An interesting late Roman tombstone was found in a vineyard of Sisak in Croatia (Roman Siscia, Pannonia), above a grave built from tiles, which was erected for a master of the entertainment actors in mimes (magister mimariorum). It is now kept in the Hungarian National Museum in Budapest:
D(is) M(anibus). / Positus est hic Leburna, / magister mimariorum / qui vicxit (!) annos plus / minus centum. / Aliquotiens mortuus / sum sed sic numquam. / Opto vos ad superos bene / [va]ler<a>e.
“To the divine spirits of the departed. Here lies Leburna, master of the actors in mimes, who lived more or less a hundred years. I died several times but never in this manner. I hope you are well in the upper world.”
The name Leburna only occurs in this inscription and is no doubt derived from the Liburni, who lived along the northern coastal part of the eastern Adriatic and its islands, as far as Histria. The name Liburnus, too, is attested only once in Dalmatia. Mimi and mimae (actors and actresses in comic performances), are epigraphically well documented, particularly in Rome and other Italian cities, but more rarely in provincial towns. Quite likely the relatives of Leburna or his heir wanted the funerary inscription to reflect his profession of entertaining the audience; some deaths that Leburna performed during his lifetime must have been funny rather than sad. The formula plus minus is typical of late Roman epigraphy. Leburna must have been very old, over 90 at least, even if he may not have reached the age of 100. In his case, his profession, which required that dancers and performers be in good physical condition, may have played some role in accounting for his longevity.
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This text in Ubi Erat LupaRelated Stories
Gods, Superstition and Magic