War Losses and Worldview: Re-Viewing the Roman Funerary Altar at Adamclisi

This article examines the purpose and meaning of the so-called Roman Funerary Altar from Adamclisi, Romania (CIL III 14214). Although very little of the altar remains, the severely fragmented inscription with which it was decorated confirms that it once listed the names and abbreviated origins of nearly four-thousand Roman legionaries and auxiliaries. Rather than concentrate on the role of the altar as a memorial to the war dead, this article thoroughly examines the inclusion of the abbreviated origins and demonstrates how the decision to include them ultimately led to the altar serving as an illustration of the vast extent of the Roman Empire.