Inscriptions on Everyday Items

The ancient world had no means of identification, so very frequently, owners of things they treasured would inscribe something on the item.

Here are several examples:


1.  Found on a vase from Rome:

NOLI ME

TOLLERE

HELVEITI SVM

Noli me tollere:

Helvetii sum.

Don't take me:

I am Helvetius'.

2. Found  on another vase in Pompeii:

EPAPHRODITI SVM TANGERE ME NOLI

Epaphroditi sum: tangere me noli.

I am Epaphroditus': don't touch me.

3.  A lamp from the Esquiline Hill in Rome:

CLAVDIO • NON SVM TVA

Claudio; non sum tua!

For Claudius;  I am not yours!

4. Finally, not on a small object, but written on a building:

M • IVNI • INSVLA • SVM

Marci Iuni insula sum.

I am the insula (apartment building) of Marcus Iunius.

Tene me

A change of pace - this is a slave collar, usually fastened around a slave's neck, with instructions similar to what we read below:

TENEMENE

FVGIA ET REVO

CAMEADDOMNVM

EVVIVENTIVM IN

ARACALLISTI

 

Tene me ne

fugia[m] et revoca 

me ad dom[i]nu[m] meu[m]

Viventium in

ar[e]a Callisti

Hold me lest 

I flee and return

me to my master

Viventius in

the area of Callistus.

According to LaFleur, the 'area' of Callistus' has been identified as the district of the church of Santa Maria in Trastevere in Rome, founded in the 3rd Century by the Bishop and Martyr Callistus.

Agape

EVCHARIS EST MATER PIVS ET PATER EST [

VOS PRECOR O FRATRES ORARE HVC QVANDO VENI[

ET PRECIBVS TOTIS PATREM NATVMQVE ROGATIS

SIT VESTRAE MENTIS AGAPES CARAE MEMINISSE
VT DEVS OMNIPOTENS AGAPEN IN SAECULA SERVET

Eucharis est mater, pius et pater est [mihi Celsus].

Vos precor, O fratres, orare huc quando veni[tis]

et precibus totis Patrem Natumque rogatis:

sit vestrae mentis Agapes carae meminisse,

ut Deus omnipotens Agapen in saecula servet.

Eucharis is my mother, and my dutiful father is [Celsus].

I ask you, O brothers, to pray when you come to this place

and with all your prayers you ask the Father and the Son:

may you keep in mind dear Agape,

so that Almighty God may save Agape forever.

 

The upper right side of the stone having been lost, the conjecture [mihi Celsus] was added by the German scholar Franz Buchler.

"Agapes" and "Agapen" are Greek genitive and accusative singular forms of the name Agape, meaning "Love", and her mother's name, Eucharis, is also Greek, meaning "Thanksgiving".

Flaes

Not all Romans were Christian or Pagan.  Here is an epitaph on a marble grave marker from Naples, 4th-5th Century AD.

HIC POSITVS

EST FLAES EBR

EVS

Hic positus 

est Flaes Hebraeus.

Here is buried

Flaes the Hebrew.

Chryse

From a marble stone found in 1981 at Ostia, near the church of St. Aurea, a 3rd century martyr.

CHRYS[...

HIC DORM[...

Chrys[e]

hic dorm[it]

Chryse

sleeps here

Because "Aurea" mean golden in Latin, and "Chryse" means the same in Greek, some conjecture that this might have been the grave of the Saint herself.

Salvidiena Faustilla

V . SALVIDIENA . Q . L . HILARA

SALVIDIENAE . FAVSTILLAE

DELICIAE . SVAE

ERVDITAE . OMNIBVS . ARTIBVS

RELIQVISTI  MAMMAM TVAM

GEMENTEM . PLANGENTEM . PLORANTEM

VIX . AN . XV

MENSIB . III . DIEB. XI . HOR . VII

VIRGINEM . ERIPVIT . FATVS . MALVS

DESTITVISTI . VITILLA . MEA

MISERAM . MAMMAM . TVAM

V(iva) Salvidiena Q(uinti) l(iberta) Hilara

Salvidienae Faustulae,

deliciae suae,

eruditae omnibus artibus

reliquisti mammam tuam

gementem, plangentem, plorantem.

Vix(it) an(nis) XV,

mensib(us) III, dieb(us) XI, hor(is) VII.

Virginem eripuit Fatus malus.

Destituisti vitilla mea 

miseram mammam tuam.

