[Greek:
PETROS
THREPTOS
RAUKUTA
TOS EN THEO]
Peter, sweetest foster-child, in God.
And a dove is engraved at either side of
this short epitaph.
VITALIANO ALVMNO KARO
EVTROPIVS FECIT.
Eutropius made this for the dear foster-child
Vitalian.
ANTONIVS DISCOLIVS FILIVS ET BIBIVS
FELLICISSIMVS ALVMNVS VALERIE CRESTENI
MATRI BIDVE ANORVM XVIII INTET SANCTOS
Antonius Discolius her son, and Bibius Felicissimus
her foster-child, to Valeria Crestina
their mother, a widow for eighteen years.
[Her grave is] among the holy.[2]
[Footnote 2: This inscription is not of earlier date than the fourth
century, as is shown by the words, _Inter sancios_,--referring, as we
heretofore stated, to the grave being made near that of some person
esteemed a saint.]
These inscriptions lead us by a natural transition to such as contain some
reference to the habits of life or to the domestic occupations and
feelings of the early Christians. Unfortunately for the gratification of
the desire to learn of these things, this class of inscriptions is far
from numerous,--and the common conciseness is rarely, in the first
centuries, amplified by details. But here is one that tells a little story
in itself:--
DOMNINAE
INNOCENTISSINAE ET DVLCISSIMAE COIVGI
QVAE VIXIT ANN XVI M.
Pages:
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30