10 Touching Tales From Ancient Roman Tombstones

Most modern tombstones are pretty basic. They usually just have our name, birthdate, and death date. It doesn’t give people wandering through graveyards much to think about. The Romans did things a bit differently. They buried their dead outside the city walls, often lining major roads with tombs. These tombs, whether simple or fancy, often had long inscriptions called epitaphs. These epitaphs were meant to be read by passersby, keeping the memory of the deceased alive.

Here are ten amazing Roman epitaphs that offer us a glimpse into their world.

10. Marital Bliss

It’s easy to think that marriages in the ancient world were just business deals. But Roman epitaphs sometimes show a different picture. Lucius Sempronius Firmus’s tombstone, set up by his wife, shows a deeply loving relationship.

The inscription reads: “Furia Spes made this for her dearest husband, Lucius Sempronius Firmus. When we met as boy and girl, we were joined in love equally. I lived with him for a short while, and in a time when we should have lived together, we were separated by an evil hand. So I ask you, most sacred spirits, to protect my dear husband entrusted to you, and that you be willing to be most accommodating to him in the nightly hours, so I may have a vision of him, and so he might wish that I persuade fate to allow me to come to him more sweetly and quickly.”

Some of the praise might be expected, but many epitaphs have personal details that suggest a truly shared life. One epitaph tells people to bathe in the pool of Apollo, as the husband and wife used to do, expressing their sadness that they can’t anymore.

9. Epitaph for a Child

In ancient times, infant, childhood, and maternal mortality rates were incredibly high. For a long time, historians believed that parents simply moved on after losing a child because it was so common. However, studying the graves reveals the pain that each loss caused.

One epitaph reads: “My baby Acerva was snatched away to live in Hades before she had her fill of the sweet light of life. She was beautiful and charming, a little darling as if from heaven. Her father weeps for her and, because he is her father, asks that the earth may rest lightly on her forever.”

Epitaphs like this are common. The fact that a tomb was made for a dead baby shows the devastation their deaths caused. One was written for a child who lived for only “nine sighs.”

8. Epitaph for a Dog

Animals usually remain silent in history, leaving no written record of their experiences. However, one Roman tombstone from the 3rd century AD gives us insight into how treasured pets were treated. This tomb was dedicated to a dog named Pearl:

“Gaul sired me, the shell of the rich sea gave me my name: the honor of that name is becoming to my beauty. Taught to roam unexplored woodlands with courage and to chase hairy game in the hills, unaccustomed ever to be restrained by heavy harnesses or to endure savage beatings with my snow-white body: for I used to lie in my master’s and my mistress’s lap and mastered the art of resting wearily on a spread-out blanket. Even though I used to be able to express more than I was entitled to with my inarticulate mouth—that of a dog!—no one feared my barking. But I have already met my fate, stricken down during ill-omened whelping—me, whom earth now covers under this little marble plaque.”

This tells us that while some dogs suffered abuse, others were kept as companions and lapdogs.

7. More Doggy Epitaphs

The Romans knew that some would laugh at the idea of building a tomb for a dog. One epitaph reads, “Thou who passest on this path, If haply thou dost mark this monument, Laugh not, I pray thee, though it is a dog’s grave. Tears fell for me, and the dust was heaped above me by a master’s hand.” The owner’s grief was too strong to be stopped by ridicule.

Another describes the life shared by the owner and pet: “How sweet and friendly she was! While she was alive she used to lie in the lap, always sharing sleep and bed. What a shame, Midge, that you have died! You would only bark if some rival took the liberty of lying up against your mistress. What a shame, Midge, that you have died! The depths of the grave now hold you, and you know nothing about it. You cannot go wild nor jump on me, and you do not bare your teeth at me with bites that do not hurt.”

Sometimes, the partnership between master and dog lasted a long time. One epitaph describes how “I am in tears, while carrying you to your last resting place as much as I rejoiced when bringing you home in my own hands fifteen years ago.”

6. What Makes Life Worth Living

Life for the Romans wasn’t just about warfare; there were also moments to be enjoyed. One tombstone tells us what one man thought were the best things in life.

