Dis Manibus: the spirits of the dead, the divine spirits; this phrase in the dative is regularly found at the head of tombstone inscriptions.

Palatina: the name of the tribus that her husband Euhodus belonged to; it was one of the four voting tribes of Rome.

magister, tri, m.
in this context the word means chief or director rather than teacher.

quinquenalis: every five years, quinquennial. This local magistrate was selected every five years to preside over the census of a municipality.

collegium, -i n.
an association, guild.

faber, fabri m.
worker.

tignarius, -a, -um
working with wood.

Ostis: locative case of the town Ostia.

lustrum, -i n.
ceremony of purification; the lustrum closed the five-year census.

fecit [hoc monumentum]: this formulaic phrase of dedication is often abbreviated as H M or omitted entirely from tombstone inscriptions; its presence is understood from the reference to the deceased in the dative (sibi et Matiliae).

sacerdos, -dotis f.
priestess.

Ostiensis, -e
of Ostia, Ostian.

Close this window after each use.