18.09.24: Remembering a soldier

The tombstone was found in England and, given that two people are remembered on it, both of whom have the same first name i.e. Flavius - and their respective ages - they are probably father and son. The inscription is roughly produced with variant spelling e.g. VISI(T) / VIXIT (lived) and ANIS / ANNI (years)

Perhaps D B M

FLA FVSCINVS EM(E) (the E and M are connected)

EX ORDI VISI ANIS LV

D B M

FLA ROMANVS ACT

VIXIT ANNI XXXV

IN CAS . INTF . AB . HOSTI

Line 1: Perhaps (but plausible) D(is) (Manibus) (et) B(onae) M(emoriae) │ to the shades of the Dead and good memory

Line 2: Fla(vius) Fuscinus eme(ritus) │ Flavius Fuscinus retired

Line 3: ex ordi(nato)] visi(t) an(n)is LV │ former centurion lived for 55 years

Line 4: D(is) (Manibus) (et) B(onae) M(emoriae) │To the shades of the Dead

Line 5: Fla(vius) Romanus act(arius) │Flavius Romanus military clerk

Line 6: vixit anni(s) XXXV │lived 35 years

Line 7: in cas(tris) int(er)f(ectus) ab hosti(bus) │ killed by the enemy in the camp / fort

actārius, -ī [2/m] (military) clerk (post-Classical; 3rd century)

emeritus, -a, -um: having done one’s service i.e. retired

interfectus, -a, -um: killed

ōrdinātus: this term is increasingly used from the late 2nd / early 3rd century to refer to a centurion