Funerary stele of a little girl

On this stele, discovered in 1831, is represented a little girl who died at an early age, from the front and standing according to the Greek model adopted in the early Roman period, but in a semi-dome niche.

As the limestone stele is broken on one edge, the dedication cannot be entirely reconstructed. The first name of the girl, which must have come just after the invocation to the two Manes (D.M.), remains unknown. The only name remaining, LAETVS, is probably the first name of her father (PAT.).

It is customary to depict with the deceased things that were particularly familiar to them during their life and which represent their position in society, and this little girl is accompanied by the animals she loved. The cock biting the tail of the puppy that the child holds in her arms adds a living and emotionally moving touch to the representation.

The girl's hair is dressed in the style of the period, but two curls protrude from her short hair at the temples, and her pierced ears indicate that she wore earrings, since lost. An elegant coat covers her long, finely pleated tunic, beneath which her shod feet appear.