Roman Military Tombstones: Uncovering the Unknown Warriors

From Northern Britain to the Near East, Roman tombstones have been uncovered on various far flung frontiers of the Roman Empire. Dedicated to those auxiliaries and legionaries that perished far from home, guarding a distant border of this ancient empire. These objects provide an extraordinary insight into the lives of these fallen soldiers and how they were honoured. But these memorials don’t just provide information about the tomb’s deceased occupant. They can tell us so much more. About variation in tombstone designs, about the larger military community stationed on that frontier and about the importance of memory for these soldiers. To talk through this astonishing topic, Tristan was delighted to be joined by Ewan Coopey, from Macquarie University in Sydney. A Roman tombstone fanatic, Ewan has done a lot of research into funerary monuments on Roman frontiers, particularly regarding those belonging to Legio VII, based in Dalmatia.