Aeschylus in Pompeii? Further considerations on the inscription of Marcus Venerius Secundio

This article re-examines the recent publication by Llorenç Alapont Martin and Gabriel Zuchtriegel on the tomb of Marcus Venerius Secundio, discovered in Pompeii in 2021, focusing on the inscription stating that the deceased organized ludi Graeci et Latini for four consecutive days. Zuchtriegel interpreted ludi Graeci as theatrical or musical performances in Greek, also citing a circular bone token inscribed “XII ΑΙCΧΥΛΟΥ ΙΒ,” seen as a theater ticket linked to Aeschylus’ plays. This study offers a different interpretation. Drawing on the occurrences of the expression in the epigraphic records of the Ludi Saeculares under Augustus (17 BCE) and Septimius Severus (204 CE), as well as in Cicero (Fam. 7.1.2–3; Att. 16.5.1), it argues that ludi Graeci referred primarily to musical and vocal performances (ludi Graeci thymelici), not necessarily in Greek. Furthermore, the so-called theater ticket is shown to be one of the well-documented “Alexandrian tesserae,” gaming tokens numbered from 1 to 15, unrelated to theatrical contexts. The Aeschylus mentioned on the token more plausibly refers to an otherwise attested official of Alexander the Great, not the playwright.