Tomb 51Isola Sacra Menu

Tomb 51 is a small brick monument with a pointed roof. This square tomb, with sides 82 cm wides, is only 120 cm high. Originally it was facing the Via Severiana, until the view was taken away by tomb 42.
On the grave we can see the following inscription on a marble slab of 20 x 22 cm:

D(is) M(anibus)
BASSO FECIT
MYRON FRATER
BENE MERENTI
PIENTISSIMO

According to this text (this tomb) was built by Myron on behalf of Bassus, his very obliging and pious brother. Because of the lack of family names, we know that both gentlemen were slaves¹.

 Tomb 51 bis

Tomb 51bis is located in front of tomb 51, but is older. The grave lies lower than tomb 51 and shows how fast silting up of the ground took place.
Tomb 51bis is a semicircular tomb "a cassone" and is positioned parallel to the Via Severiana. On the side facing this street we can see a marble slab of 27 x 41 cm with the following inscription:

CINERIBVS
CLAVDIAE SP(uri) FIL(iae)
PLVSIADIS
ANTONIA M(arci) F(ilia) ACTE
ET M(arcus) ANTONIVS HYLLVS

The translation goes as follows: For the ashes of Claudia Plusias, daughter of Spurius. Antonia Acte, daughter of Marcus, and Marcus Antonius Hyllus (have placed this grave).

Tomb 51bis dates from the time of Hadrian.

• Sources
• Russel Meigs - Roman Ostia, At the Clarendon Press 1973
• Guido Calza - Necropoli nell'Isola Sacra'(1940)
• Dr. Jan Theo Bakker.
• Hilding Thylander - Inscriptions du port d'Ostie (Lund C W K Gleerup 1952).
• Ida Baldassarre, Irene Bragantini, Chiara Morselli and Franc Taglietti - Necropoli di Porto, Isola Sacra (Roma 1996).
  
  
• Notes
• 1:When Rome was a republic Bassus was a nickname for the class of senators. Many years later, during the empire, the name was often used as a name for a slave. - Thylander: “Inscriptions du port d’Ostie”.