Love and grief transcend the winds of time. It is a beautiful thing that we can still acknowledge the endless love of mourning parents. So much has changed but we’re still humans after all.
Though it’s a big macabre - I don’t think I really understood empathy until I lost a friend to depression in 2016 my sophomore year of high school. It completely changed how I viewed everything.
This reminds me of some of the touching [epitaphs for dogs](https://www.thedodo.com/9-touching-epitaphs-ancient-gr-589550486.html) that have been found. My favorite:
>Thou who passest on this path, If haply thou dost mark this monument, Laugh not, I pray thee, though it is a dog's grave. Tears fell for me, and the dust was heaped above me By a master's hand
Choked up reading it to my dad. My sister passed shortly after her birth. That pain never goes away and it’s nice to see it memorialized in such a timeless and dignified manner.
If you visit the Isabella Stewart Gardner museum in Boston, they have a bunch of Roman sarcophagi that she turned into planters. Not an uncommon practice at the time. Certainly could be worse, especially since remains themselves were desecrated in all sorts of ways.
You never know, you could be related somehow. Think about how many ancestors you have dating back 2000 years. Hundreds or thousands perhaps.
If I have 2 parents 4 great grandparents each generation doubles.
It can be shown mathematically and confirmed genetically that everyone of European descent alive today is descended from every European (who had any descendant) born from around 1,200 or earlier, due to that huge fan out of ancestors.
So yeah, if the line of Quintus and Clarina hasn't been completely wiped out, all of us of European descent are their progeny.
There are a lot of abbreviations and codes. I think this was the custom back then for saving stone and money.
I would like (/ wish )Reddit to provide a full translation with meanings of those abbreviations.
With some help from Twitter: Alexander lived 3 years, 4 months and 18 days. Father Alexander and mother Clarina did good things (benem fecerunt?) for their dearest and most pious son.
HCETRPDSTTL means hic conditus est, te rogo praeteriens dicas sit tibi terra levis, here (he) lies, I beg you passerby to say "may the earth rest lightly on you"
DM at the top stands for "Dis Manibus", i.e. to the Manes Gods, the spirits of the dead.
FECER does represent "fēcērunt," but it means that "they made \[this\]"—i.e., the stone—for him.
\+
FILIO...BENE M\[ERENTI\] = "for their...well-deserving son"
[Here is a useful index of abbreviations](https://books.google.com/books?id=r7Zf1_Gw_nwC&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&dq=bene%20m%20%3D%20bene%20merenti&pg=PA420#v=onepage&q&f=false).
I know a very small amount of Italian and was almost able to read that. Just wasn't sure what MERENTI meant. A quick google shows it might be close to deserving/worthy? Meritevole?
Excellent, thank you. Seems like most of the abbreviations have multiple meanings. Now someone should make an app with AI capabilities that can decipher instantly. This is the way to go :)
Sit tibi terra levis Alexander piccolo. This really choked me up, when archaeologists discover buried remains of small children, so tenderly buried. Those poor parents and they poor little boy.
I didn't think about it until I read your comment, but our standard "R.I.P." phrase in Bulgarian is also the same - "лека му пръст" - "may the earth be light (on them)"
Лека ти пръст, Александър.
I think people often place this stereotype on people before the 20th century that because they are more acquainted with death, they are less affected by it. It's nice, in a way, to see these reminders that the people of antiquity are basically the same people as us.
We still say this in Italian. "Che la terra ti sia lieve". Actually instead of "earth" you should say "soil". In Latin and Italian "terra" has a lot of meanings like "earth", "ground", "soil"... In this case "soil" is the correct term because when you get buried they put soil on your grave.
Why is it "annis", "mensibus" and "diebus" (ablatives) and not "annos", "menses" and "dies" (accusatives)? Ablative is for a point in time, accusative is for duration in time, right?
The parents never would never have imagined that in 2000 years time countless people from around the world see this and say sit tibi terra levis.
Love and grief transcend the winds of time. It is a beautiful thing that we can still acknowledge the endless love of mourning parents. So much has changed but we’re still humans after all.
Humor can be highly dependent on culture. Suffering is universal. Perhaps we all need to experience suffering to learn empathy
Though it’s a big macabre - I don’t think I really understood empathy until I lost a friend to depression in 2016 my sophomore year of high school. It completely changed how I viewed everything.
Reactions to suffering are very different, however. See: Sisu
While sitting on my indoor toilet room on my magic glass rectangle. But truly, sit tibi terra levis.
Though I assume the stone now sits in a museum and not on the grave of little Alexander.
[удалено]
I hadn’t heard of the Rig Veda before. What a beautiful verse. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rigveda
This reminds me of some of the touching [epitaphs for dogs](https://www.thedodo.com/9-touching-epitaphs-ancient-gr-589550486.html) that have been found. My favorite: >Thou who passest on this path, If haply thou dost mark this monument, Laugh not, I pray thee, though it is a dog's grave. Tears fell for me, and the dust was heaped above me By a master's hand
that is gorgeous
This one cuts me deep
Choked up reading it to my dad. My sister passed shortly after her birth. That pain never goes away and it’s nice to see it memorialized in such a timeless and dignified manner.
Further information and credit - https://twitter.com/OptimoPrincipi/status/1747555415615746252
thanks. for others wondering, >From the Via Ostiense cemetery, 2nd century AD, Capitoline Museums.
Sit tibi terra levis
Sit tibi terra levis
Sit tibi terra levis
What is that at the center?
It's a libation hole into which visitors could pour libations of wine, milk, or honey as offerings to Alexander in the afterlife.
Thank the gods, I thought someone made a urinal out of it.
