# Rare Roman Tombstone Unearthed in England

> A rare Roman gravestone lying face down has been uncovered in England. Here is what surprised the archaeologists about the find.

- URL: https://langandtrip.com.ua/en/article/v-anhlii-znaishly-ridkisnyi-rymskyi-nadhrobok/
- Language: en
- Published: 2024-01-04
- Categories: Hiking, Culture, Historic Sites, Museums, Tours, England

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### Key points

The gravestone likely dates to the second century AD

The inscription offers clues about the name of the deceased

A rare Roman gravestone, discovered face down a few weeks ago in England, turned out to be even more remarkable on Wednesday, when archaeologists flipped it over.

The inscription on the front of the tombstone, uncovered during excavations in Cirencester, Gloucestershire, reads: "To the spirits of the departed/Bodicacia/faithful wife/died aged 27," according to a preliminary translation by Cotswold Archaeology.

Most likely dating to the second century AD, the gravestone may belong to a person named Bodicacia or Bodica, according to Ed McSloy, a senior finds and archive specialist at Cotswold Archaeology. Variations of the name would be Latinized versions of Celtic names, though Cacia could be a fully Roman name, he said.

"It is also possible that ... the inscription contains two names and refers to a man, Boduus, and includes the female name Cacia, possibly the name of the wife," McSloy wrote in an email.

The title "Coniunx" (faithful wife) in the inscription was sometimes used in connection with freed slaves, McSloy added, so this person may have started life as a slave.

Finding an inscribed Roman tombstone in England is a rarity. Fewer than 300 such stones have been found in Britain, and only 10 in Cirencester, McSloy said.

And discovering it in a cemetery, where it was meant to be, is rare as well. "Most known tombstones were reused later in the Roman period as building stone, often incorporated into the defensive structures of towns," McSloy explained.

"This tombstone was found in a grave, directly above the skeleton of an adult. It remains to be confirmed whether the skeleton is the remains of the named person, or whether the tombstone was later reused as a cover for the grave of someone else."

Analysis of the bones will likely determine the person's sex, age at death, diet and whether the individual was a local, McSloy said.

The tombstone still shows the marks of the stonemason's chisel and a carving, likely depicting Oceanus, the god of the sea, with a long moustache, long hair and crab-like claws above his head, McSloy said.

"We believe this is the first example of a tombstone (at least from Roman Britain) that depicts Oceanus," he added. "In a funerary context, this may symbolize a long 'watery' journey into the afterlife."