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I. LOCATION

i.	Geographical area	Southern Italy with Sicily
ii.	Region	Campania
iii.	Site	Pozzuoli (anc. Puteoli)

II. NAME

i.	Full name (original language)	cultores dei patri (AE 1972: no. 79, l. 10)
ii.	Full name (transliterated)	cultores dei patri

III. DATE

i.

Date(s)

s. iii - 337 AD

IV. NAME AND TERMINOLOGY

ii.

Name elements

Cultic:	cultores: the worshippers
Theophoric:	deus patrius (AE 1972: no. 79, l. 10)

V. SOURCES

i.	Source(s)	AE 1972: no. 79 (AD 290-326) CIL X 1805 (s. iii AD - AD 337)
	Note	See also: AE 1972: no. 79, EDR075343
	Online Resources	TM 250430 and EDR075343 (AE 1972: no. 79) TM 536111 (CIL X 1805)
i.a.	Source type(s)	Epigraphic source(s)
i.b.	Document(s) typology & language/script	Both inscriptions are written in Latin. AE 1972: no. 79 is a dedication of a statue to Iulius Sulpicius Sucessus made by the cultores dei patri together with the regio decatriae (AE 1972: no. 79, l. 10) and the vexillari (AE 1972: no. 79, l. 11). CIL X 1805 is a funerary inscription of an unknown man described as sacerdos d(ei) p(atri) immunis (CIL X 1805, l. 3).
i.c.	Physical format(s)	AE 1972: no. 79 is a large marble statue base. CIL X 1805 is a fragmentary inscription known through manuscript tradition.
ii.	Source(s) provenance	The base AE 1972: no. 79 was found in 1965, embedded in the Campanile of the Cathedral of S. Procolo at Pozzuoli. CIL X 1805 was found near Pozzuoli.

VII. ORGANIZATION

ii.	Leadership	Probably a sacerdos, see the sacerdos dei patri attested in CIL X 1805, l. 3. In CIL X 1805 the anonymous priest held his office as an immunis (l. 3), i.e. without making the customary outlay for amusements or other purposes, cf. Peterson 1919: 95. It may imply that normally the chief officer received his position in the association with some payment.
iii.	Members	Referred to as cultores dei patri (AE 1972: no. 79, l. 10).
viii.	Obligations	The erection of the base/statue may imply that the cultores dei patri either collected money ad hoc or each member had to pay regularly some sum, which went into the (unattested) treasury.

VIII. PROPERTY AND POSSESSIONS

i.

Treasury/Funds

The erection of the base/statue may imply that the association had its own funds/treasury.

IX. MEMBERSHIP

ii.	Gender	Men
	Note	See the anonymous sacerdos dei patri attested in CIL X 1805.
iii.	Age	Adults
	Note	See the anonymous sacerdos dei patri attested in CIL X 1805.
iv.	Status	The unknown sacerdos dei patri of CIL X 1805 was a man of equestrian rank, who, as curator aquae Augustae (CIL X 1805, l. 6), had secured for years and at his own expense the maintenance of the most important city aqueduct, see Camodeca 1980-1981: 117.

X. ACTIVITIES

iv.

Honours/Other activities

The cultores dei patri awarded a base statue for Iulius Sulpicius Sucessus who was vir egregius, patronus coloniae and procurator portus Puteolanorum (AE 1972: no. 79, ll. 4-5). The honor is justified with reference to his benefactions and love towards the citizens and the homeland (ob meritis et adfectione amoreque eius erga cives et patriam, AE 1972: no. 79, ll. 6-7).

XI. INTERACTION

i.

Local interaction

The honorand Iulius Sulpicius Sucessus in AE 1972: no. 79 was a local man of equestrian rank (see D'Arms 1972: 259). The cultores dei patri dedicated the statue together with other local groups: the regio decatriae, i.e. a city region of Puteoli, and the vexillari (see CAPInv. 1083), i.e. the collegial standard bearers. The ordo decurionum and the populus Puteolanus gave their approval.

XII. NOTES

i.	Comments	The identity of the deity called deus patrius is not clear, see Peterson 1919: 398-9. D'Arms 1972: 268-70 believes that the deus patrius was a god, perhaps Serapis, revered by a foreign group in the city.
iii.	Bibliography	Camodeca, G. (1980-1981), ‘Ricerche su Puteoli tardoromana (fine III – IV secolo)’, Puteoli 4-5: 59-128. Castagnetti, S. (2007), ‘I collegia della Campania’, in E. Lo Cascio and G.D. Merola (eds.), Forme di aggregazione nel mondo romano, Bari: 223-42. D'Arms, J.H. (1972), ‘A new inscribed base from 4th century Puteoli’, PP 27: 255-70. Peterson, R.M. (1919), The cults of Campania. Rome.

XIII. EVALUATION

i.	Private association	Certain
	Note	For the use of the term cultores to indicate the ordinary members of a collegium, which was religious in character see Castagnetti 2007: 228.

CAPInv. 1084: cultores dei patri