About the Inscription
Inscription for Marcus Valerius Laos (Africanus)
Marble, pigment
Roman Period (late 2nd–early 3rd century CE)
Pozzuoli, Italy. G. De Criscio collection, 1899. KM 1039
Inscription:
D(is) M(anibus) / M(arco) Val(erio) Laoti cui / et Africano filio / dulcissimo ac su / per ceteros karos / mihi piisimo qui / vixit ann(is) VI d(iebus) VII / (h)oris III Aurelia Lais mater / filio karissimo b(ene) m(erenti) f(ecit)
Translation:
To the Shades of the Underworld: to Marcus Valerius Laos, who [was] also [called] Africanus, dearest son and most dutiful to me beyond other loved ones, who lived for six years, seven days, and three hours. Aurelia Lais, [his] mother, made [this] for her most-beloved, well-deserving son.
Aficanus’s Story
Browse Objects
Scroll down to explore some items in the Kelsey Museum that would have been familiar to Africanus.
Ancient Toys
Like children everywhere, a young boy such as Africanus would have used toys to pass the time or even mimic adult activities. Noisemakers, clay animal figurines, and wheeled wooden horses are just a few of the toys found in the Roman town of Karanis in Egypt. The extraordinary preservation of organic materials and careful excavation of Karanis allow us a glimpse into this aspect of everyday life of the children of Rome.
Bulla
A bulla was a type of necklace worn by children in the Roman world. These locket-like pendants enclosed a magical amulet. Africanus might have worn a bronze bulla like this, while richer children would have worn golden bullae. The bulla protected a child until the age of 12–14. At that point, a young teen would dedicate their bulla and childhood toys to the household gods and begin to be treated like an adult in a ceremony similar to a bar/bat mitzvah or quinceañera.
Anatomical Votive
If a person got sick or injured in ancient Rome, they could turn to both science and magic to feel better. Many people chose to visit a healing sanctuary, where they might have seen a doctor and prayed to a god for help. As part of their prayer, a visitor typically left an offering for the god (a votive). Anatomical votives took the shape of the body part that needed healing. This votive takes the shape of a toddler’s leg. If Africanus had hurt his leg, his mother likely would have taken him to the temple of Apollo in Puteoli for help.
Statue of the Emperor
Roman emperors like Augustus (the first emperor of Rome) commissioned sculptures of themselves for display in public spaces throughout the empire. Some estimates suggest that as many as 50,000 statues of Augustus were produced during his reign! These objects were potent symbols of the emperor’s power, but for a child like Africanus, such statues likely had some sort of celebrity status while also imparting to him the values and institutions of the empire.
