About the Inscription
Inscription for Publius Aelius Lucius
Marble
Roman Period (late 2nd century CE)
Pozzuoli, Italy. De Criscio Collection, 1899. KM 844
Inscription:
D(is) M(anibus) / P(ublius) Aelius Lucius miles / Cl(assis) Pr(a)et(oriae) Misenensium / natione Surus milita(vit) / an(nis) XXVIIII ex III Salvia / Drusius Aelius Luci / anus patri / b(ene) m(erenti) f(ecit)
Translation:
To the Shades of the Underworld: Publius Aelius Lucius, soldier of the Praetorian fleet of Misenum; by nationality a Syrian, he served in the military for 29 years upon the trireme Salvia. Drusius Aelius Lucianus made this for his well-deserving father.
Lucius’s Story
Browse Objects
Scroll down to explore some items in the Kelsey Museum that would have been familiar to Lucius.
Military Diploma
After serving 25 years in the army, soldiers would receive their discharge papers (known as diploma). This official document recorded that a soldier had earned his honorable discharge as well as citizenship and the right to a legal Roman marriage, which ensured his children were also full citizens. Lucius would have been awarded a similar diploma upon his retirement.
Translation
Public Bath
Ancient Rome had a vibrant bathing culture, with every major town having at least one public bathhouse (thermae) accessible for a small fee. Bathers would move between different temperature rooms, from the warm tepidarium to the hot caldarium, before jumping into the pool in the cool frigidarium. Just like Japanese onsen, Turkish hammam, and Finnish sauna, a trip to the baths was meant to be enjoyed. Patrons like Lucius would stay for an hour or more, moving between rooms, talking with friends, and enjoying the amenities.
Bathing Tools
In order to achieve the ultimate clean, bathers sometimes used a curved bronze tool called a strigil to rid their skin of muck and grime. First, they would rub oil into their skin, similar to how we use soap and water today. They would then drag the strigil along their skin to get rid of all the oil, removing dirt and sweat with it. Don’t worry! The edge of the strigil is blunt—no cuts here! Once clean and refreshed, both men and women would apply a small amount of scented oil perfume to their skin.
Syrian Coin Hoard
The Roman Empire was so large that different regions often used different currencies. These coins were minted in Antioch on the Orontes River in the province of Syria (modern Antakya, Türkiye), a large and important city in the eastern empire. The legend on these coins is in Greek, which was the administrative and most shared language among the region’s different ethnic groups. Born in Syria, Lucius likely grew up speaking Aramaic at home, learned Greek in school, and used Latin once he joined the Roman navy.
