Caelius Stone replica: tombstone of Marcus Caelius with inscription on the Varus disaster, AD 9
In brief
The Caelius Stone is the tombstone of the Roman centurion Marcus Caelius from Bononia, dated to the Augustan period after AD 9. The inscription CIL XIII, 8648 names the bello Variano directly, making the original the earliest datable written evidence for the Varus disaster. This wall replica reproduces the image field with inscription, Phalerae and Vitis in a reduced format made from alabaster plaster.
The Caelius Stone at a glance
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Authenticity level: Historical replica (level 2), image motif and inscription follow the original, while the material differs from the limestone of the model
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Material: alabaster plaster, hand-patinated
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Replica dimensions: 25 × 19 × 4 cm, item weight 1.58 kg
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Date of the model: Augustan, after AD 9
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Known model: Caelius Stone, limestone, original in the LVR LandesMuseum Bonn
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Ancient source: Tacitus, Annales 1, 61f. (Germanicus on the battlefield in AD 15); inscription CIL XIII, 8648
What is the Caelius Stone and why is it regarded as the earliest written evidence for the Varus disaster?
The Caelius Stone is a Roman portrait stele made of limestone, dated to the Augustan period after AD 9; the original is kept in the LVR LandesMuseum Bonn and comes from the Fürstenberg between Birten and Xanten, where it was found in the 17th century. The inscription CIL XIII, 8648 explicitly names the bello Variano, the war against Arminius in AD 9, thereby making the stone the earliest datable epigraphic evidence for the Varus disaster. The standard scholarly publication was provided by Gabriele Bauchhenß in Corpus Signorum Imperii Romani Deutschland III 1 (no. 1).
The complete data sheet with dimensions, iconography and image plates is available from Ubi Erat Lupa, no. 15513. The original stone, at W 108 cm × surviving H 127 cm × D 18 cm, is significantly larger than the wall replica, which reproduces the image field with inscription in a citable format measuring 25 × 19 × 4 cm.
M(arco) Caelio T(iti) f(ilio) Lem(onia) Bon(onia)
[t(riario)] o(rdini) leg(ionis) XIIX ann(orum) LIII s(emissis)
[ce]cidit bello Variano ossa
[l(ibertorum) i]nferre licebit P(ublius) Caelius T(iti) f(ilius)
Lem(onia) frater fecit
Who was Marcus Caelius?
Marcus Caelius was a centurion from Bononia, today’s Bologna in Italy, and belonged to the Lemonia tribe. He died at the age of 53 ½ in the war against Varus, that is, in AD 9; in the iconographic presentation he wears Phalerae on his chest, Torques on his shoulders, Armillae on his wrists and the Corona civica, while in his right hand he holds the Vitis staff as the insignia of a centurion. His brother Publius Caelius had the stone erected; the main portrait is flanked by two half-portraits of his freedmen Privatus and Thiaminus, whose names appear in the side pedestal inscriptions.
Why is the stone a cenotaph?
The stone is often described as the grave of Marcus Caelius. Strictly speaking, that is not correct, because his body was never recovered. A cenotaph is a memorial without a burial; Wikipedia: Caeliusstein summarises the state of research and the inscription. The formula “ossa inferre licebit" records exactly this open point: the bones could be interred later. Scholars disagree as to whether the stone was erected immediately after AD 9 or only after Germanicus’ burial campaign in AD 15.
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Original: limestone, W 108 × surviving H 127 × D 18 cm
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Replica: patinated alabaster plaster, 25 × 19 × 4 cm
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Date: Augustan, after AD 9
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Findspot: Birten/Xanten, Fürstenberg, 17th century
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Place of display: LVR LandesMuseum Bonn
How does the Caelius Stone compare with other centurion tombstones?
| Centurion tombstone |
Period and province |
Original material and dimensions |
Specific feature of the image programme |
| Caelius Stone, Marcus Caelius (Legio XVIII) |
Augustan, after AD 9, Germania Inferior |
Limestone; W 108 × surviving H 127 × D 18 cm |
Phalerae, Torques, Armillae, Corona civica, Vitis; inscription with bello Variano; cenotaph |
| Marcus Favonius Facilis (Legio XX Valeria Victrix) |
Claudian, c. AD 43 to 49, Britannia (Camulodunum) |
Limestone; c. 183 × 65 cm |
Full portrait in armour with Vitis, without visible dona militaria
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| Quintus Sertorius Festus (Legio XI Claudia) |
early 1st century AD, Italia (Verona) |
Limestone; large-format stele |
Centurion with Vitis and Phalerae in full portrait, allusion to a triumphal procession |
| Caelius Stone replica, wall format (Forum Traiani) |
Replica, level 2 |
Patinated alabaster plaster; 25 × 19 × 4 cm |
Image field with inscription, dona militaria and Vitis, reduced for wall format |
How can you use the Caelius Stone in lessons as a double source of image and text?
