Roman
Cinerary urn, AD 1st ‑ 2nd century
Marble
9 11/16 × 12 9/16 × 9 7/8 in. (24.6 × 31.9 × 25.1 cm.)
Gift of R. C. Ballard Thruston and Mrs. S. Thruston Ballard  1929.17.306 a,b

Death in Ancient Rome
This carved marble box once served as an ash urn that held the cremated remains of an ancient Roman soldier named Lucius Aedinius Rogatus. He died at the age of 29 after serving in the cavalry of the 6th Cohort. This cinerary urn is one of hundreds of objects that made up a tomb, or columbarium, which was discovered in Rome during the 1890s. The contents of the tomb were excavated and later sold to a Louisville collector, who donated them to the Speed Art Museum in 1929.