Celebrating Women from across the Roman World (II)
Last year, we celebrated International Women’s Day with a piece that commemorated a selection of women, from all runs of life, whose existences and experiences – rich and hugely diverse – were eternalised in verse epitaphs from across the Roman Empire (read more).
For International Women’s Day 2021, we once again would like to offer you a small selection of texts and translations of verse epitaphs for women from across the ancient world.
Gallia Narbonensis
➤ Epitaph for Eugenia
Massilia (Marseille). – CIL XII 481 (cf. p. 813) = ILCV 179 = CLE 1447 (fifth or sixth century A. D.). An image is available here.
Nobilis Eugenia praeclari sanguinis ortu quae meretis uiuit hic tomolata (!) iacit (!)
exuit occumbens oneroso corpore uitam quo melius superas possit adire domos
quae prudens anemis (!) permansit pondere morum prouida laudandum semper elegit opus
pascere ieiunos gaudens festina cucurrit esuriens epulas o paradise tuas
captiuos opibus uinc(u)lis laxauit iniquis et pulsos terris reddedit illa suis
mens intenta bonis toto cui tempore uitae actibus egregiis unica cura
fuitquam subolis labsam (!) bes (!) senis inclita lustris condedit (!) ⌜h⌝ic lacremis (!) Auia maesta piis.
Noble Eugenia, of famous blood by birth, who lives on by her merits, lies here entombed. As she died, she stripped her life of the burdensome body, so she could better access the heavenly dwellings. She remained wise in her mind through the weight of her character, with foresight she always chooses a work worthy of praise. Cheerfully she speedily ran to feed the hungry, craving your meals, o Paradise! With her means she loosened the unjust chains for the captives, and she restored those who had been beaten to their lands. She had a mind focused on good deeds throughout the entire time of her life: outstanding deeds were her sole concern. On her death, at sixty years of age, her renowned offspring, Avia, saddened, buries her here with affectionate tears.
Pannonia Inferior
➤ Epitaph for Sabina
Aquincum (Budapest). – CIL III 10501 = CLE 489 (third century A. D.). An image is available from our dear friends of the Lupa database.
Clausa iacet lapidi (!) coniunx pia cara Sab[[d]]ina
artibus edocta superabat sola maritu-
m. uox ei grata fuit, pulsabat pollice cordas (!).
Set (!) cito rapta silet. Ter denos duxerat annos, he-
u male quinque minus, set (!) plus tres meses (!) habebat,
bis semptemque dies uixit. Hec (!) ipsa superstes spectata in po-
pulo hydraula grata regebat. Sis felix quicumque leges (!), te
numina seruent, et pia uoce cane: Aelia Sabina uale. T(itus) Ael(ius) Iustus
hydraularius salariarius leg(ionis) II Ad(iutricis) coniugi faciendum curauit.
My wife, dutiful and dear, Sabina lies here, enclosed by this stone. Educated in the arts, she alone surpassed her husband. She had a charming voice, she plucked the strings with her thumb, but now, seized all too quickly, she is silent. She was three times ten years old, woe is me!, minus five, but with yet three months added – and she lived another twice seven days. While still alive, she was popular, most welcome, she ruled over the masses with the water-organ. Be happy, whoever you are, reading this: may the gods protect you, and may you sing with a dutiful voice: Farewell, Sabina. Titus Aelius Iustus, salaried water-organ player of the legio II Adiutrix, had this made for his wife.
Lydia
➤ Memorial for Paiplous
Tabala. – SGO 04/16/01 (third century A. D.).
τήνδε λιποῦσα πάτρης Κουάρων τὁ
πρίν οὖθαρ ἀρούρης ἠδἑ κασιγνήτους
Παιπλοῦς ἀγαθούς τε τοκῆας Ρωμαί-
ων ἱκόμην δάπεδον βασιληίδας αύλάς˙
ὀκτωκαιδέκατον χρόνον ἤνυσα καἱ <δύο μῆνας>.
I, Paiplous, left behind this hometown of mine, Couara (that, for me, used to be the udder of the ley), as well as my brethren and my good parents. I came to the meads of Rome, to the imperial court: I completed the eighteenth year and two months.
Hispania Citerior
➤ Funerary epigram for Sicinia and her daughter Sicinia Secunda
Carthago Nova (Cartagena). – CLE 1076 = HEp 2002.354 (first century B. C. or first century A. D).
Sicinia Q(uinti) f(ilia) mater.
Sicinia C(ai) f(ilia) Secunda.
Filia cum matre est, hospes, sei forte requiris
heic sita. quas rapuit mortis acerba dies.
sed prius eripuit matri qui in omnia pollet
crudelis cassus filiolam e manibus. paene inmatura
morte ereptam sibi gnatam heu quantum mater [fleuerit]
indiciost nam postquam [fletu] et monumento hoc conde-
corauit gnatam per luctus reddidit ipsa animam.
Sicinia, daughter of Quintus, the mother.
Sicinia Secunda, daughter of Gaius.
It is a daughter with her mother who is buried here (should you happen to wonder, wayfarer): a bitter day of death snatched them away. But first grim fate, ruling in all matters, took the little girl away from her mother, straight from her hands. Woe, there is proof for just how much the mother cried when her daughter was taken away from her by death, well before her time was up: for after she had adorned her with her daughter mourning and this monument, she herself passed away in her grief.
Acknowledgement:
- Page header image: By Agnete – Own work, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=8265167