VB·28 Stresa

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Object
Classification:	stela
Material:	stone
Size:	height 139 cm, width 39–45 cm, thickness 7–9 cm
Condition:	complete
Autopsy by:	Corinna Salomon
Date of autopsy:	Apr 20 2024
Archaeological culture:	La Tène D 2
Date:	1st c. BC
Date derived from:	typology, archaeological context
Site:	Stresa (Verbano-Cusio-Ossola, Piemonte, Italy)
Field name:	Levo
Coordinates (approx.):	45° 53' 2.87" N, 8° 30' 27.10" E
Find date:	1887
Find circumstances:	construction work
Current location:	Oratorio dei S.S. Giacomo e Filippo (Levo)
Inventory no.:	none
Inscription:	VB·28 (namu/esopnio)
Alternative sigla:	Whatmough 1933 (PID): 303 Tibiletti Bruno 1981: 18 Solinas 1995: 127 Morandi 2004: 71
Sources:	Morandi 2004: 567 f. no. 71

Images

Stela VB·28 Stresa with inscription VB·28 from Solinas 1995

Stela VB·28 Stresa with inscription VB·28

Commentary

Image in Solinas 1995: tav. 68a (photo).

Mica schist stela with (not too smoothly) curved top; see Levo for the find circumstances and context. According to Ferrero 1897: 57, the tomb associated with the stela contained an iron lance head. The stela is displayed in the open vestibule of the church. The shape of the stone is similar to that of one of the Roman stelae (VB·30 Stresa) from Levo. The gravestones from the Verbano cannot be marshalled into a clear chronological order, as factors like stone shape, frames, writing direction, letter forms and language/text formula appear in almost free combination; cf. Mainardis 2009: 337 f., who points out that one stonemason/workshop would be able to produce stelae according to more traditional or modern tastes all dating to roughly the same time. Morandi's dating to the late 2^nd c. BC in any case seems too early; we prefer to date the Verbano stones with epichoric inscriptions roughly to the 1st c. BC.

Corinna Salomon

Bibliography

Caramella & De Giuli 1993	Pierangelo Caramella, Alberto De Giuli, Archeologia dell'Alto Novarese, Mergozzo: Antiquarium Mergozzo 1993.
Ferrero 1897	Ermanno Ferrero, "Iscrizioni di Chignolo Verbano", Atti della Società di Archeologia e Belle Arti per la provincia di Torino 7 (1897), 56–60.