Reconsidered Altars at the Customs Station
One such individual is Fructus, the slave. His name appears on three inscriptions. In Poetovio, an altar was dedicated to the goddess Isis for Fructus's well-being. The inscription is fragmentary and very brief, revealing little about Fructus. However, by comparing it with other similar inscriptions, the text can be reconstructed. The expanded version reveals that although Fructus was a slave himself, he played an important role in the functioning of the customs station, serving as the station's chief. The person who erected the inscription was likely one of his subordinate slaves, his assistant, whose name remains unknown.
From another inscription, we learn about multiple individuals, despite the fact that only fragments of words are preserved, such as SAT, ATT, ARII. This inscription, too, is dedicated to a deity, Mithras, who was especially popular among the employees of the Poetovio customs station. The remaining word fragments at the end of the inscription, which can be completed with the role of a subordinate slave working at the station, confirm that we are indeed dealing with customs station employees. Based on the inscriptions with parallel structures, we can also deduce that the fragments hide three names.
The leaders of the customs districts were equestrian, high-ranking individuals, and because they were in charge of vast territories, there is a greater chance that their names would be preserved, as they were frequently mentioned across the entire district. In this case, the inscription refers to Titus Iulius Saturninus, a man of the equestrian order. The inscription also mentions one of his slaves, who served as the director of the customs station. Only the first three letters of his name, "Att," are preserved. While we cannot be entirely certain of the name's completion, considering the Roman names preserved in the area and the number of letters that could fit on the stone, the name "Attius" seems the most likely solution.
A similar process applies to the final figure in the inscription. Since his title is listed on the inscription, we know that he was the assistant of Attius, the slave in charge of the customs station. The name can be reconstructed using the same method as for the previous case, and "Ariomanus" appears to be the most likely solution.
The two reconstructed inscriptions in English are:
For Isis Myrionyma, for the well-being of Fructus, the slave of Sabinus Veranius, customs collector, and station master, his assistant … erected this.
For the Invincible Sun God, Mithras, for the well-being of Attianus, the slave of Iulius Saturninus, customs collector, and station master, his assistant Ariomanus erected this.