An ancient gravestone preserves the memory of a young woman who was probably the wife of a Roman or Gaul and lived in the second largest city in Roman Britain. In Cirencester, in the south-west of England (Gloucestershire), a rare Roman gravestone with an inscription was discovered.
The headstone covered the grave. Apparently, it fell face down. The grave contains human remains, including skull bones. In the same area of the necropolis, the burials of three children were discovered.
The stele is made of local Cotswold limestone. The plate has a five-line inscription in Latin: “DM BODICACIA CONIUNX VIXIT ANNO S XXVII”. Roman history scholar Dr. Richard Reece translates it as follows: "In memory of Bodik, wife of 27 years."
The find is unique in that archaeologists now know the name of the one buried under the headstone, says Neil Holbrook of Cotswold Archeology. He noted that the inscription only takes up half the space allotted for it. Below, the horizontal marking lines are preserved. Probably, the inscription was planned to be added after the death of Bodiki's husband, according to Neil Holbrook.
In his opinion, Bodik's name is of Celtic origin. “Bodica may be a local girl from [modern] Gloucestershire who married a Roman or Gaul from France and adopted this very Roman funeral rite,” the archaeologist said.
He draws attention to the fact that the tombstone is of very good quality and must have been expensive in Roman times. Particularly interesting is the pediment of the tombstone - the triangular upper part - with its detailed carvings. “It looks like a cascading fold of cloth or shroud,” says Neil Holbrook.
The fact that the tombstone has survived is amazing, says the archaeologist. In the 1960s, garages were built on the site of the necropolis, and builders removed the soil just inches above the stele. If they had dug a little deeper, they would have smashed the headstone.
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In addition, in medieval times, Roman steles were often used as building material - for this they were taken out, broken into pieces. Probably, Bodika's tombstone fell relatively quickly and was covered with soil, and therefore the medieval builders did not notice it.
About 300 or 400 tombstones from Roman times have been found in Great Britain. At Cirencester, this is the tenth such find. Nothing is reported about the dating of Bodika's burial and tombstone.
During the current excavations, archaeologists have identified 55 Roman burials at this site. Another 70 graves were opened here in 2011.
In Roman times, the city of Corinium was located on the site of Cirencester. It was the second largest city in Roman Britain after Londinium (modern London).