The inscription is from a Roman tomb in Corfinium, Italy. It summarizes that the owner was married for 39 years and had three surviving children - a son who held high municipal posts, another son who reached a high rank in Caesar Augustus's army, and a virtuous daughter who was married and had two grandchildren. The mention of Caesar Augustus helps date the inscription. However, the inscription does not provide the woman's name or cause of death.

1. Investigating History

2. FOR 39 YEARS MARRIED TO ONE HUSBAND...LEFT
THREE SURVIVING CHILDREN BY HIM, A SON WHO HAS
HELD THE HIGHEST MUNICIPAL POSTS THROUGHOUT
THE FAVOUR OF AUGUSTUS CAESAR, ANOTHER WHO
IN THE ARMY OF THE SAME CAESAR AUGUSTUS HAS
HELD THE HIGHEST POST IF THE EQUESTRIAN RANK
AND IS NOW MARKED OUT FOR A HIGHER RANK, AND
A MOST VIRTUOUS DAUGHTER MARRIEDTO A MOST
UPRIGHT MAN AND THROUGH HER, TWO
GRANDCHILDREN... Roman Grave inscription from Corfinium, Italy

3. Questioning the source...
 The source is the ...
 The evidence is the ...

4. What can we learn about the
owner of the tomb inscription?
 The owner is a woman
 She was married to one man for 39 years
 She had 3 living children – one girl and 2 boys
 Sons had successful careers
 Daughter was married and had 2 children
 Reference to Caesar Augustus helps us to date
the inscription.

5. What was her name and how did
she die?
 We can not answer these questions from the
inscription.
 We need to either:
 Find another source
 Ask a different type of question

6. What other sources may be useful
to us here?
 Perhaps her husband or another member of the
family was buried nearby and has an inscription
providing further information.

7. Questioning Sources ...
 We need to ask questions of written sources.
These include:
Who wrote it?
When was it written?
Why was it written?
Who would read it? (who could read in this society?)
Are these events found in other sources?
Are there contradictions in the source?
What sources were available to the author?
Are the conclusions / judgements sound?

8. Skills of the Historian
Asks historical questions
Researches the past
The
Historian
Evaluates sources
Analyses and interprets evidence from the sources
Draws conclusions
Communicates their findings about the past

9. Skills of the Archaeologist...
Investigates the past
Identifies material sources
The
Archaeologi
st
Collects and records evidence from the
sources and makes observations
Classifies evidence, placing it in its correct
context of time and place
Asks questions of the sources, interprets the
evidence and draws conclusions
Communicates and explains the past

10. The Nature of Evidence...how sources are
used.
Written
Sources
Secondary
Sources
Evidenc
e
Archaeological
Sources
Primary
Sources
Reconstru
ct the Past
Understan
d the Past
Understan
d the
Present