VIRTUAL VISIT

Epitaph of a member of the Gallic Fortieth Tax Society.

To Tiberius Julius Delus, Vitalis, slave of the Gallic Fortieth Tax Society and Amethystus, emancipated slave.

Tiberius Julius Delus belonged to the Gallic Fortieth tax society, whose offices were located in Lyon. This private association was charged with levying the Roman state customs tax on products entering and leaving the Gallic provinces. It amounted to 2.5%, or a fortieth, of the merchandise's value. The epitaph comes from a sector of Fourvière Hill occupied by necropoles from the 1st century AD.

Lyon, an Imperial Mint

The Emperor reserved the right to mint precious metals, gold and silver, which were necessary for paying the army. While most of the money was produced in Rome under the Republic, imperial mints were also created in the provinces. The most important was the one in Lyon. On the back of this sesterce featuring Nero and minted in Lyon is the port of Ostia, at the mouth of the Tiber River. The coin itself is not rare, since many examples of the same type exist. It is rather the talent of the engraver and the quality of the depiction which set it apart from others.

 

Amphorae and Vessels

Amphorae were inexpensive terra cotta jugs designed for transporting food. Their shape varied according to the kind of products transported and their origin. Three essential products were imported from the shores of the Mediterranean: oil, wine, and fish sauce. These inscriptions introduce us to the directors of Lyonnais transport companies specialized in the wine or olive oil trades.

The Navigators: Freshwater Sailors

As its inscription explains, this block probably supported statues or a small monument given by Caius Julius Sabinianus in honor of the Rhône Navigators Corporation. Sabinianus himself belonged to this corporation. The navigators were sailors who provided transportation throughout the country's numerous navigable waterways. This block, found on the banks of the Saône near Saint Georges, long aroused speculation that a port had once existed in this district. This hypothesis was confirmed by the spectacular discovery of a shipwreck during a preemptive dig conducted before the construction of the Saint Georges parking garage.

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