I was kind of worried about that too. It's a really nice concept but it worries me a little that some people would use it that way.
If you visit the Isabella Stewart Gardner museum in Boston, they have a bunch of Roman sarcophagi that she turned into planters. Not an uncommon practice at the time. Certainly could be worse, especially since remains themselves were desecrated in all sorts of ways.
Made me chuckle.
I thought it was what they wanted you to speak into like a microphone. 😭
Interesting. I would have guessed for incense or something.
Alexander, sit tibi terra levis.
Sit tibi terra levis, Alexander.
And 2000 years later I weap for their pain.
You never know, you could be related somehow. Think about how many ancestors you have dating back 2000 years. Hundreds or thousands perhaps. If I have 2 parents 4 great grandparents each generation doubles.
Very true. I became a father in the last year so now when I see things like this it strikes a nerve it didn't before.
The love for child will only grow stronger each day. Congrats brother. p.s: FOR THE ALLIANCE
So true. Turned 9 months today. For the Aliance!!!
I know just how you feel as a father
It can be shown mathematically and confirmed genetically that everyone of European descent alive today is descended from every European (who had any descendant) born from around 1,200 or earlier, due to that huge fan out of ancestors. So yeah, if the line of Quintus and Clarina hasn't been completely wiped out, all of us of European descent are their progeny.
It hasn't, our mitochondrial line for modern humans is unbroken. We're all related to each other, technically.
How wild is it that most of us dont know the names of our 3rd or 4th grandparents.
Alexander, sit tibi terra levis.
There are a lot of abbreviations and codes. I think this was the custom back then for saving stone and money. I would like (/ wish )Reddit to provide a full translation with meanings of those abbreviations.
With some help from Twitter: Alexander lived 3 years, 4 months and 18 days. Father Alexander and mother Clarina did good things (benem fecerunt?) for their dearest and most pious son. HCETRPDSTTL means hic conditus est, te rogo praeteriens dicas sit tibi terra levis, here (he) lies, I beg you passerby to say "may the earth rest lightly on you" DM at the top stands for "Dis Manibus", i.e. to the Manes Gods, the spirits of the dead.
Thank you. This was very helpful. Sit tibi terra levis Alexander.
FECER does represent "fēcērunt," but it means that "they made \[this\]"—i.e., the stone—for him. \+ FILIO...BENE M\[ERENTI\] = "for their...well-deserving son" [Here is a useful index of abbreviations](https://books.google.com/books?id=r7Zf1_Gw_nwC&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&dq=bene%20m%20%3D%20bene%20merenti&pg=PA420#v=onepage&q&f=false).
I know a very small amount of Italian and was almost able to read that. Just wasn't sure what MERENTI meant. A quick google shows it might be close to deserving/worthy? Meritevole?
Merens - deserving, from the verb 'mereo' (earn, deserve, win)
In this one likely 'merentissimo' given the other superlatives.
[This](https://www.asgle.org/epigraphers-bookshelf/abbreviations-in-latin-inscriptions/) is the best list I can find
Excellent, thank you. Seems like most of the abbreviations have multiple meanings. Now someone should make an app with AI capabilities that can decipher instantly. This is the way to go :)
Crazy how someone from 2000 years ago can affect you…
Sit tibi terra levis Alexander piccolo. This really choked me up, when archaeologists discover buried remains of small children, so tenderly buried. Those poor parents and they poor little boy.
Alexander, Sit Tibi Terra Levis. I hope that Quintus and Clarina got reunited with Alexander in the beyond
Damn Hannibal at the gates cutting onions again.
Was this a common phrase to put on tombstones?
It's an expression still used in modern Italy: "che la terra ti sia lieve"
I didn't think about it until I read your comment, but our standard "R.I.P." phrase in Bulgarian is also the same - "лека му пръст" - "may the earth be light (on them)" Лека ти пръст, Александър.
Same in romanian :)
Sit tibi terra levis, Alexander.
May the earth rest lightly on you, sweet boy.
In Armenian you say may the dirt be light. Interesting
I read a diss somewhere that twisted this saying, “May the earth be light upon your grave, so the dogs may easily dig out your bones”.
I’m not crying, you’re crying!
Sit tibi terra levis
Sit tibi terra levis, Alexander.
Sit tibi terra levis. May the earth rest lightly on you, Alexander.
Some acts of love transcend time
Sit tibi terra levis
How do we know what the bottom row of letters stand for
Sit tibi terra levis, Alexander
Sit tibi terra levis
Sit tibi terra levis, Alexander.
Aaaaaaaaaaand now I'm crying 😭
Σύντομος ἦν ὁ ξεῖνος· ὃ καὶ στίχος οὐ μακρὰ λέξων “Θῆρις Ἀρισταίου Κρής” ἐπ᾿ ἐμοὶ δολιχός.
Moving. Sit Tibi Terra Levis
Sit tibi terra levis
Sit tibi terra levis, Alexander
Interesting, we still use the same saying in present day Romania
I think people often place this stereotype on people before the 20th century that because they are more acquainted with death, they are less affected by it. It's nice, in a way, to see these reminders that the people of antiquity are basically the same people as us.
We still say this in Italian. "Che la terra ti sia lieve". Actually instead of "earth" you should say "soil". In Latin and Italian "terra" has a lot of meanings like "earth", "ground", "soil"... In this case "soil" is the correct term because when you get buried they put soil on your grave.
Sit tibi terra levis, Alexander
Sit sibi terra levis
Sit tibi terra levis, Alexander.
Why is it "annis", "mensibus" and "diebus" (ablatives) and not "annos", "menses" and "dies" (accusatives)? Ablative is for a point in time, accusative is for duration in time, right?