“He lived 52 years. To the Spirits of the Dead of Tiberius Claudius Secundus. He has everything with him here in his tomb. Baths, wine, and sex corrupt our bodies, but baths, wine, and sex make life worth living. Merope, slave of the emperor, made this for her dear slave husband as well as for herself and their descendants.”

5. Regina

Hadrian’s Wall marked the northern edge of the Roman world. One tomb discovered there shows the mixing of people that occurred under Roman rule. The stone shows a woman with jewelry, holding a distaff (a tool for spinning).

The inscription in Latin reads, “To the spirits of the departed and to Regina, his freedwoman and wife, a Catuvellaunian by tribe, aged 30, Barates of Palmyra set this up.” Underneath, there’s a line in Palmyrene script that says, “Regina, the freedwoman of Barate, alas.”

Palmyra was a major city in Syria. It seems Barates traveled to Britain, bought a local slave called Regina (Latin for Queen), freed her, and married her. Whether she had a choice is unknown. The inscription in his native language suggests it was a happy marriage, at least in his mind.

4. The Boy Poet

In AD 94, a young boy named Quintus Sulpicius Maximus created a poem on the spot in front of the emperor in Rome as part of a competition. He did not win but impressed the crowd. Sadly, he died just months later, apparently from overwork. His grieving parents set up a grave with a long inscription and a copy of his poem.

“Though but a lad of twelve short years was I, I left this contest for the land of shades. Disease and weariness reft me away, For of the Muses dreamed I, morning, noon, and night. I pray you for the sake of this poor lad, Pause here and see his off-hand verses’ dainty grace.”

Scholars aren’t overly impressed by the poem, but it was a remarkable achievement for someone so young. The epitaph shows the hopes placed on the boy by his parents, who were former slaves. If Quintus had lived and become famous, his family would have risen with him.

3. The Gladiator

Gladiators symbolize the Roman love for blood sports. The best gladiators were among the first star athletes in history. Gladiators probably didn’t fight to the death every time, as it would be too costly. One gladiator who did die in combat left an accusation in his epitaph.

“Here I lie victorious, Diodorus the wretched. After breaking my opponent Demetrius, I did not kill him immediately. But murderous Fate and the cunning treachery of the summa rudis [referee of the games] killed me, and leaving the light I have gone to Hades… A good friend buried me here because of his piety.”

It seems that Diodorus had knocked down Demetrius first, but the referee allowed Demetrius to continue, leading to Diodorus’s death.

2. When Life Gives You Lemons…

Roman epitaphs often included philosophy to comfort the living. Many tombs had the letters NFFNSNC carved on them, meaning “I was not, I was, I am not, I do not care.” When we’re dead, we no longer exist, so we can’t be troubled by anything. Some might find this a bit stark.

One grave had a different piece of wisdom about someone who died young. Sextus Iulius Felicissimus, a doctor and arena fighter, was killed at 19. His foster parents honored him with a philosophical ending: “Why does my loss cause you pains? One cannot overcome the order imposed by fate. Human affairs are just like lemons: either they tumble to the ground when ripe, or they get collected before.” Death comes for everyone.

1. Children Lost in Accidents

Surviving birth didn’t guarantee adulthood. Many gravestones for children give the cause of death, often accidents. Some could still happen today, like falling off a ladder or from a tree. Others were specific to the ancient world.

Children, especially enslaved ones, were put to work young. One child was gored by a bull while feeding cattle. Another was crushed by falling wooden stakes. Natural disasters also claimed children, such as one killed during an earthquake. Fires in Rome also killed many children.

Two cases involved young people struck by javelins. A fourteen-year-old was struck through the neck by a javelin thrown by “an innocent hand.” Another, Diotimus, was hit by a javelin, which the epitaph blames on a “murderous hand,” adding that the evildoer is now dead at the bottom of the sea.

These epitaphs offer a touching glimpse into the lives and deaths of people in ancient Rome. They remind us that even across centuries, love, loss, and the human experience remain constant.