Tombstones

[martijn.wijnhoven]

So, I'm happy(ish) with pre-Flavian and post-Augustan ;-)

suggest a Julio-Claudian date to me

Thanks gentlemen!

[mcbishop]

I think my personal favourite is an inscription from Egypt that has been variously dated to the Augustan period and the 6th century AD - purely on stylistic grounds.

Much the same thing happened with the veteran L. Valerius Aurelius from Gloucester. Everyone saw the 'Aurelius' and assumed he was 3rd century, despite the fact it is a very obvious 1st-century tombstone (paenula, no ring buckle, hair style, legion name etc etc)!

Mike Bishop

[mcbishop]

As promised, the skimpiest tunic in the Roman Empire! This chap was found at Mainz but is now in Mannheim museum. Moreover, he is executed on a dark sandstone, unlike the buff limestone used for many of the lower Rhineland tombstones, so not overly photogenic. There are a few points of interest: his 'apron' only has the lowest stud on each strap sculpted (were the rest painted, or were there no others?), the handguard of his sword matches some of the wooden examples from the Schutthügel at Vindonissa, the 'apron' straps and excess belt material are all finished with the same type of pendant, and his paenula has no visible fastenings up the front, unlike most examples on tombstones.



Mike Bishop

[Quintius Clavus]

He clearly wanted to show off his muscular thighs! Yes, that is one very short tunic. The detail even after all this time is amazing on many of these tombstones. Thank-you, Mike, for sharing these and for the commentary; I'm enjoying ALL of the commentary.

At the risk of making all you fellas squirm (a little anyway) and perhaps TMI about me, but I think Cordus has (had!) a great pair of legs. I'd vote for him in a "bonny knees" competition (and not just his knees, either) anytime!

I am envious of all of you on the other side of the pond. I did get my picture taken next to M. Favonius Facilis' tombstone at the Colchester museum many, many years ago and did see a few others in England/Wales when I was there at that time.

I am definitely inspired to experiment a bit with the draping of the tunic skirt to get the look of the tunic as on both Cordus' and our skimpy-tunic soldier's tombstones, as well as on others' too.

[mcbishop]

At the risk of making all you fellas squirm (a little anyway) and perhaps TMI about me, but I think Cordus has (had!) a great pair of legs. I'd vote for him in a "bonny knees" competition (and not just his knees, either) anytime!

Perhaps once we have finished running through all of them we could have a 'best knees' poll for all RATers to cast a vote ;-)

Mike Bishop

[Vindex]

I find it quite sad that this chap has such a lovely tombstone and so many note worthy details but we have NO idea who he is :?

And as nice as his legs are, can't beat Rufio for knees...

[mcbishop]

I find it quite sad that this chap has such a lovely tombstone and so many note worthy details but we have NO idea who he is :?

Here's someone slightly less anonymous. It's Sibbaeus, tubicen with a unit of archers (cohors I Ituraeorum) from Mainz but now in Mannheim. Their occupation of the Rhineland seems to date to AD19 to 69, so he's another pre-Flavian chap... only this time wrapped in a duvet ;-). His tuba appears to have come apart in his hands so I suppose we have to take it that that is intentional.



Mike Bishop

[Graham Sumner]

Mike Bishop wrote: As promised, the skimpiest tunic in the Roman Empire! This chap was found at Mainz but is now in Mannheim museum.

Moi Watson wrote: I find it quite sad that this chap has such a lovely tombstone and so many note worthy details but we have NO idea who he is


That maybe one skimpy tunic but he compensates with perhaps the largest, thickest scarf! Private Pike perhaps?

Graham.

[mcbishop]

That maybe one skimpy tunic but he compensates with perhaps the largest, thickest scarf! Private Pike perhaps?

I bet his mum knitted it for him!

Mike Bishop

[Robert Vermaat]

Private Pike perhaps?

To those unfortunates in life who never had the pleasure of watching 'Dad's Army':
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Private_Frank_Pike
[attachment=3042]_44287313_mainwaringpike203.jpg[/attachment]

[kyvernat]

Robinson (1975, Pl.244) evidently saw this as GREEN=tunic, BLUE=armour, and RED=surcoat. An alternative interpretation would be GREEN=tunic, BLUE=arming doublet, and RED=armour.

