Audio:
Roman
Ca. 100-200
Purchased by Pierpont Morgan before 1913.
Transcription:
Deirdre Jackson, Assistant Curator of Medieval and Renaissance Manuscripts
At the end of this bluestone path sits a Roman grave marker, or stele. The stone commemorates the life of an individual named Annia, who was a freedwoman, a low-status freeborn woman in ancient Rome. It was dedicated by her husband, Lucius Sempronius. The inscription reads: To the divine spirits. Lucius Sempronius Elatus (made this) for his most pious spouse, Annia Secunda. The back of the stone bears a second dedicatory offering: To the divine spirits, for Lollia Staphyle. The stele dates to the second century, a time of political upheaval and prolonged crisis for the empire.