Tombstone of Gaius Saufeius
Roman Britain, 1st century AD
From Lincoln
The death and burial of a Macedonian soldier in Lincoln
The short epitaph on the tombstone gives us quite a lot of
information about Gaius Saufeius, a soldier in the Ninth Legion of
the Roman army. He originally came from Heraclea, a town in
Macedonia. He died and was buried in Lincoln shortly before
completing his 25 year period of military service. The Ninth Legion
Hispana came to Britain as part of the invasion army in AD 43. It
was based at Lincoln by the AD 60s before moving to York in the
early 70s. It remained there until it left Britain early in the
second century. It is possible therefore, that Saufeius experience
not only the invasion of AD 43, but also perhaps the uprising led
by Queen Boudica in AD 60-61, in which the Ninth Legion lost about
2000 infantry. he may even have been a casualty of that
conflict.
The inscription reads: 'G(aio) Saufeio / G(ai) f(ilio) Fab(ia
tribu) Her(aclea) / militi legio(nis) / VIIII / annor(um) XXXX /
stip(endiorum) XXII / h(ic) s(itus) e(st)' ('To Gaius Saufeius, son
of Gaius, of the Fabian voting-tribe, from Heraclea, soldier of the
Ninth Legion, aged 40, of 22 years' service; he lies here')