Numerianus and Victor
In 1885, on the site of a Roman cemetery in South Shields (a place at the east end of Hadrian's Wall), the workmen discovered a 2nd century tombstone (check the photo) of Victor the Moor. This tombstone shows Victor reclining on a highly decorated couch being served a drink by a slave.
Here is a translation of the inscription:
To the divine shades of Victor by Nation a Moor
He lived 20 years and was freedman of Numerianus
horseman of the 1st Ala of Asturians who
most devoutly conducted him to the grave
This tombstone commemorates the life of Victor, a Moor from North Africa. Victor was the slave of Numerianus, a cavalry soldier who served with a unit raised in Spain. However, by the time Victor had died, age 20, he was a freedman. In the book Roman Britain: A New History, historian Guy De La Bédoyère suggested Numerianus and Victor were more than a master and a freedman. Hehe. Would Marcus build a lavish tomb stone for his beloved freedman Esca?
In the book The People of Roman Britain, the author Anthony Richard Birley mentioned the age 20 was well below the official legal minimum age for receiving freedom. I wonder how old was Esca in the book. In the movie, Esca was also very young. Jamie Bell was only 23 when they filmed The Eagle.
Here is a translation of the inscription:
To the divine shades of Victor by Nation a Moor
He lived 20 years and was freedman of Numerianus
horseman of the 1st Ala of Asturians who
most devoutly conducted him to the grave
This tombstone commemorates the life of Victor, a Moor from North Africa. Victor was the slave of Numerianus, a cavalry soldier who served with a unit raised in Spain. However, by the time Victor had died, age 20, he was a freedman. In the book Roman Britain: A New History, historian Guy De La Bédoyère suggested Numerianus and Victor were more than a master and a freedman. Hehe. Would Marcus build a lavish tomb stone for his beloved freedman Esca?
In the book The People of Roman Britain, the author Anthony Richard Birley mentioned the age 20 was well below the official legal minimum age for receiving freedom. I wonder how old was Esca in the book. In the movie, Esca was also very young. Jamie Bell was only 23 when they filmed The Eagle.