‘Unique’ Roman tombstone found in Cirencester

From the BBC website:

“A “unique” Roman headstone is the first of its kind unearthed in the UK, experts believe.

The tombstone was found near skeletal remains thought to belong to the person named on its inscription, making the discovery unique.

Archaeologists behind the dig in Cirencester, Gloucestershire, said they believed it marked the grave of a 27-year-old woman called Bodica.

The bodies of three children were also found in the “family burial plot”.

Neil Holbrook, of Cotswold Archaeology, translated the Roman inscription on the tombstone, which reads: “To the spirit of the departed Bodica [or Bodicaca], wife, lived for 27 years.”

Mr Holbrook said: “The unique aspect is that you can put a name to the person who lies beneath the tombstone.””

“What’s weird is that the inscription only fills half of the panel, so there’s a space left below it.

“You can see horizontal marking-out lines, so I guess what they were going to do was come back later when her husband died and add his name to the inscription,” Mr Holbrook added.

Read the full story and watch footage of the moment the headstone was turned over here:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-gloucestershire-31610266?