Retiarius vs secutor from Borghese mosaic

The theta nigrum ("black theta") or theta infelix ("unlucky theta") is a symbol of death in Greek and Latin

epigraphy Epigraphy () is the study of inscriptions, or epigraphs, as writing; it is the science of identifying graphemes, clarifying their meanings, classifying their uses according to dates and cultural contexts, and drawing conclusions about the wr ...

Isidore of Seville Isidore of Seville ( la, Isidorus Hispalensis; c. 560 – 4 April 636) was a Spanish scholar, theologian, and archbishop of Seville. He is widely regarded, in the words of 19th-century historian Montalembert, as "the last scholar of ...

notes the letter was appended after the name of a deceased soldier and finds of

papyri Papyrus ( ) is a material similar to thick paper that was used in ancient times as a writing surface. It was made from the pith of the papyrus plant, ''Cyperus papyrus'', a wetland sedge. ''Papyrus'' (plural: ''papyri'') can also refer to a d ...

containing military records have confirmed this use. Additionally it can be seen in the Gladiator Mosaic. The term ''theta nigrum'' was coined by Theodor Mommsen. It consists of a circle with a diagonal line. The ''Theta'' signified Thanatos, the Greek deity of death.A Dictionary of Latin Phrases
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References

Cultural aspects of death Symbols Epigraphy Greek letters {{death-stub

See also

References