A chance discovery in the countryside near Livorno has brought a fragment of ancient Roman life back into the spotlight, after a remarkably well-preserved funerary inscription surfaced from a muddy canal following heavy rains.
The find was made by Roberto Tessari, a former firefighter and active member of a local archaeological group.
While walking through a remote wooded area in search of wild asparagus, Tessari noticed an unusual rectangular stone partially submerged in water and silt. On closer inspection, he recognised three lines of Latin text carved into its surface—clear evidence of a Roman-era funerary epigraph.
Realising the significance of the discovery, Tessari contacted the regional authorities and shared photographic evidence.
For experts, the images were striking. Lorella Alderighi, an archaeologist with the Superintendency of Archaeology, described the moment as “a real surprise,” noting that such well-preserved inscriptions are rarely found in the Livorno area. Ironically, she added, it was the very mud and water that had protected the stone for centuries before recent rainfall dislodged it.
Recovering the slab proved challenging due to the difficult terrain and lack of access roads. Firefighters were called in to assist, and the stone was eventually transported to laboratories in Pisa for further study.
The epigraph reads:
T(ito) ANCONIUS SEVERUS
ANCONIVS PRISCVS
ET SABINIA SEVERA
V(ivi) F(ecerunt)
The inscription itself offers a clear and personal glimpse into a Roman family. It commemorates Titus Anconius Severus, likely a young man who died prematurely. The monument was likely commissioned by his parents, Anconius Priscus and Sabinia Severa, as indicated by the final Latin phrase V(ivi) F(ecerunt) – a common Roman practice to ensure a proper memorial by the “living”.
The names provide further insight. The family name “Anconius” is relatively rare and is thought to derive from the city of Ancona. Combined with the absence of certain formal identifiers, this suggests the family may have been freedmen—former slaves or their descendants—who were building social standing in Roman society.
Experts say such monuments were more than memorials; they were statements of identity and status. During the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD, freedmen in the region were an increasingly influential social group, often using funerary inscriptions to assert their place in society.
“What makes this find fascinating is not just the material evidence, but the social history it reveals,” said Alderighi. “Having an elegant funerary monument carved for themselves, preparing it while they were still alive, was their primary means of achieving the social consecration and public recognition that their humble origins had initially denied them.”
Sources : Superintendency of Archaeology, Fine Arts and Landscape for the provinces of Pisa and Livorno
