Gravestone of Verecunda, Shirva, Antonine Wall3D ModelNoAI
This simple slab commemorates a woman, Verecunda who once lived on the Antonine Wall. It is inscribed ‘D M VERECVNDAE’ which translates as “To the spirits of the departed [and] of Verecunda”. As so little is recorded on her stone, it is thought that she was a slave who worked in one of the nearby forts, and that her gravestone was erected by those she worked for. It was found in 1729, reused in a later souterrain, to the east of Shirva Farm. Other gravestones were also found with it, suggesting a Roman cemetery was located nearby.
The Antonine Wall stretched right across Scotland, from the Clyde to the Forth. Constructed around 142 AD, and occupied for only 20 years, the remains of its ramparts, steep ditches, forts and bathhouses are still visible today. Since 2008, it has been part of the Frontiers of the Roman Empire World Heritage Site.
Information on the World Heritage Site is available on www.antoninewall.org
Reference: F.38
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