Epitaphs and Funerary Art

What will they say about us when we are dead?

Terracotta Army of Qin Shi Huang

Terracotta Army of Qin Shi Huang

Mausoleum of Augustus

Photo from livius.org

Mausoleum of Hadrian

Roman sarcophagus with married couple

The couple are clasping right hands (dextrarum iunctio) with Cupid holding a wedding torch.

Munich, Glyptothek. Credits: Barbara McManus, 1988

cinerary urn

name of dead woman is Thana Ancarui Thelesa; Etruscan, 150-100 BCELondon, British Museum. Credits: Barbara McManus, 1999

sarcophagus of male child with relief of Prometheus story

Roman, third century CECapitoline museum, Rome. Credits: Barbara McManus, 1979

Sarcophagus of "the Magnate"

Tarquinia. Credits: Susan Bonvallet, 1994

Sarcophagus of a Roman man and his wife, in the Louvre.

SLIDES OF JO ANN HAUGHTON

Etruscan sarcophagus of the Married Couple from Banditaccia

SLIDES OF SUE OLSEN

Sarcophagus of the Married Couple

Photos from http://www.ou.edu/class/ahi4163/files/main.html

Sarcophagus of the Married Couple

Photos from http://www.ou.edu/class/ahi4163/files/main.html

Cavalry Tombstone of Longinus

Barbara F. McManus

Cavalry Tombstone

of M. Aemilius Durises

Barbara F. McManus

Epitaphs at the Capitoline Museum

Bill Thayer’s “Lacus Curtius”

L. Avillus Dionysius, horse trainerTranslated:

Aquilo, ?grandfoal of Aquilo,

won 130 races, placed 88 times, and showed 37

times.

Hirpinus, ?foal of Aquilo,

won 114 races, placed 56 times, and showed 36

times.

To the gods of the afterlife: Claudia Helice

erected this for Lucius Avillus Dionysius,

trainer of the Red Team, her most worthy spouse.

Photo and translation from Lacus Curtius

Numerius Quinctius, an actor

Translated: In line 1, ) would stand for an (unnamed) woman: )) stands for two women; or, conceivably, several.

1 NVMERIVS QVINCTIVS · )) · LIBERTVS · COMICVS · SIBI · ET · QVINCTIAE · PRIMILLAE

COLLIBERTAE · ET · CONIVGI · SVAE · VIXI · CVM · EA · ANNOS · XXX ·

Numerius Quinctius, a former slave freed by women, an actor: for myself and for Quinctia Primilla

who was freed with me and was my wife. I lived with her 30 years.

Photo and translation from Lacus Curtius

Epitaphs A

•sumus mortales, immortales non sumus

• nihil sumus et fuimus mortales. respice, lector, in nihil ab nihilo quam cito recidimus.

Epitaph B

•T. Cissonius, Quinti filius, Sergianus, veteranus legionis quintae Gallicae. Dum vixi, bibi libenter. Bibite vos qui vivitis.

Epitaphs C

• virum expecto meum.

• sustineo in aeterno toro adventum tuum.

Epitaphs D

• rogo te, viator, monumento huic nil male feceris.

• ne quis hic urinam faciat.• quod feceris et tibi alius

faciet.

Epitaphs E

• hic sita est Amymone Marci optima et pulcherrima lanifica pia pudica frugalis casta domiseda

• hic iacet Helpidius fatis extinctus iniquis egregius iuvenis, causarum orator honestus. qui vixit annos XX.

Epitaphs F

• stans exit.• D(is) m(anibus) et memoriae aetern(ae).

L(uci) Secundi Octavi, Treveri, acerbissima morte defuncti, qui cum ex incendio seminudus effugisset, posthabita cura salutis, dum aliquit e flammis eripere conatur, ruina parietis oppressus naturae socialem spiritum corpusque origini reddidit…

Epitaphs G

•pater filio quod filius patri facere debuerat.

• t(u) m(ihi) d(ebueras) f(acere), n(on) ego tibi.

Epitaph H

• quod tu es ego fui, quod nunc sum et tu eris.

Your turn!

• “Hic iacet Magistra, in ludo extincta, docta, amata, beata. Viator, disce et sape!”

• Epitaph Worksheet: Fill in the blanks following steps 1-4.

• Show worksheet to teacher for approval.• When approved, design a construction

paper tombstone with your epitaph.