A 6ft tall Roman tombstone that was unearthed in Lancashire featuring a victorious Roman soldier in battle on a rearing horse trampling the corpse of a freshly decapitated native Brigantes tribe warrior, dated to 80AD.

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1. **The inscription under the tombstone reads:**

   DIS[M]ANIBVS INSVS VODVLLI[FIL]IVS CIVE(S) TREVER EQVES ALAE AVG[T] VICTORIS CVRATOR DOMITIA [H F C]

   *(To the shades of the dead: Insus, Son of Vodullus, Citizen of Treveri, Cavalryman Curator of the Ala Augusta, troop of Victor. Domitia, his heir, had this set up)*

   “The first thing we can tell is that Insus was not a Roman citizen: he does not have the tria nomina, or triple name a Roman citizen would have. Citizenship was awarded on retirement from the Roman auxilia, so it seems likely Insus died in service. That his family could afford a quality memorial also suggests he was reasonably wealthy. His inscription records he was Treveri, from Trier in Western Germany. The Treveri had lost their independence after participating in an uprising against Julius Caesar’s Rome in 54/3BC, which the Romans put down, and they became a Roman colony from 16AD.

   Insus was a Curator of his regiment: a supply officer equivalent to a quartermaster, a junior non-commissioned officer. This role required some responsibility and literacy. The Latin term Curator is still used in museums, where Curators are like quartermasters of museum collections: they ‘look after’ our objects, just as the Roman Curator ‘looked after’ military supplies, men, and horses.

   There is no date on the stone noting when it was put up, but we can estimate this from Insus’ troop, the Ala Augusta ‘Victor’. Of the Ala, flanks or wings of infantry troops of about 500-1000 men, there were several called Augusta in Britain over the centuries. An Ala Augusta was stationed at Lancaster in the first century AD, and was only described as ‘Victor’ for a brief period, which allows us to estimate the date the tombstone was put up to 80AD.

   The relief: The carved relief is higher quality than the inscription, which is cramped and filled with errors. This suggests the stone was carved by two different stonemasons: a more experienced mason, perhaps travelling with the Roman army and specialised in carving these types of reliefs; and a less-experienced mason, possibly local, who carved the inscription specific to Insus.

   The relief is a standard Roman tombstone scene: a Reiter, or ‘rider’. These memorials show a Roman military cavalry officer riding triumphantly over a subdued, crumpled, and often naked ‘barbarian’ enemy with untamed hair and beard. The style was imported by the Romans, possibly from Thrace or Greece: there are rare examples in the UK, including the famous Ribchester Cavalry Tombstone, but most (50+) survive from the Rhineland. Insus was from Trier in Germany, so it is possible it was intended to commemorate him in a way appropriate to his background.

   The laurel and oak carvings down the side of the Lancaster Cavalry Tombstone relief symbolise victory and valour. The symbol that looks like a sun-face at the top of the tombstone may be a symbol of Mithras, which suggests Insus may have worshipped Mithras. An altar-stone to Mithras was discovered at Ribchester in 1978, so we know he was worshipped locally. Insus’ stance on the tombstone also looks very similar to typical images of Mithras, with a leg back, arm up to strike, and flowing cloak, so the tombstone may be influenced by these scenes.

   The focus of the scene on the Lancaster tombstone is on the act of decapitation and mutilation rather than the domination more typical of Reiter tombstones. Decapitation is very rare on Roman military images. Though it features on Trajan’s column, the most comparable example is the Bridgeness Slab (RIB 2139), which is British and from a similar period. However, on that relief, the rider is not holding the head and the decapitation is not emphasised on the relief. Insus’ tombstone is unique in intentionally showing a vivid, brutal, close-quarters battlefield decapitation. This is underlined by Insus’ use of a sword: a close-quarters weapon with a reputation for ruthless effectiveness in the ancient world.

   In fact, almost all riders on *Reiter* tombstones are shown using a lancea, or short javelin, rather than swords, though auxilia cavalry did use swords. However, they usually used the originally-German spathae, a long sword that gave riders better reach. Insus is shown holding a gladius, the classic Roman short sword. That Insus is holding a Roman gladius may be a carving mistake. Or perhaps the sculptor wanted to emphasise Insus’ ‘Romanness’ with Roman equipment, though the rest of his equipment is practical gear for the cool climate and not artificially Roman clothing, such as a Roman open skirt and sandals.

   The Lancaster Roman Cavalry Tombstone is a unique object that contrasts the barbarity-in-action of the auxiliary soldier with his adopted Roman identity”

   **Source:** [https://lancashiremuseumsstories.wordpress.com/2021/02/12/the-lancaster-roman-tombstone-interpretation/](https://lancashiremuseumsstories.wordpress.com/2021/02/12/the-lancaster-roman-tombstone-interpretation/)