Roman military tombstone to be unveiled

A NATIONALLY important Roman tombstone discovered in Lancaster will be returning to the city next month.

The memorial for a Roman soldier is due to arrive at Lancaster City Museum on October 12 after months of conservation work in Preston.

Discovered during an excavation in Aldcliffe Road in 2005, the giant tombstone is thought to be in memory of Lucius Nisus Vodullius, a trooper in a Roman army. It depicts a figure on horseback decapitating a man.

MORE details here; excerpt:

At almost six feet in height, the massive stone clearly depicts a carved Roman cavalryman riding with the severed head of a barbarian enemy in his hand. A Latin inscription reveals the cavalryman to be Insus Vodullus, an ‘eques’ or mounted trooper of the auxiliary cavalry unit ala Augusta. His decapitated victim is revealed as a citizen of the Treveri tribe, from the Trier area of western Germany.

Though the stone bears no clear date, such as the year of the emperor’s reign in which it was erected, circumstantial evidence points to a date somewhere between 75 and AD 125. Most similar stones are from the first century AD and the unit name has been previously associated with the North West of England during the latter part of this period.

But what makes the stone particularly interesting to archaeologists is its condition. When first examined in situ, red dye was still apparent highlighting the inscription whilst the carved image was virtually unweathered.

Posted by David on September 5, 2008 2:19 PM