| Caratacus Stone | |
|---|---|
 Caratacus Stone, showing the inscription CARAACI NEPVS | |
| Location | Winsford Hill, Exmoor, Somerset, England |
| Coordinates | 51°05′26″N3°35′12″W / 51.090527°N 3.586698°W |
| OS grid reference | SS88973355 |
| Built | Sub-Roman period (approximately sixth century) |
| Official name | Caratacus Stone |
| Reference no. | 1021228 [1] |
  Location of Caratacus Stone in Somerset | |
The Caratacus Stone, sometimes known as the Caractacus Stone, is an inscribed stone on Exmoor in Somerset, England. It is thought to date from the 6th century, [2] and it has been a scheduled monument since 1925. [1]
Contents
The inscription, in Latin, appears to read CARAACI NEPVS, [2] though experts have stated that a bar above the second A forms a ligature meaning that it should be read as CARATACI NEPVS. [3] [4] It is possible that there was more text on the stone that has weathered away. [2]
The inscription, which can be translated as "grandson or immediate descendant of Caratacus", [3] has led to the general opinion that the stone was probably erected as a memorial to a person who claimed the first-century British chieftain Caratacus as an ancestor. [2]
The first mention of the stone was in 1219, when it was described in a perambulation of the Royal Forest of Exmoor as "the Langeston". [2] In 1890 the letter N (which is reversed) was missing from the inscription, but by 1919 the missing piece had been found and was cemented back in place. [4] In 1906 a shelter was erected over the stone, and an excavation in 1937 revealed that the stone was not associated with a burial site. [2]
