05-18-2011, 02:17 PM
@Epictetus: that's a very good point! The people writing the inscription were not necessarily the deceased (although some people did dictate their own funerary inscriptions). One of my favorite epigraphic formulae is "uixit annis plus minus ...", which I like to translate as 'lived for X years, give or take' (search for 'plus' and 'minus' on Clauss/Slaby). You can almost imagine the heirs sitting around scratching their heads before taking a guess!
@John, @Jona: Does anyone have any stats as to whether or not military inscriptions where the person died in service are more accurate? After all, recruits were generally quite young, and so would have still been at an age where they could keep count (I used to know how old I was, now I just remember when I was born and do the maths - a difficult option if years are named rather than numbered!). If the age was entered at enlistment, then the age at death would be easily calculated. As it is, I suspect that long-retired troops would remember exactly how long they served for, but not necessarily how long ago they left the army
blue skies
@John, @Jona: Does anyone have any stats as to whether or not military inscriptions where the person died in service are more accurate? After all, recruits were generally quite young, and so would have still been at an age where they could keep count (I used to know how old I was, now I just remember when I was born and do the maths - a difficult option if years are named rather than numbered!). If the age was entered at enlistment, then the age at death would be easily calculated. As it is, I suspect that long-retired troops would remember exactly how long they served for, but not necessarily how long ago they left the army
blue skies
Tom Wrobel
email = [email protected]
email = [email protected]
