Roman tombstone found in Scotland

[G-Manicus]

From the BBC:

 

 

The first Roman tombstone found in Scotland for 170 years has been unearthed at Carberry, near Inveresk.

 

The red sandstone artefact was for a man called Crescens, a bodyguard for the governor who ran the province of Britain for the Roman Emperor.

 

Dating between 140 and 180 AD, it features the image of a naked barbarian, apparently dead.

 

Most of the upper part of the stone is lost, but a surviving hoof and foot show that it would have featured a cavalryman attacking the barbarian.

 

"The cavalryman riding down a barbarian - who represents our unfortunate Scottish ancestors - is a typical image seen on tombstones all around the frontiers of the Roman Empire, but this is the first Scottish example ever found."

[Kosmo]

This is South of the Antonine Wall I guess.

[DecimusCaesar]

An interesting find. I had no idea that such a long time had passed since a Roman gravestone had been found in Scotland. I also find it interesting that so many soldiers graves are covered in images of barbarians being massacred. What would a civilian grave from the period have been like? After all we have some grand examples on the outskirts of Rome, but what about those of the Romano-Britons? I'm pretty sure they would not have wanted such aggressive carvings on their headstones.

Edited November 1, 2007 by DecimusCaesar

[Melvadius]

An interesting find. I had no idea that such a long time had passed since a Roman gravestone had been found in Scotland. I also find it interesting that so many soldiers graves are covered in images of barbarians being massacred. What would a civilian grave from the period have been like? After all we have some grand examples on the outskirts of Rome, but what about those of the Romano-Britons? I'm pretty sure they would not have wanted such aggressive carvings on their headstones.

 

The supine barbarian decorated tombstones in Britain from the 1st and early 2nd century AD are all military in origin when it comes to civilian tombstones the relativley limited number from Britain tend to follow the Roman traditional practice of head and shoulder images of the deceased.

 

I need to check my references but AFAIR the 'supine barbarian' and indeed portrait style to a great extent went out of fashion by the third century and we end up with only a few inscribed stones as Christianity took a greater hold in the province in many cases simply an inscribed cross.