Objects help us to visualise history. And today a particular tombstone that also mirrors change for Roman Borbetomagos as well as a changing Roman empire.For generations this particular tombstone used to be one of the first things a visitor to the museum would see (but now it's gone from its old place, probably stored somewhere in the garden...). It was discovered at the Roman necropolis of Maria Münster just south of the city in 1885.
The tombstone can be roughly dated to the tetrarchy (AD 293-324), a period of profound change in the empire, regarding military, political and religious life. At that time, Worms/Borbetomagos was once again a frontier city after the fall of the Limes which had been overrun by the Alamanni. And the threat of invasion was greater than ever (see also the 4th-century Roman army helmet in the museum which shows the changing equipment of this period...). Similar to the 1st century, we find tombstones of cavalry soldiers, but they are not the same quality as in the 1st century...The tombstone is in honour of a certain Valerius Maxantius, not just a cavalry soldier, but one of the CATAPHRACTI. The κατάφρακτοi were a heavily armoured military unit, and the horses also had their body armour (one of those mailed horse amours was discovered at Dura - see photo). The idea of the cataphracti comes from the eastern part of the Roman empire, but certainly by the 3rd and 4th century, we also see these units employed in the western provinces, like here the tombstone from Borbetomagos/Worms and one from Bad Cannstadt (Stuttgart). Our cataphractarius horseman died relatively young, with just 32 years of age. His brother, who set up the tombstone, might have been in the same unit... It is difficult to tell where Maxantius and Dacus came from (Dacus - Dacia?)... And here for our Latinists: M(anibus) D(is) | Val(erius) Maxantius | eq(ues) ex numer<o=I> | kata(fractariorum) vix(it) an(n)is | XXXII me(n)s(ibus) VI | Val(erius) Dacus fr(ater?) / fec(it). "To the spirits of the departed, Valerius Maxantius, horseman of the unit of cataphracts lived 32 years, 6 months; his brother Valerius Dacus made (this tombstone) (CIL XIII 6238 = Dessau 9208 - CSIR-D II.10, 55)... Also see: - F. und O. Harl, Ubi Erat Lupa, http://lupa.at/16784 and of course Boppart's volume on Worms: CSIR-D II.10, 55 - in general, see e.g. book by Amato & Negin (2018), Roman Heavy Cavalry, 1, for an introduction |
Objekte erzählen Geschichte. Durch die Funde können wir Geschichte rekonstruieren und lebendig werden lassen. Aber ob wir diese tollen Funde jemals wieder sehen, scheint ungewiß, da die Stadt aus dem Andreasstift wohl ein "Nibelungenmuseum Nr. II" machen will, also mediale "experience" ohne Objekte....
M(anibus) d(is) | Val(erius) Maxantius | eq(ues) ex numer<o=I> | kata(fractariorum) vix(it) an(n)is | XXXII me(n)s(ibus) VI | Val(erius) Dacus fr(ater?) / fec(it). "And die Manen ('Schattengötter'), Valerius Maxantius, Reiter der Einheit der Kataphraktoi, lebte 32 Jahre und 6 Monate. Sein Bruder Valerius Dacus errichtete (diesen Grabstein)." Für mehr Literatur, siehe: - CIL XIII 6238 - Dessau, ILS 9208 - Boppart, CSIR-D II.10 (Worms), no. 55) - F. und O. Harl, Ubi Erat Lupa, http://lupa.at/16784 - und im Allgemeinen das Buch von Amato & Negin (2018), Roman Heavy Cavalry, 1 |