Tombstone of Volusia Faustina

Roman Britain, 3rd century AD
From Lincoln

A memorial to his young wife set up by a Roman town councillor

The woman depicted in the left-hand portrait bust, wearing a necklace, is Volusia Faustina. She was the wife of Aurelius Senecio, a town councillor at Lincoln, who set up the monument after she died at the age of 26. The second woman is Claudia Catiotu[a]. It is not clear what her relationship with Volusia was, but she may have been her mother, or perhaps her successor as the second wife of Aurelius Senecio. She lived longer than Volusia, over sixty years, according to the inscription.

The inscription reads:

(a) 'D(is) M(anibus) / Volusia Faustina / c(iuis) Lind(ensis) u(ixit) / ann(os) XXVI / m(ensem) I d(ies) XXVI / Aur(elius) Sene / cio dec(urio) ob / merita c(oniugi) p(osuit)'

(b) 'D(is M(anibus) / Cl(audia) Catiotu[a] / vixtt a[n] / n(os) LX[..'

'To the spirits of the departed: Volusia Faustina, a citizen of Lindum, lived 26 years, 1 month, 26 days. Aurelius Senecio, a councillor, set this up to his well-deserving wife.'

'To the spirits of the departed: Claudia Catiotua lived 60 (or more) years.'

T.W. Potter, Roman Britain, 2nd edition (London, The British Museum Press, 1997)