Aelia Sabina Explained

Aelia Sabina (fl. 3rd century CE)^[1] was a musician who primarily played the hydraulis, an early version of the organ.^{[2] [3]} She lived in Roman settlement of Aquincum, located in modern-day Budapest, Hungary.^{[4] [5]}

Aelia Sabina was the wife of Titus Aelius Justus, a musician employed by the Second Auxiliary Legion of the Roman army.^[6] When she died at age 25, her husband wrote a lengthy, loving inscription on her tomb (discovered by archaeologists in the 1800s), in which he mourned her loss and praised her character and musical skill. This inscription reads:

Notes and References

1. Book: Hodgson . Nick . Roman Frontier Studies 2009: Proceedings of the XXI International Congress of Roman Frontier Studies (Limes Congress) held at Newcastle upon Tyne in August 2009 . Bidwell . Paul . Schachtmann . Judith . 2017-06-30 . Archaeopress Publishing Ltd . 978-1-78491-591-9 . en.
2. Book: Cosgrove, Charles H. . Music at Social Meals in Greek and Roman Antiquity: From the Archaic Period to the Age of Augustine . 2022-12-01 . Cambridge University Press . 978-1-009-20484-2 . en.
3. Book: Cousins, Eleri H. . Dynamic Epigraphy: New Approaches to Inscriptions . 2022-03-24 . Oxbow Books . 978-1-78925-791-5 . en.
4. Book: Walford . Edward . The Antiquary . Cox . John Charles . Apperson . George Latimer . 1883 . E. Stock . en.
5. Book: Sebestyen, Victor . Budapest: Portrait of a City Between East and West . 2023-09-05 . Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group . 978-0-593-31757-0 . en.
6. Book: Ph.D, Barry Ferst . Stone Sarcophagi of the Roman Empire . 2018-09-13 . Xlibris Corporation . 978-1-9845-4497-1 . en.