Daniella Santoro, an archaeologist at Tulane University, and Aaron Lorenz started the day by cleaning the garden of their home in the Carrollton neighborhood of New Orleans, and ended it being responsible for a discovery from the ancient world. What initially appeared to be a simple stone slab turned out to be a Roman funerary tombstone from the 2nd century AD, belonging to a soldier who served in the powerful Praetorian fleet of the Empire: Sextus Congenius Verus. It was the archaeologist from the University of New Orleans, D. Ryan Gray, who recounted every detail of the story in a statement for the Preservation Resource Center of New Orleans (PRC), which has become world-famous.
At the time of the discovery, Santoro contacted Professor Harald Stadler from the University of Innsbruck to help her with the Latin inscription on the stone, and in turn, she reached out to Dr. Susann S. Lusnia, associate professor of Classical Studies at Tulane. The conclusion of both specialists was unanimous: it was not just any stone, but a Roman tombstone dedicated to a soldier named Sextus Congenius Verus. It was a Roman tomb over 1,900 years old that had been missing since World War II from the Archaeological Museum of Civitavecchia.
Trying to connect Rome and New Orleans has proven to be an almost impossible task. Dr. Lusnia was able to confirm that the U.S. troops of the 34th Corps of the Fifth Army had passed through the city after the liberation of Rome, which could be a lead to follow. Given the cultural heritage status of this object, organizations dedicated to the recovery of cultural property, the Antiquities Coalition, and the FBI’s Art Crime Team have joined efforts, with the latter holding it in custody until it is returned to Italy.
Gardening day
While carrying out an activity as common as cleaning the backyard of their home in Carrolton, New Orleans, anthropologist Daniella Santoro from Tulane University and her husband Aaron Lorenz unearthed what at first glance appeared to be a stone slab. However, its Latin inscription indicated that it was something more, so Santoro contacted D. Ryan Gray, an archaeologist from the University of New Orleans, who in turn contacted Professor Harald Stadler from the University of Innsbruck, who then shared it with his brother, a Latin professor.
At the same time, Santoro also reached out to Dr. Susann S. Lusnia, associate professor of Classical Studies at Tulane, and the verdicts obtained were the same: it was an authentic Roman tombstone dedicated to a soldier named Sextus Congenius Verus.
A Roman tomb in New Orleans
The significance of the discovery is not only its value as a Roman tomb, over 1,900 years old, but also that it is the stone registered as missing from the archaeological museum of Civitavecchia after World War II. The approximate translation of the inscription it contains would be: “To the spirits of the deceased. To Sextus Congenius Verus, soldier of the Misenensis Praetorian Fleet, originating from the town of the Bessoi (a Thracian tribe), he lived 42 years and served 22 in the army, on the trireme Asclepius. Atilius Carus and Vettius Longinus, his heirs, did this for him, deserving of it”.
How did a Roman tomb arrive in New Orleans?
Several lines of investigation were opened to try to understand how this piece ended up in New Orleans. After ruling out the history of the house and a neighbor who was a former Marine from World War II, who had only served in the Pacific, Dr. Lia was able to confirm that U.S. troops from the 34th Corps of the Fifth Army had passed through the city after the liberation of Rome. It would be impossible to examine each of the soldiers, but the possibility is raised that the object could have been taken as a war trophy.
How was it handled?
It is evident that the historical and heritage value of the object is high, which is why Tess Davis, the executive director of the Antiquities Coalition, an organization dedicated to the recovery of cultural property, requested the collaboration of the FBI’s Art Crime Team, who collected the tombstone and are keeping it in custody while its return to Italy is arranged. According to a statement by D. Ryan Gray published by the Preservation Resource Center of New Orleans (PRC), “For me, this story reflects a wonderful intersection between the curiosity of some owners and the discovery of something unexpected and historically significant”.