In the 2025/26 test, the stone proved especially strong in the classroom as a double source: the image field provides visual evidence for rank and dona militaria, while the inscription gives identity, origin and circumstances of death in concise Latin. Observation and interpretation can therefore be separated cleanly on the same object, something usually achieved only in exercises using multiple sources. The patinated plaster surface tolerates being passed around at a station-work table without visible marks.
Use: lower secondary years 6 to 9 (expansion and the Roman military) and upper secondary (Romanisation, Germania magna) | Duration: single lesson or double lesson, suitable for station work | Topic: expansion and the Roman military, contact with Germanic peoples beyond the Limes zone
- Image analysis on the object: pupils mark Phalerae, Torques, Armillae, Corona civica and Vitis and assign them to Roman systems of distinction
- Inscription work: expanding the abbreviations M., T(iti) f(ilio), Lem(onia), Bon(onia), leg(ionis) XIIX and translating the key phrase cecidit bello Variano
- Source criticism: clear separation between “what the text says" (death in the Varus war) and “what the image shows" (status, military insignia)
What does the relief offer teachers in practical classroom terms?
- Robust enough for pupils to handle: patinated alabaster plaster is stable enough in wall format for station work and independent learning, because the relief edges do not splinter
- Methodological value for upper secondary: the inscription CIL XIII, 8648 is short enough for a complete translation within a double lesson and offers genuine source work rather than textbook paraphrase
- Differentiation in sixth form: comparison with Tacitus, Annales 1, 61f. on the burial of the Varus dead in AD 15 creates a two-source exercise between epigraphy and historiography
Frequently asked questions about the Caelius Stone and the replica
What is the difference between a cenotaph and a regular tombstone?
A cenotaph is a memorial without burial of the body. A regular tombstone stands over an actual grave with bone remains or an ash container. The Caelius Stone belongs to the first group, because the dead of the Varus disaster were buried by Germanicus only six years later, as Tacitus reports in Annales 1, 61f.
How can I tell that the replica follows the original iconographically?
The replica reproduces the image field with the attested insignia: Phalerae on the chest, Torques on the shoulders, Armillae on the wrists, Corona civica and Vitis. This list matches the Ubi Erat Lupa no. 15513 record for the portrait stele of Marcus Caelius. Material and scale differ because the model is a large-format limestone piece, while the replica is made from patinated alabaster plaster in wall format.
How do you translate the key phrase “cecidit bello Variano ossa inferre licebit"?
Literally: “He fell in the Varus war; it shall be permitted to inter [the] bones." The sentence records that the body is missing and leaves open the prospect of a later burial. In legal and religious terms, the stone is therefore an open memorial site, not a grave monument.
What does “LEG XIIX" mean on the stone?
XIIX is an ancient spelling variant for 18, meaning Legio duodevicensima. This spelling uses subtraction, two before twenty, rather than addition, ten plus eight (XVIII). Both forms occur in Latin inscriptions of the early imperial period; Legio XVIII was one of the three legions destroyed in the Varus disaster in AD 9.
Which tribe was the Lemonia and why does it appear in the inscription?
The tribus Lemonia was one of the rural voting tribes of Roman citizenship. In funerary inscriptions it records the deceased person’s civic affiliation and underlines free status. For Marcus Caelius, it also signals his home city of Bononia and the full citizen status of a centurion.
How is the original presented in the LVR LandesMuseum Bonn?
The original is displayed as a free-standing stone monument in the permanent collection, not inside a closed display case. For classroom mediation, the replica replaces an on-site visit and offers image and inscription tangibly in one hand.
External sources and literature on the Caelius Stone
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Wikipedia: Caeliusstein – overview article on the inscription, find history and scholarly discussion of the Varus disaster.
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Archaeological image database: Ubi Erat Lupa, no. 15513 – detailed description of the portrait stele of Marcus Caelius with dimensions, inscription and iconography.
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Epigraphic database: Trismegistos TM 209122 – scholarly edition of inscription CIL XIII, 8648.
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Bauchhenß, Gabriele: Corpus Signorum Imperii Romani, Deutschland III 1: Germania Inferior, Bonn und Umgebung, Militärische Grabdenkmäler, Bonn. Standard publication of the stone as no. 1.
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Ancient primary source: Tacitus, Annales 1, 61f. (Germanicus on the battlefield of the Varus defeat in AD 15). Latin original text at The Latin Library.
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Updated on: 27/04/2026
