When archaeological ruins of ancient settlements are found, little is known about the inhabitants. Their habits can only be deduced from the objects found. Hopefully, other clues complete the puzzle. For example, the hidden name of the Roman soldier on his personal items.
A group of archaeologists found it. They found ceramic objects during an excavation at the tomb of a Roman soldier in the Dutch city of Heerlen. Thanks to this, the secret of his name was revealed, which he was responsible for making perennial. So we can now know that his name was Flaccus.
The oldest
The abbreviation FLAC It was engraved on a clay bowl that was found among the funerary objects. The dating concluded that it was a 2,000-year-old tomb. What does this mean? That made Flaccus the oldest resident of the city whose name is known. He managed to surpass the previous record holders by 150 years, writes The History Blog.
The archaeological excavation was carried out in the Raadhuisplein (Town Hall Square), whose renovation is planned. What is now the Raadhuisplein was in the center of Coriovallum, on the Via Belgica. This is the Roman road that linked Cologne in Germany with Boulogne-sur-Mer in France. For this reason, archaeologists expected to find Roman remains in the construction.
Meeting Flaccus
In addition to the bowl, archaeologists discovered a bronze strigil (an instrument used to remove dirt from the body). There was also a set of four different ceramic plates, made from terra sigillata. All of these had stamps from a workshop. Thanks to the manufacturers’ stamps, it was determined that the objects were manufactured in Italy around the year 0.
The hidden name of the Roman soldier joins other clues about his occupation. The pottery and dating strongly suggest that Flaccus was a Roman soldier. He was sent to the military settlement that in Roman times was called Coriovallum, on the Germanic border.
