The tombstone of Aurelius Bitus is one of the most characteristic tombstones in Aquincum, perhaps one of the most beautiful pieces in the museum’s lapidarium. Father and son can be seen on the stone, the child on a small platform who, according to the inscription, lived only four years. Aurelius is depicted in a military suit with a horn in his hand, and his little son stands as a mini-soldier next to his father. The father disappeared in the war, which is perhaps the worst thing, if the family knows nothing about it, they live in insecurity for years. Aurelius was only thirty-eight years old when he disappeared. He left behind a wife with a broken heart, Aurelia Quintililia (or Quintilia). A heartfelt message to late reader. Instead of sad thoughts, let’s take a closer look at the tombstone!
Below, the grounded part of the tombstone is broken, but fortunately this does not affect the inscription. Dimensions of the monument: Height 250 cm, width 97 cm and thickness 10 cm. The tombstone was unearthed, that is, not as a result of a planned archaeological excavation, but a man dug the hillside on the plot at 102 Bécsi street in Óbuda and found the tombstone of Aurelius Bitus. In 1899, he donated this to the dynamically developing archaeological association of Aquincum.
At the top of the tombstone, the gable is richly decorated with plants. These are mainly rosettes (roses) and acanthus leaves (which are also popular decorative motifs for carved stone columns). On the left and right edges, a grape leaf curls upwards. Above the vine leaves we see an acroterion decorated with palmettes, there must have been an acroterion in the middle, but unfortunately it is no longer there, it is broken. A carved semicircular separates the relief from the dense vegetation. The base was originally light blue in color, and it is from this background that the figures stand out. The older man, the father, Aurelius Bitus, is the horn of the legio (cornicen). His horn is hung on his left shoulder, above his shoulder we see the characteristic looking ‘mouth’ of the horn, and Aurelius’s entire left arm shows the tube of the horn decorated with two buttons. He holds a scroll in his right hand, but he also has a horn nozzle at his fingertips, as if he could blow it at any time.
His characteristic Roman tunic reaches to his knees, his fingers long. The tunic is covered by a sagum (military cloak) connected on his right shoulder. His belt (cingulum) is held together by a ring at the front, a sword which is difficult to remove on the right, while a dagger is hidden between the tubes of the horn on the left, which is attached to the strap (balteus). On the outside of the arm, next to the horn, we see a smaller, oval-shaped shield (parma). Her legs and feet are naked. Her hair is short and combed completely forward in her forehead.
The little boy, Vitalis, stands on an altar-like pedestal. He holds a scroll in his left hand, gently touching it with the tip of the fingers of his right hand. Like his father, he wears a knee-length tunic, and his belt is held together by a ring. On it we also see the sagum, i.e. the cloak, which covers the left shoulder and the left arm, and reaches below the knee at the back. He doesn't have a helmet, any headgear, and his chunky little legs are naked, too.
Below the depiction of father and son, we see a sacrificial scene in a square, framed field. The two sides of the frame are symmetrically decorated with ribbon braids. The ribbons return to themselves, symbols of eternity. The background of the victim scene was originally red, with traces of paint still found on it. At the heart of the scene is the three-legged table, which is much larger than the figures surrounding it. The table is richly stocked, perhaps with food. A female figure on the left, a man on the right, goes to the table and they both carry something. They do not carry cumbersome, but lift the bowl up to the height of their heads with a noble posture. If they sacrifice, they will certainly present a food sacrifice to the spirit of the dead. The male figure wears a tunic tied with a belt, and the woman's dress reaches down to her ankles, tied at the waist with a belt.
Below the sacrifice scene is the inscribed field. It is surrounded by two flat columns, and the heads of the columns are made up of two rows of leaves. There is a letter D on the left-hand column and an M on the right-hand side: this is a common DIS MANIBUS address for grave inscriptions - addressing the gods of the dead, meaning that the letters on the column are already an integral part of the inscription. Traces of green, blue and red paint were found in the inscription field. The text was probably highlighted in red letters. The Romans painted almost every stone, so we should not imagine the tombstones with the stone color we see today, but as a colorful creation.
D(IS) M(ANIBUS)./AUR(ELIO) BITO CORN(ICINI) LEG(IONIS) II AD(IUTRICIS)/ STPI(ENDIORUM) XVLLL BELLO DESI(DERATO) VIXSIT (!)/ ANN(IS) XXXVIII M(ENSIBUS) III ET VITAL(I) FILIO/ VIX(IT) ANN(IS) IIII M(ENSIBUS) XI D(IEBUS) XVIII ET BITILL(A)E/ FILI(AE) ET DALMATIO FILIO ET QUINTILI/LIANO PILIO (!) POSU(IT) AURELIA QU(I)N/TILIA CONIU(GI) ET FILIBUS SUIS ME/MORIAM.
To the gods of the dead. Aurelius Bitus, hornblower of the Legion II Adiutrix, who disappeared in the war in his 18th year of service; He lived 38 years and 3 months; and to his son Vitalis, who lived 4 years, 11 months, and 18 days, and his daughter Bithilla the son of Dalmatius, and the son of Quintililian. Aurelia Quintilila erected the tombstone in memory of her husband and children.
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| and a copy of the stone in Flórián Square |
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