Per la memoria di un atleta alessandrino sepolto a Taranto, Markos Aurelios Serenos detto anche Heliodoros (I.Puglia 115)

The essay deals with the funerary inscription I.Puglia 115, which preserves memory of M. Aurelios Serenos, probably a victorious ex-athlete and certainly the secretary of the xystòs, the ecumenical association of the athletes. The birthplace of the deceased (Alexandria) and the chronology of the text (second half of the 2nd century AD) are discussed with new arguments, generally confirming conclusions already reached by J.Y. Strasser in his 2001 essay. Furthermore, the paper argues that the series of honorary citizenships bestowed on M. Aurelios Serenos are selective. As a consequence, the choice to mention the politeia granted to him by Sparta could be the result of a deliberate selection, intended to create a link between the deceased and Tarentum, the city where he would rest forever.