An afternoon in beautiful Lecce

 

An afternoon in beautiful Lecce of Apulia in South Italy

Philippi and the manger of Bucephalus

 

Christian Basilica B in Philippi

Visiting the famous ancient Greek city of Philippi ("Thou shalt see me at Philippi": Shakespeare's Julius Caesar), UNESCO World Heritage site ... 

Video (watch it on YouTube)

... and then the nearby monument of the Roman officer Caius Vibius. In the past, peasants believed that this was the manger of Bucephalas - the mighty horse of Alexander the Great.

The 4 m high monolith dates to the 1st century AD and two of its four sides bear an inscription, which refers to the career of the Roman officer Caius Vibius Quartus:

C(aius) Vibius C(aii) f(ilius)

Cor(nelia) Quartus

mil(es) leg(ionis) V Macedonic(ae)

decur(io) alae Scubulor(um)

praef(ectus) coh(ortis) III Cyreneic(ae)

trib(unus) leg(ionis) II Augustae

praef(ectus) [---]

Caius Vibius Quartus, son of Caius,

from the Cornelian tribe, 

soldier of the fifth legion of Macedonia,

decurion of the wing of Scubules,

commander of the third regiment of Cyrenaica,

military tribune of the second legion of Augustus, commander...