1) In the early 3rd century a man named Lossio Veda came to Roman Camulodunum (modern Colchester), where he made a dedication to Mars Medocius and the Victory of the Emperor Severus Alexander, commemorating it with a bronze plaque. But there was something different about Lossio..

2) ..On his plaque, Lossio Veda states proudly he is the grandson of Vepogenus, and a Caledonian. Lossio came from what we now call Scotland, beyond the frontiers of the empire. We don't know how he found himself in one of Britannia's largest cities but it's possible that he...

3)...may have been a merchant, an envoy, a recruit or even a high-status hostage allowed everyday liberty. This remarkable plaque shows us a man from beyond the frontier, travelling freely within the empire and even paying the appropriate respects to the Roman gods and emperors..

4) How did Lossio appear to the citizens of Roman Colchester? Was he cautiously tolerated or happily accepted? Did he dress in the Roman fashion or proudly wear his Caledonian tribal clothing? In his adoption of Roman customs, one thing is for sure..

5) ...When Lossio had his name punched into his Roman-style dedicatory plaque he also stamped his name, which would otherwise be completely lost, into the historical record forever.

Lossio Veda's plaque from Colchester (222-235 AD) can be seen at the British Museum [END]