Marcus Caelius
Marcus Caelius | |
|---|---|
Marcus Caelius (center) as portrayed in his cenotaph | |
| Born | c. March 45 BC Bononia (Bologna, Italy) |
| Died | c. September AD 9 (aged 53) |
| Allegiance | Roman Empire |
| Branch | Roman Army |
| Rank | Primus pilus |
| Unit | XVIII Roman Legion |
| Conflicts | Roman campaigns in Germania (12 BC – AD 16) |
| Relations | Titus Caelius (father) Publius Caelius (brother) M. C. Thiaminus (freedman) M. C. Privatus (freedman) |
Marcus Caelius (c. March 45 BC – c. September AD 9) was the senior centurion (Primus pilus) in XVIII Roman Legion who was killed in the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest.[1] He is known from his cenotaph, which was discovered in 1620 in Birten (now a part of Xanten), Germany.[2] Caelius is depicted wearing his military uniform, with phalerae (a type of military decoration), armillae (a type of bracelet), and a corona civica (an award for saving a fellow citizen's life), while in his right hand, he holds a vitis (carried by all centurions). On either side of his image are his non-combatant servants, Privatus and Thiaminus, both of whom perished in the battle and were given the status of freedman post-humously by Caelius’ brother, Publius.
The tombstone's lower left corner is damaged, but enough survives to determine that the text below the image once read:
M[ARCO] CAELIO T[ITI] F[ILIO] LEM[ONIA TRIBV] BON[ONIA]
P[RIMVS] O[RDO] LEG[IONIS] XIIX ANN[ORVM] LIII S[EMISSIS]
[CE]CIDIT BELLO VARIANO OSSA
[HVC] INFERRE LICEBIT P[UBLIVS] CAELIVS T[ITI] F[ILIVS]
LEM[ONIA TRIBV] FRATER FECIT
English translation:
To Marcus Caelius, son of Titus, of the Lemonian district, from Bologna,
first centurion of the eighteenth legion. 53+1⁄2 years old.
He fell in the Varian War.
His freedman's bones may be interred here. Publius Caelius, son of Titus,
of the Lemonian district, his brother, erected (this monument)."[2]
The tombstone can today be found in the Rheinisches Landesmuseum in Bonn.[3]
References
- ^ Goldsworthy, Adrian (2003). The Complete Roman Army. London: Thames & Hudson. p. 49. ISBN 0-500-05124-0.
- ^ a b "Marcus Caelius". livius.org. September 2010. Archived from the original on 8 March 2010.
- ^ "The battle in the Teutoburg Forest". Livius.org. Archived from the original on 6 August 2007. Retrieved 5 March 2015.