Tombstone of Marcus Favonius Facilis

Tombstone of Marcus Favonius Facilis, centurion in XX Legio Valeria Victrix. Facilis commanded a centuria, that is, a detachment of 80 to 100 soldiers. His unit was stationed at the fort in Colonia Victricensis/Camulodunum. This tombstone is one of the oldest surviving Roman sculptures in Britain.

The centurion probably died several years after the conquest of Britain and was buried in the cemetery on the road to Londinium. This tombstone is one of the oldest surviving Roman sculptures in Britain; it was preserved in such good condition, probably because it was knocked down during the Boudica revolt (60-61 CE) and it was covered with earth for almost 2 millennia. The sculpture presents a style known from the areas located on the Rhine, where the 20th Legion was stationed before it ended up in Britain.