Funerary stele of Ostiala Gallenia

This funerary stelewas found during construction work in the via S. Massimo in Padova in 1962. The bas relief scene depicts a chariot racing to the left, drawn by a pair of horses. On the carriage stand three figures: a man, a woman and a charioteer. The latter is easily identifyable by his tunic and gesture of lashing the horses, typical of Roman stelae. The man on the right wears a toga and the faces of both men are also common in Roman funerary stelae. By contrast, the woman is dressed in a paleovenetian fashion with a symbolic disc on her head and a shawl draped over her and attached by the chest. This could perhaps suggest that the woman is depicted dead. The togaed man, the husband, is looking at her in a gesture of extreme greeting. Udner the horses' hooves is a round shield, perhaps in place of the flower found in ancient Paleovenetian stelae. The subject is common depictions detailing the journey to the underworld. The inscription on the top right corner of the stele is written in the Venetic language but with Latin characters: the woman's name is composed of a local tradition, Ostiala, in the position of a Latin noble first name, Gallenia. M'. GALLE]NI. M'F. OSTIALAE. GALLEN/IAEEQVPETARS1962年，人们在意大利帕多瓦（Padova）圣马西莫路（Via S. Massimo）的施工作业中发现了这块丧葬石碑（funerary stele）。该石碑的浅浮雕（bas relief）场景描绘了一辆向左疾驰的战车，由两匹挽马拉动。战车上立有三人：一名男子、一名女子与一名驭手（charioteer）。后者凭借其束腰外衣与挥鞭驱马的动作即可轻易辨认，这是古罗马丧葬石碑的典型特征。 右侧的男子身着托加袍（toga），两名男子的面部形象也常见于古罗马丧葬石碑之中。与之形成鲜明对比的是，这名女子身着古威尼托风格（Paleovenetian）服饰，头顶佩戴一枚象征性圆盘，身披披肩并以胸部位置固定披肩。这一形象或许暗示该女子已离世。身着托加袍的男子即女子的丈夫，正以极尽哀悼的致意姿态望向她。 马蹄下方放置有一枚圆形盾牌，或许取代了古威尼托丧葬石碑中常见的花卉图案。该主题属于描绘冥界之旅的常见创作题材。 石碑右上角的铭文以威尼托语（Venetic language）书写，但采用拉丁字母：该女子的名字融合了当地传统命名Ostiala与拉丁语贵族名Gallenia的构词逻辑。铭文原文为：M'. GALLE]NI. M'F. OSTIALAE. GALLEN/IAEEQVPETARS