Marcus Caelius

Who is Marcus Caelius?

Marcus Caelius was a senior centurion in Legio XIIX who was killed in the Battle of Teutoburger Wald. He is known from his cenotaph, which was discovered in 1620 in Birten, Germany. Caelius is depicted wearing his military uniform, with phalerae, armillae, and a corona civica, while in his right hand, he holds a vitis. On either side of his image are his slaves, Privatus and Thiaminus.

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

M[ARCO] CAELIO T[ITI] F[ILIO] LEM[ONIA TRIBV] BON[ONIA]

I O[RDINI] LEG[IONIS] XIIX ANN[ORVM] LIII S[EMISSIS]

CECIDIT BELLO VARIANO OSSA

LIB[ERTORVM] INFERRE LICEBIT P[VBLIVS] CAELIVS T[ITI] F[ILIVS]

LEM[ONIA TRIBV] FRATER FECIT

English translation:

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

First centurion of the eighteenth legion, 53½ years old

He fell in the Varian War. His bones

may be interred here. Publius Caelius, son of Titus,

of the Lemonian district, his brother, erected