Tomb Garden Of Anonymous

Dates

unspecified

Excavation Dates

ca. 1853

Garden Description

A partially preserved stone plaque, now in the museum at Cirta and originally found nearby, records in passable hexameters an idyllic description of the anonymous author's monument: the little Attic bird [probably mistakenly, for bee] comes often to my tomb and, sated with thyme, leaves dripping honey; here birds sing sweetly to me in verdant grottoes; here the Delian laurel blossoms near my tomb, and grapes hang like gold upon the vines ([saep]e meis tumulis avis Attica parvula venit / et satiata thymo stillantia mella relinquit, / mi volucres hic dulce canent viridantibus antris, / hic viridat tumulis laurus prope Delia nostris / et auro similes pendunt in vitibus [uva]e).

Bibliography

• CIL VIII, 7854 (Arachne)
• CLE 468 (HathiTrust)

Keywords

• inscriptions (AAT:300028702)
• tombs (AAT:300005926)
• sepulchral monuments (AAT:300005909)

Places

• Cirta/Constantina (Pleiades:305064)
• Numidia (Roman province) (Pleiades:981539)