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Summary

A Roman stone inscription from an altar to Mars

Full description

A Roman stone inscription from an altar to Mars. The text reads:
MARTI SANC
TO SACRUM
C. IVL ANTO
NINUS MIL
[LE]G XI CL
[E]X VOTO POSV
VIT
The Latin abbreviations in the inscription can be expanded to give the Latin text Marti Sancto Sacrum Caius Iulius Antoninus miles legionis XI Claudiae ex voto posuuit, which translates as ‘Sacred to holy Mars, Caius Iulius Antoninus, a soldier in the legion XI Claudia, set this up in fulfilment of his vow’. This inscription is said to have been found in Marton parish in 2001. This find was recorded at Retford Museum [not Lincoln as stated in Source 1] in May 2001 but no further publication of the find was made at the time. It was recorded as having been found on the north side of the track that runs from Marton to the River Trent. This track follows the boundary of Marton and Gate Burton parishes This would suggest that the inscription was found on the site of the known Roman roadside settlement at Marton on Till Bridge Lane on the Lincolnshire side of the Roman ford that crossed the Trent to the Roman town of Segelocum on the western bank of the river. {1}{2}

The legion XI Claudia Pia Fidelis was never stationed in Britain. It was one of the legions that guarded Rome’s northern frontier and, from the beginning of the second century onwards, served on the Danube. There are no other inscriptions mentioning this legion in Britain. There is an error in the text as ‘posuuit’ should read ‘posuit’, and it is also unusual that the full name of the legion is not given in the inscription. Consequently, this might be considered unlikely to be a Romano-British inscription and further research would be needed to establish its authenticity. {3}

<1> 2012, 'Auction round-up' in Treasure Hunting, Dec.2012, p.35 (Article in Serial). SLI13959.

<2> Retford Museum, Retford Museum Identification Cards, Roman Altar Fragment, Marton, Lincs, 03/05/2001 (Index). SLI13962.

<3> Mark Bennet, 2012, Information from Mark Bennet, 12/11/2012 (Verbal Communication). SLI13646.

Monument Types

• FINDSPOT (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)

Associated Finds

• ALTAR (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)

Associated Events

• Discovery of a Roman Inscription near Marton

Sources and further reading

Related records

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