Marcus Caelius

Marcus Caelius (c. March 45 BC – c. September AD 9) was the senior centurion (Primus Pilus) in XVIII Roman Legion who was killed in the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest.[1] He is known from his cenotaph, which was discovered in 1620 in Birten (now a part of Xanten), Germany.[2] Caelius is depicted wearing his military uniform, with phalerae (a type of military decoration), armillae (a type of bracelet), and a corona civica (an award for saving a fellow citizen's life), while in his right hand, he holds a vitis (carried by all centurions). On either side of his image are his freedmen, Privatus and Thiaminus.

Marcus Caelius
Marcus Caelius's cenotaph
Bornc. March 45 BC
Diedc. September AD 9 (aged ​53 1⁄2)
Teutoburg Forest, Germania
Home town
Bononia (Bologna, Italy)
BranchRoman army
RankPrimus pilus
UnitXVIII Roman Legion
Battles/warsBattle of the Teutoburg Forest
RelationsTitus Caelius (father)
Publius Caelius (brother)

The tombstone's lower left corner is damaged, but enough survives to determine that the text below the image once read:

M[ARCO] CAELIO TITI F[ILIO] LEM[ONIA TRIBV] BON[ONIA]

P[RIMVS] O[RDO] LEG[IONIS] XIIX ANN[ORVM] LIII S[EMISSIS]

OCCIDIT BELLO VARIANO OSSA

[HVC] INFERRE LICEBIT P[UBLIVS] CAELIVS T[ITI] F[ILIVS]

LEM[ONIAN TRIBV] FRATER FECIT

English translation:

To Marcus Caelius, son of Titus, of the Lemonian district, from Bologna,

first centurion of the eighteenth legion. ​53 1⁄2 years old.

He fell in the Varian War.

His freedman's bones may be interred here. Publius Caelius, son of Titus,

of the Lemonian district, his brother, erected (this monument)."[2]

The tombstone can today be found in the Rheinisches Landesmuseum in Bonn.[3]

References
  1. Goldsworthy, Adrian (2003). The Complete Roman Army. London: Thames & Hudson. p. 49. ISBN 0-500-05124-0.
  2. "Marcus Caelius". www.livius.org. September 2010. Archived from the original on 8 March 2010.
  3. "The battle in the Teutoburg Forest". Livius.org. Retrieved 5 March 2015.
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