Caratacus Stone
The Caratacus Stone, sometimes known as the Caractacus Stone, is an inscribed stone on Exmoor in Somerset. It is thought to date from the 6th century,[1]
The stone has been a scheduled ancient monument since 1925.[2]
- Location map: 51°5’26"N, 3°35’12"W
- Streetmap: SS88973355
Inscription and description
The inscription on the stone is in Latin, and appears to read 'CARAACI NEPVS',[1] though experts have stated that a bar above the second 'A' forms a ligature meaning that it should be read as CARATACI NEPVS.[3][4] It is possible that there was more text on the stone that has weathered away.[1]
The inscription, which can be translated as "grandson (or immediate descendant) of Caratacus",[3] has led to the general opinion that the stone was erected as a memorial to a person who claimed the first-century British chieftain Caratacus as an ancestor.[1] It is more likely of course refer to a completely different Caratacus, the name or variants on it, being quite common in Sub-Roman Britain.
The first mention of the stone was in 1219, when it was described in a perambulation of the Royal Forest of Exmoor as "the Langeston".[1] In 1890 the letter 'N' (which is reversed) was missing from the inscription, but by 1919 the missing piece had been found and was cemented back in place.[4] In 1906 a shelter was erected over the stone, and an excavation in 1937 revealed that the stone was not associated with a burial site.[1]
Pictures
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The Caratacus Stone -
The Caratacus Stone -
The Caratacus Stone -
Repairs to the stone -
The stone in its shelter -
The stone in the Exmoor landscape
Outside links
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("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Caratacus Stone) |
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 National Monuments Record: No. 35777 – Caratacus Stone
- ↑ National Heritage List 1021228: Caratacus Stone
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Thomas, Charles: 'And Shall These Mute Stones Speak? Post Roman Inscriptions in Western Britain' pages=288–9 (University of Wales Press, 1994) ISBN 0-7083-1160-1
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Bruton, F. A. (1919). "The Caratacus Stone on Exmoor". The Journal of Roman Studies 9: 208–210. doi:10.2307/296006.