The living Salvidiena Hilara, freedwoman of Quintus,

(dedicates this) to Salvidiena Faustilla,

her sweetheart,

accomplished in all the arts.

You have left your Mama

grieving, mourning, weeping.

She lived 15 years, 

3 months, 11 days, 7 hours.

Evil fate has stolen the maiden.

My darling, you have abandoned

your unhappy Mama.

Crescentia

DOMINA BASSILA COMANDAMVS TIBI

CRESCENTIVS ET MICINA FILIA NOSTRA

CRECEN --- QVE VIXIT MEN X ET DES

Domina Bassila comandamus tibi

Crescentius et Micina filia nostra 

Crecen -- quae vixit menses X et dies

We, Crescentius and Micina, commend to you,

Heavenly Queen, our daughter

Crescentia, who lived 10 months and a day.

Gentianus

GENTIANVS FIDELIS IN PACE . QVI

VIXIT ANNIS XXI MENSES VIII DIES

XVI ET IN ORATIONIS TVIS

ROGES PRO NOBIS QVIA SCIMVS

TE IN XP

Genantius fidelis in pace.  qui

vixit annis XXI menses VIII dies

XVI et in orationis tuis

roges pro nobis quia scimus

te in XP.

Faithful Genantius, in peace.  who

lived 21 years, eight months,

16 days, and in your prayers

beseech for us, because we know

that you are in Christ.

(I used XP in the above example because I can't reproduce the Chi-Rho symbol on this keyboard).

Matronata Matuta

PETE PRO PARENTES TVOS

MATRONATA MATRONA

QVE VIXIT AN. I DI. LII

Pete pro parentes tuos,

Matronata Matrona,

quae vixit annum I dies LII

Pray for your parents,

Matronata Matrona,

who lived for 1 year 52 days

Crux Gammata

Which is what I'm calling this so we don't get unusual people dropping by.

Noticing the designs on the clothing of Diogenes, one cannot but think that he is wearing swastikas.  I knew that the swastika predated the National Socialist Worker's Party, but I didn't know by how much, and how widespread, until I did some reading.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swastika

Suffice it to say that this symbol is extremely widespread in both space and time:  it appears in Asia, Europe, North America, from as early as 10,000 years ago.  It is a widely used symbol in Hinduism, Jainism, and Buddhism, and by Native Americans; in all cases, as a symbol of good luck..  Here is a 1909 picture of a basketball team from the Chiloco Indian School, in Ponca City, OK.

The US 45th Infantry Division, which was made of National Guard units from Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Oklahoma, had this as their unit's shoulder patch from the Division's creation in 1924:

WIth the growth of the Nazi Party in the 1930's, this patch was abandoned and a new one was chosen to go with the Division's nickname, the "Thunderbird" Division.

There are numerous examples of its occurrence to be found all over the world, from many periods in history.

As far as its association with the Church, here is an excerpt from the Catholic Encyclopedia,  http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04517a.htm

The sign of the cross, represented in its simplest form by a crossing of two lines at right angles, greatly antedates, in both the East and the West, the introduction of Christianity. It goes back to a very remote period of human civilization. In fact, some have sought to attach to the widespread use of this sign, a real ethnographic importance. It is true that in the sign of the cross the decorative and geometrical concept, obtained by a juxtaposition of lines pleasing to the sight, is remarkably prominent; nevertheless, the cross was originally not a mere means or object of ornament, and from the earliest times had certainly another — i.e. symbolico-religious — significance. The primitive form of the cross seems to have been that of the so-called "gamma" cross (crux gammata), better known to Orientalists and students of prehistoric archæology by its Sanskrit name, swastika.

...

It is fairly common on the Christian monuments of Rome, being found on some sepulchral inscriptions, besides occurring twice, painted, on the Good Shepherd's tunic in an arcosolium in the Catacomb of St. Generosa in the Via Portuensis, and again on the tunic of the fossor Diogenes (the original epitaph is no longer extant) in the Catacomb of St. Domitilla in the Via Ardeatina. Outside of Rome it is less frequent.

Fossores

Like most cultures which bury their dead the world tend to look down on those who deal with the deceased, the ancient Romans treated gravediggers as outcasts.  With the advent of Christianity, that changed. Fossores or "Diggers" (from 'foedere'; 'to dig') not only dug graves, but there is evidence that they decorated and painted them as well.  In fact, several sources name 'fossores' as one of the minor orders of clerics.  There is also evidence that part of their duty was to exclude outsiders from Eucharistic celebrations held in the catacombs or in Christian cemetaries.     http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gravedigger#Fossors

The drawing of the fossor Diogenes was badly damaged in the attempt to remove it from the wall on which it was drawn, but we have this sketch of its appearance.  He stands with the tools of his trade; a pick, a staff, and a light, as well as a sack lunch.  We will examine the symbols on his clothes in our next post.

