Altar of Marcus Acutius Noetus

A funerary or – perhaps – honorary monument dedicated to Marcus Acutius Noetus, one of the leading figures of the Concordia community in the second half of the 1st century AD. Originally a slave, Noetus was freed, rose to hold the prestigious office of Augustalis (a priest dedicated to the cult of the deified emperor) and became considerably wealthy. As the inscription records, he bequeathed over 300,000 sesterces to his fellow citizens to fund banquets, gladiatorial combats or theatrical performances, which were probably held once a year on the benefactor’s birthday. An equally substantial sum was instead allocated to the purchase of foodstuffs for the colony, whilst with what remained of the inheritance, Noetus’s son financed a number of public works.Many centuries later, when Noetus had long since been forgotten, the altar commemorating him was taken to Portogruaro, cut into several pieces and reused to carve the statue of the Madonna and Child that can now be admired at the entrance to the Museum.