Most likely dating back to the 2nd century AD, the tombstone may be for a person named Bodicacia or Bodica, according to Ed McSloy, Cotswold Archaeology’s senior Finds and Archives officer. The name variations would be Latinized versions of Celtic names, though Cacia could be fully Roman, he said.
“It is also just possible that … the inscription contains two names and refers to a male Bodus and includes the female name Cacia — possibly the name of the wife,” wrote McSloy, via email.
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“We believe this is the first example of a tombstone (from Roman Britain, at least) where Oceanus is depicted,” he added. “In a funerary context it may symbolize the long ‘watery’ voyage to the afterlife.”
