Romanu003cbru003eCaecilius Avitus , Resista and Martia

Red Leaf Flowers

The Roman legions who occupied Chester also built the city. The XXth
legion , based at the Deva fortress on the Northgate site, whose emblem
was a wild boar, and in honour of this, their symbol of a wild boar has
been used in the logo for the new market.
Many
of the soldiers came from far away lands one such was soldier
was Caecilius Avitus , he was an Optio , second in command to a
centurion, responsible for up to 80 legionaries. He would have carried a
staff to keep the men in order and that can be seen on his gravestone,
otherwise he would have been dressed the same as the legionaries.
Caecilius
was 34 when he died and had been in the Legion since he was
19 years old. He was from Emrita Augusta in Lusitania, Spain. Present
day Mérida. He died far from home.
His grave was discovered close to the Northgate on the city walls
Nearby
were other graves including that of two children, Resista and
Martia
We don’t know much about them. Their grave was paid for by their
parents, they were aged just 7 and 3 years old. On the gravestone is an
image of the girls with a huge shell which may depict a voyage to the
Isles of the Blessed, a Roman mythological island paradise for heroes.

Seeds Green Leaf

Where can you find traces of the Romans in Chester Today?

You can see these gravestones and more stories about the people who built Chester in the Grosvenor Museum. The Walls are partly Roman, the central streets you walk on follow the same pattern laid down by the Romans. 

In some places there are remains of the Roman fortress which you can see, including a strong room in nearby Hamilton Place, remains of the Roman walls, and the amphitheatre. There is a the Dewa Roman Experience in PierpointLane, Roman tours from the Town Hall, and a garden of Roman remains close to the river and the amphitheatre.

References

RIB 566, Funerary Inscription for Resistaand Martia. Pub.Oct,2020. Accessed Jan 07, 2022:  https://romaninscriptionsofbritain.org/inscriptions/566

RIB 492, Funerary Inscription for CaeciliusAvitus. Pub.Oct,2020. Accessed Jan 07, 2022: 

https://romaninscriptionsofbritain.org/inscriptions/492

MASON,J., 2001. Roman Chester: Fortress at the Edge of the World. Stroud: The History Press

EMERY, G.,1999. Curious Chester. Manchester: Franklyn Publicity

SALWAY, P.,1981. Roman Britain. Oxford: Oxford University Press