Rufus Sita Tombstone
Encyclopedia
The Rufus Sita Tombstone (RIB 121) is the marker of the grave of Rufus Sita, a Roman
soldier from the mid 1st Century AD, found near London Road, Gloucester
, in 1824. The stone is approximately 4ft by 3ft in size.
The tombstone is of a type typically used for Roman soldiers, depicting a horseman spearing a foe on the ground with an epitaph below stating the age and service of the deceased, his origins and who placed the tombstone.
According to the tombstone, Rufus Sita was a horseman of the Sixth Cohort
of Thracians
, who died aged 40 after 22 years service. His heirs arranged to have the tombstone made in accordance with the wishes in his Will
. The Sixth Cohort was one of the Roman military units stationed at Gloucester, or Glevum
as it was then known.
The Latin inscription on the tombstone reads:
or:
Which translates as:
The tombstone has been in the Gloucester City Museum & Art Gallery
since 1873.
Roman Britain
Roman Britain was the part of the island of Great Britain controlled by the Roman Empire from AD 43 until ca. AD 410.The Romans referred to the imperial province as Britannia, which eventually comprised all of the island of Great Britain south of the fluid frontier with Caledonia...
soldier from the mid 1st Century AD, found near London Road, Gloucester
Gloucester
Gloucester is a city, district and county town of Gloucestershire in the South West region of England. Gloucester lies close to the Welsh border, and on the River Severn, approximately north-east of Bristol, and south-southwest of Birmingham....
, in 1824. The stone is approximately 4ft by 3ft in size.
The tombstone is of a type typically used for Roman soldiers, depicting a horseman spearing a foe on the ground with an epitaph below stating the age and service of the deceased, his origins and who placed the tombstone.
According to the tombstone, Rufus Sita was a horseman of the Sixth Cohort
Cohort (military unit)
A cohort was the basic tactical unit of a Roman legion following the reforms of Gaius Marius in 107 BC.-Legionary cohort:...
of Thracians
Thracians
The ancient Thracians were a group of Indo-European tribes inhabiting areas including Thrace in Southeastern Europe. They spoke the Thracian language – a scarcely attested branch of the Indo-European language family...
, who died aged 40 after 22 years service. His heirs arranged to have the tombstone made in accordance with the wishes in his Will
Will (law)
A will or testament is a legal declaration by which a person, the testator, names one or more persons to manage his/her estate and provides for the transfer of his/her property at death...
. The Sixth Cohort was one of the Roman military units stationed at Gloucester, or Glevum
Glevum
Glevum was a Roman fort in Roman Britain that become "colonia" of retired legionaries in AD 97. Today it is known as Gloucester, located in the English county of Gloucestershire...
as it was then known.
The Latin inscription on the tombstone reads:
RVFVS · SITA · EQVES · CHO · VI
TRACVM · ANN · XL · STIP · XXII
HEREDES · EXS · TEST · F · CVRAVE
H. S. E.
or:
Rufus Sita, eques Cohortis VI
Thracum, annorum XL, stipendiorum XXII.
Heredes ex testamento faciendum curaverunt.
Hic situs est.
Which translates as:
Rufus Sita, horseman of the Sixth Cohort of Thracians,
lived forty years and served twenty-two.
His heirs, in accordance to his will, had this erected.
He is laid here.
The tombstone has been in the Gloucester City Museum & Art Gallery
Gloucester City Museum & Art Gallery
Gloucester City Museum & Art Gallery in Brunswick Road is the main museum in the City of Gloucester. It has recently been extensively renovated following a large National Heritage Lottery Fund grant and it reopened on Gloucester Day, 3 September 2011....
since 1873.
Further reading
- Anderson, Alastair Scott. Roman Military Tombstones. Aylesbury: Shire Publications, 1984. ISBN 0852635710
