Faculty News - Christopher Gregg

Professor Christopher Gregg published “The Memory of a Favorite Racehorse: The Alumnus Disc” in the Journal of Roman Archaeology in October 2020. The article focuses on an object that was recovered from the Yasmina Roman Cemetery in Carthage, where Gregg participated in seven seasons of excavation. Gregg’s research contextualized and interpreted the palm-sized marble disc, which is decorated with an image of a circus (chariot) racehorse. The name “Alumnus” and the breeder’s brandmark are engraved along with the horse’s depiction. Gregg was able to connect the disc to a series of curse-tablets in Roman North Africa that name a historical Alumnus as well as mosaic representations of circus horses bearing the same brand. He postulates that the disc decorated a now-lost tomb in the Yasmina Cemetery, perhaps belonging to the family who bred Alumnus and other prized chariot racehorses. No similar object has been identified in the archeological record, making the Alumnus disc particularly intriguing.