114 



Inscribed Roman Stones of Dumfriesshire. 



4. (Fig, 1.) Same recent history as 2 and 3. 



A plain stone, 2 ft. 7 in. in heig-ht and 1 ft. 2f in. in breadth. 

 The letters of the inscription are well cut. It will be observed 

 that the ivy leaf is used as a point throughout. 



NVM . AVG 

 DEO . MERC 

 SIGN . POSV 

 ERVNT . CVL 

 TORES . COL 

 LIGNI . EIVS 

 DEM DEI CVR 

 IN6 . RVFO 

 V S L M 



NVM^AVG 



DEO^MERC 



SIGWPSV 



ERVNMIVI 



lORf S^i^COL 



LIGNI^IVS 



DEMDEICV^i 



iaiigW-.^i^-^ 



Fig. 1. (Scale, -i,.) 



The meaning of COL LIGNI must be held as determined by 

 the expansion assigned to the similar letters of the preceding 

 inscription. Nittnen and Numina August!, guardian deity or 

 deities of the emperor, frequently occur on Roman monuments, 

 sometimes alone, sometimes, as here, along with the name of a 

 well-known divinity. The substitution of / for e, which we have 

 in lignius, occurs in other words. Expanded, the inscription will 

 read : — Num{ini) [or Nu7n{inibus)\ Atigitisti), deo Metc(iirio\ 

 sign(tim) posuerunt cidtores col(iiinnae) Iigni{ae) ejusdem del, air(atite) 

 Ing(e?tud) Rufo. V{ptum) s{olverunt) liibenter) m{eritd) ; i.e.,'-' To the 

 guardian deity of the Emperor (and ?) the god Mercury, the 

 worshippers of the wooden column of the same god have erected 

 this image under the superintendence of Ingenuus Rufus. 

 Willingly, deservedly, they performed their vow." 



This stone has few of the characteristics of an altar, and 

 certainly seems to have been a pedestal for the support of a wooden 



