Reading inscriptions is a practical skill: the Latin on tombstones, arches, coins, and public monuments is real Latin, but written in a compressed, st
Can recognize Reading inscriptions in a short Latin prompt
Look at these examples. Can you spot the grammar pattern?
The Senate and the People of Rome
To the spirits of the dead, for Julia Felix
Pay attention to the highlighted parts. What do they have in common?
Reading inscriptions is a practical skill: the Latin on tombstones, arches, coins, and public monuments is real Latin, but written in a compressed, stone-cutter's style. Once you know the conventions, a wall of capitals becomes readable. This is some of the most rewarding Latin a beginner can meet, because it is everywhere from museums to old buildings.
Three things to expect:
A short table of abbreviations you will meet again and again:
| Abbreviation | Full Latin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| D M | Dis Manibus | To the spirits of the dead |
| S P Q R | Senatus Populusque Romanus | The Senate and People of Rome |
| COS | consul | consul |
| F | filius | son (of) |
| V A | vīxit annos | he/she lived ... years |
Example: D M IVLIA VIXIT ANNOS XXV reads as Dis Manibus. Iūlia vīxit annos XXV. = "To the spirits of the dead. Julia lived twenty-five years."
For English speakers: the instinct is to read the capital V as the English consonant "v". On stone it is nearly always the vowel U, so sound out IVLIA as "Iūlia", not "Ivlia". And do not give up at an abbreviation: expand the letters, restore the missing vowels, and read the endings just as you would in printed Latin.
Apply this grammar in A1 course exercises
Practice ExercisesThe Senate and the People of Rome
On stone, V serves for both u and v, and there is no U at all. Word division is often absent as well.
To the spirits of the dead, for Julia Felix
D M abbreviates Dis Manibus, the standard opening of a Roman epitaph. The name that follows is dative.
Practice in course
Apply this grammar in A1 course exercises