There is one relief that shows the same tassels as on a garment marked "BLUE" (sorry, but I have only a photo of its copy from Vienna Romermuseum):
[attachment=3077]P8071439.JPG[/attachment]

[S. Marcer]

Good morning to everybody,
I’m a new member of this community and I’m a Ph.D student in archaeology of Iron Age in the Northern Italy.

Recently, cataloging the Roman “stele” with a Celtic onomatology in the Gallia Cisalpina, I saw a tombstone of a militis cohortis III Britannorum named Catavignus son of Ivomagus, found in the province of Cuneo (Piedmont, Italy).

Ref.:
- CIL, V, 7717.
- Dessau, n. 2560.
- C. Cichorius, in RE, IV, 1.
- A. Ferrua, Inscriptiones Itliae, IX, f. 1 (Augusta Bagiennorum), Roma, 1948, n. 93, pp. 52-53.
- P. A. Holder, The auxilia from Augustus to Trajan (BAR, S 70), Oxford, 1980, p. 166.
- C. Franzoni, Habitus atque Habitudo militis. Monumenti funerari di militari nella cisalpina romana, Roma, 1987, p. 100, tav. XXII, 4.

The tombstone is dated at 69 AC, when, helping Vitellio, some auxiliares of the cohors III Brittannorum, usually in garrison in Retia, they were sent to Cisalpina (ref. Tacitus, Hist., 1 70).

The particularity of this tombstone is the contrast between the quality of the letters and the simple representation of the soldier (in the superior part).
Is not well preserved, but the soldier seems to wear a paenula, a gladius is held on his right side, and in the right hand he holds an object that seems a club.
The club seems uncommon, the only comparison that I have found in a tombstone is a late II cent. AC from Sparta (tombstone of M. Aurelios Alexys - R.Cowan, Imperial Roman Legionary AD 161-284, Osprey Warrior 72, Oxford, 2003, p. 27; Palagia & W. Coulson, Sculpture from Arcadia and Laconia, Oxford 1993, 237, fig. 1).
Initially I thought of a reuse of a more ancient image, and the club maybe a vitis
(badly made), but the text and the letters seem contemporary, no marks of reuse.

What do you think about the representation?
Any advice or bibliographical references will be very useful for a future publication.

I hope to uploading these tombstone photos in the right section, and not start a new topic.

Thanks for the your interest and I hope to contribute as well in the future ;-) .

Best

Stefano

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[D B Campbell]

... and the club maybe a vitis(badly made), but the text and the letters seem contemporary, no marks of reuse.

Is that a transverse crest?! hock:

[S. Marcer]

Is that a transverse crest?! hock:

Honestly I have never thought of a transverse crest... it seemed to me an approximate way to represent the curly hair.
The text clearly speaks of an Auxiliary soldier ...

Catavigni / Ivomagi f. / milit(is) coh(ortis) / III Britan / norum (centuria) Gesati / vix(it) ann(os) XXV / sti(pendiorum) VI exerci / tus Raetici /Paternus / h(eres) f(aciendum) c(uravit) / comminlitoni / carissimo.

if it is a crest it would be interesting indeed.
I can only think of recycle of the tombstone, but I don't see clear marks…

[mcbishop]

Time for another tombstone, this one a not-quite-Totenmahl (since there is no Mahl taking place) of the cavalry signifer Oclatius (of ala Afrorum) from Neuss. Since it has been rather heavily restored, I have included a colour-coded view showing the restoration work in pink. This means the lion-headed standard is, alas, largely guesswork. Details that will entrance and delight include a set of writing tablets like those of the Camomile Street Soldier, a sword hilt that looks like Thor's hammer, and (interesting for clothing buffs) a tunic, rather than the trousers we might expect of a cavalryman. In the lower register, a calo leads a horse and balances a bundle on his shoulder that might be a bundle of javelins, a besom broom, or a beach umbrella (take your pick). The horse harness is really sketchy (to the point of looking unfinished) and the whole stone seems to have be dressed with a claw chisel.



Mike Bishop