RomanArmyTalk

Ave Fratres,

Found this gravestone in one of our more remote villages. I think the villagers think of it as a cult item, as it is placed in the wall over the village spring. It is damaged but a large part of the text is there. I have several listings of Roman abbreviations but even using those can not make any sense out of this. Not shown in the photo is the DM at the top and two stylized leaves.

This place is well off anyone's idea of a tourist area. I think I am the only gringo that has been there in quite a few years. ..So don't think it is fake, Maybe Roman style and some local language ??

Any ideas??

Regards from a warm and peaceful Balkans Arminius Primus, aka Al

I wonder if that is a reference to the VIIIIth legion, or is that XVIIII?

Alexander vi-
xit annis
XVIIII ca ...
ies Alexan-
dri filio
pientissi-
mo posuit

(CIL 3.8207)

Quote:I wonder if that is a reference to the VIIIIth legion, or is that XVIIII?

Sorry, Byron. It isn't military. It's the tombstone of a 19 year-old youth named Alexander, son of Alexander.

Curious phrasing, though. "To the shades of the dead. Alexander lived for 19 years. Cat-- set this up for the most dutiful son of Alexander." I would've expected something like Dis Manibus Alexandro Alexandri filio pientissimo vixit annis XVIIII Cat-- posuit. Wouldn't you?

I suppose it might be a reflection of the greek showing through the romanisation?

Ave Fratres,

Amazing how simple it looks now that you folks have provided the solution. Thanks for the translation!!! Now I guess the next step will be to find the settlement it came from. If I make any progress will keep all informed.

Regards from a muggy evening in the Balkans, Arminius Primus aka Al

Quote:Now I guess the next step will be to find the settlement it came from. If I make any progress will keep all informed.

You'll be surprised to learn that the CIL mentions that it's from... your hometown Skopje. Probably they meant "in the neighborhood"?

Ave Fratres,

Didn't know that we had made it into the CIL . Thats a good thing. The gravestone location is in the first stage of mountains in the direction of Kosovo. View from the village is pretty dramatic, you can look across the valley at the next range of mountains and there is a village in a depression about 3/4 up the mountain. Have not figured out how to get there yet and not too sure which side of the border it is on.

So in a sort of balkan way, I guess the village with the gravestone mounted in the spring counts as a Skopje suburb. In my small part of the Balkans , things get very primitive once you get away from the cities. Once again. Thanks for the assistance!

Regards from a cool and pleasant night in the Balkans, Arminius Primus aka Al