Diogenes Fossor

 

DIOGENES FOSSOR IN PACE DEPOSITVS

OCTABV KALENDAS OCTOBRIS

Diogenes fossor in pace depositus

octabus Kalendas  Octobris

Diogenes, a 'digger', buried in peace

on the eighth day before the Kalends of October (Sept 24)

Ruta

RVTA OMNIBVS SVBDITA ET ATFABI-

LIS BIBET IN NOMINE PETRI

IN PACE

Ruta omnibus subdita et affabilis

vivet in nomine Petri

in pace

Ruta, subject to and easily spoken to by all

will live in the name of Peter

in peace.

Exuperantia

† EXVPERANTIA D. XV. KL. SEPT.

HIC DEPOSITA EST IN PACE ROME, QVAE

BIXIT P. M. MENSES III.

† Exuperantia Dies XV. Kalendas Septembris

Hic Depostia Est In Pace Romae, Quae

vixit P. M. Menses III.

Exuperantia was buried here at Rome in peace

on the 15th day of the Kalends of September.

She lived safely for 3 months.

(p. 34)

Januarius

IANVARIO DIGNO FILIO

PARENTES FECERVNT,

QVI VIXIT ANNIS VI

QVIESCIT IN PACE AETERNA

Ianuario digno filio

parentes fecerunt,

qui vixit annis VI

quiescit in aeterna

For Januarius, their worthy son,

his parents made (this monument),

who lived for six years.

He rests in everlasting  peace.

(p.245)

Flavia Jovina

FL. IOVINA , QVAE VIXIT

ANNIS TRIBUS D. XXXII DEPOS

NEOFITA IN PACE XI CAL. OCTOB.

Flavia Jovina, quae vixit

annis tribus dies XXXII depos(ita)

neofita in pace XI Cal. Octob.

Flavia Jovina, who lived

three years 32 days, buried

a neophyte in peace the 11th of the Kalends of October.

(p. 290)

The length of a life

Many of the inscriptions in the catacombs and cemetaries of the first Christians in Rome relate the exact number of years, months, and days which a person lived, and many of them also specifiy the day on which they died, but none mention the person's birthday.  Clearly they knew they knew the 'real' birthday, but they simply do not mention it.  However, the inscriptions do frequently speak of the day on which they died as the day on which they were "born in peace", or something similar.

Severius

SEVERIO FILIO DVL

CISSIMO LAURENTIVS PATER

BENEMERENTI QVI BI

XIT ANN. IIII ME VIII DIES V

ACCERSITVS AB ANGELIS VII IDVS IANVA.

Severio Filio Dulcissimo

Laurentius Pater

Benemerenti qui vixit

Annos IIII Menses VIII Dies V

Accersitus ab angelis VII Idus Ianua.

For Severius, most sweet

and well deserving son, from

your father Laurentius.

You lived four years, eight months, 5 days.

Summoned by angels on the seventh of the Ides of January

(p. 156)

Cervonia Silvana

EX VIRGINIO TVO BEN

E MECO VIXISTI LIBENI C

ONIVGA INNOCENTISSI

MA CERVONIA SILVANA

REFRIGERA CVM SPIRITA

SANCTA DEP KAL APR. TIBERI

ANO II ET DIONI COSS.

Ex virginio tuo bene

mecum vixisti libeni

coniuga innocentissima

Cervonia Silvana

refrigera cum Spirita

Sancta dep Kal Apr.

Tiberiano II et Dioni Coss.

From your girlhood you

lived a good life willingly with me, my most innocent

wife Cervonia Silvana!

May you find refreshment with the Holy

Spirit!  Buried on the Kalends of April

in the Consulship of Tiberianus (his second)

and Dio.

(p. 259)

Mercurius

PARENTES FILIO MERCVRIO

FECERVNT QVI VIXIT ANN.

V. ET MESES VIII. NATVS IN

PACE IDVS FEBRV.

Parentes filio Mercurio

fecerunt qui vixit ann.

V et menses VIII. Natus in

pace Idus Febru.

The parents made this (monument) for

their son Mercurius, who lived for

5 years and 8 months.  He was born into

peace on the Ides of February. (Feb. 13)

(p. 250)