THE SODALES OF THE COLLEGIUM OF MINERVA AND HERCULES IN A RECENT DISCOVERED FUNERARY MONUMENT FROM SCUPI
THE SODALES OF THE COLLEGIUM OF MINERVA AND HERCULES IN A RECENT DISCOVERED FUNERARY MONUMENT FROM SCUPI

Summary/Abstract: This study examines a newly discovered inscription from the eastern necropolis of Scupi, which sheds light on the role and function of the collegium of Minerva and Hercules in the funerary and associative life of the local community during the Roman period. The monument in question is a funerary stele dedicated to Tiberius Claudius Ianuarius, a soldier of Legio VII Claudia, erected by the fellows (sodales) of the collegium in fulfillment of their role as a funerary association. Through epigraphic analysis and comparison with other evidence from Scupi and neighboring provinces, the study aims to establish the chronology, social composition, and function of the college. The results indicate that the association combined a dual function—cultic and funerary—emerging as a collegium funeraticium assembled under the patronage of Minerva and Hercules. Beyond its religious dimension, it was primarily concerned with ensuring the burial and commemoration of its members, thus reflecting an interaction between military and civilian components. As the only attested evidence so far for this collegium in Scupi, the inscription significantly enhances our understanding of an under documented aspect of religious and associative life in Dardania (the southern part of Upper Moesia), while also illustrating broader processes of social integration and Romanization in a provincial context of the Roman Empire.

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