A couple renovating their historic home in New Orleans stumbled upon an archaeological treasure: a 1,900-year-old Roman grave marker. Initially dismissed as a garden ornament, the marble slab etched in Latin turned out to be an authentic artifact with a surprising history. The inscription, beginning with the phrase Dis Manibus (“to the spirits of the dead”), identifies the stone as belonging to Sextus Congenius Verus, a Thracian soldier who died at age 42 after 22 years of service.
From Italy to Louisiana: A Wartime Journey
The tablet’s journey is as remarkable as its discovery. It was originally part of the collection at the National Archaeological Museum of Civitavecchia, Italy, a port town where the marker once stood in a small cemetery. The museum suffered extensive damage during Allied bombings in World War II, leading to the displacement and loss of numerous artifacts. The stone was listed as missing after the war, its measurements matching the tablet found in the New Orleans garden.
The mystery deepens with the revelation that the stone resurfaced in the possession of Charles Paddock Jr., an American soldier stationed in Italy during WWII. His family later gifted the artifact, unaware of its true nature, to a subsequent homeowner who placed it in their garden. For decades, it remained hidden, mistaken for a decorative piece.
The Broader Significance
The case highlights the widespread disruption of cultural heritage during wartime. Thousands of artifacts were lost or stolen across Europe during WWII, many of which remain unaccounted for to this day. The survival of Sextus Congenius Verus’s grave marker is a rare example of an artifact resurfacing after decades of obscurity.
The FBI’s Art Crime Team is now coordinating the repatriation of the stone to its original home in Italy. The discovery underscores how even seemingly ordinary objects can hold extraordinary stories, connecting the present to the distant past.
This relic serves as a poignant reminder of the enduring legacy of the Roman Empire and the turbulent history that has scattered its remnants across the globe.
