According to an Italian expert, col. Vittorio Lino Biondi, the "costly" design of the stele and the fact that Largennius is represented only with light armament indicate that he was not a "first line soldier" but a runner, whose importance and reliability must have been considerable.[7] Largennius is indeed depicted only with a gladius (sword) and a pugio (dagger), and his left hand is holding a parchment roll.[8]
The inscription on the stele reads: C. LARGENNIUS/ C. FAB. LUC. MIL./ LEG. II SCAEVAE/ AN. XXXVII STIP./ XVIII H.S.E.; which is transcribed as: Caius Largennius Caii Fabia Luca miles legionis II scaevae annorum XXXVII stipendiorum XVIII hic situs est,[9][4] i. e. "Caius Largennius, son of Caius, of the roman tribe Fabia from Lucca. A soldier of the Scaeva century of the II legion. He died aged 37 after 18 years of service. His resting place is here."[10]
A replica of the stele has been set up in Strasbourg, on a square inaugurated in 2009 and named after the legionary (Square Caius Largennius).[11][12] Another replica was unveiled on 24 March 2017 in Lucca, where the "return of the first Lucchese in the world" (Il primo Lucchese nel mondo torna a casa) was greeted with an official ceremony and a public celebration on Piazza San Michele [it].[1]
^For instance in the following publications: Hatt, Jean-Jacques (1964).Strasbourg, musée archéologique. Sculptures antiques régionales. Paris: Éditions des musées nationaux. cat. nr. 1; Russell, Robinson H. (1971). The Universal Soldier. Fourteen Studies in Campaign Life AD 43 − 1944. Garden City, New York: Doubleday. pp. 17–31; Schnitzler, Bernadette; Schneider, Malou (1985). Le Musée archéologique de Strasbourg. Strasbourg: Musées de Strasbourg. p. 94; Schnitzler, Bernadette; Kuhnle, Gertrud (2010). Strasbourg-Argentorate, un camp légionnaire sur le Rhin. Strasbourg: Musées de la ville de Strasbourg. p. 124. See also the bibliography in reference 4, below.
