Family picture with dog - The tombstone of Blussus and the Menimans

The gravestone of the local boatman Blussus and his wife Menimane is the only Roman tombstone in Mainz decorated on both sides. On one side, the two deceased are seated and facing the viewer, while the other side shows the oldest Roman depiction of a ship north of the Alps.

Some gravestones of the civilian population depict several individuals at once, arranged in a way that resembles posed family photos from the last two centuries. Due to their clothing and different sizes, they are addressed as father, mother and child. Only the gravestone of the local boatman Blussus and his wife Menimane has retained its inscription. Three of these family gravestones are linked by a special detail: the Blussus stone, a stone from Selzen and a stone from Mainz, only half of which has survived. On closer inspection, a small dog can be seen on the lap of the Menimane and the man from Selzen. On the Mainz stone, the dog looking up at it stands at the feet of its master. Even if the breed can no longer be determined due to the poor state of preservation of the relief, the animals show that they belonged to the family as house or lap dogs and were therefore immortalized on the gravestone together with them.