Maiden of youth that was laid in the grave with her dearest mother;

Twelve years old when I was, an illness took over my body.

Now in a grave with my mum, I, Secunda, am quietly resting;

But Aphrodite has turned me in a glowing and beautiful starlet.

Fortune to all!

Who wouldn’t be touched by such a grievous inscription? 1800 years ago, a young girl’s family had an altar built in her memory. They probably visited it often, to commemorate her. They would leave food, wine and gifts, same as we do today in Bulgaria, on All Souls’ Day.

Secunda lived in the area of present-day village of Kamenovo, near the city of Stara Zagora, in the times when these lands fell within the boundaries of the Roman Empire. She was at the doorstep of her maturity; in the following years, she would go through important life events. According to Roman law, girls could get married at twelve years old the earliest, and boys – at fourteen. Usually, rich and influential families would arrange their daughter’s marriage immediately after her twelfth birthday, for the agreement had political and social functions too. Girls of more humble background would get married a little bit older, normally between fourteen and sixteen years of age, when they were better prepared to give birth physically. However, a lengthy, cruel illness put an end to young Secunda’s life just before she could blossom.

But what kind of a name is that, Secunda? In the Roman Empire, there were strict rules for naming one’s children. Let’s take Gaius Julius Caesar for an example, as one of the best-known figures in history. Boys would receive three names: a given name, a family name and a nickname that would identify the particular family branch the boy belonged to. Thus, Gaius Julius Caesar means that this is Gaius from the Julius’ family, and more specifically, the curly-haired branch.

Girls, on the other hand, would receive just one name, that of their family. Gaius Julius Caesar’s daughter’s name was Julia, plain and simple. She was his only legitimate child. Had he had more daughters, they would all be named ‘Julia’. In order to be able to distinguish between them, people would add an ordinal name, Prima, Secunda, Tertia (‘First’, ‘Second’, ‘Third’). This means that the girl from Kamenovo was the second daughter of her parents. Unfortunately, her family name has not been preserved and she will be remembered simply as ‘Secunda’.

We don’t know her real name, nor what she looked like but we can assume that she was a beauty. Why else would Aphrodite personally turn her into ‘a beautiful starlet’? In the world of Graeco-Roman mythology, to be turned into a constellation was a high honour reserved for gods and heroes – remember Orion. To suggest this for a girl from the provinces is highly unusual and it is a clue that her beauty and grace left a significant trace in her family’s memory.

The fate of Secunda’s grave altar itself is unusual. In the end of the 19^th century, the Škorpil brothers described some remains of ancient buildings in the area of present-day village of Kamenovo. The altar is also listed there. Later, a local man took it to the church in the town of Chirpan as he believed it to be a mysterious stone with some magical inscriptions on it. He couldn’t read the Greek writing but the letters carved in the stone and the shape of the altar seemed sacred and well-suited for a temple of God. Thus, the ancient monument lived on, transforming from a grave altar into a Christian relic.

Secunda was not the first-born but she was first in beauty. However, she lived a short life. But her shooting starlet left a mark in history. A reminder of how short life is and how important it is to cherish our days. Be happy – celebrate life.

Author: Ela Ruseva (A Blonde in the Museum)

Translation in English: Alexander "Sancho" Marinov