association named after a god (like the magistri
Mercuriales on Delos, but this seems less likely). 806 The office of the meddix of Minerva
is also important because it may suggest the view that by the first half of the second
century BC, the meddix became a general term for any magistracy or important public
office. The names of the officers follow the usual pattern of Italic names, praenomen,
nomen gentilicium, and filiation, but two of them have rather unusual nomina gentilicia.
The gens name Pitacius certainly comes from Greek, perhaps Pyttax or Pitakios 807
Campanile proved that the nomen gentilicium 'Appulliis' is the Oscan equivalent of the
Latin nomen gentilicium of 'Appuleius'. The gens name Gavius was very common
among all the Samnite peoples. There is no reason to attribute them to a city other than
Surrentum.
805
Lejeune (1990) 262.
806
poccetti (1992) 194.
242