Propped in a corner of the bookshop, you see a tombstone with an inscription honoring a charioteer. You crouch down to look at the letters more closely, challenging yourself to read the Latin and decipher all the Roman numerals. Click on the links for help with vocabulary, grammar, and commentary (or read this translation if you are not up to the challenge).
CRESCENS AGIT[ator] FACTIONIS VEN[etae], NATIONE MAVRVS, ANNORVM XXII. QVADRIGA PRIMVM VICIT L[ucio] VIPSTANIO MESSALLA CO[n]S[ule], NATALE DIVI NERVAE, MISS[u] XXIIII EQVIS HIS: CIRCIO, ACCEPTORE, DELICATO, COTYNO. EX MESSALLA IN GLABRIONEM CO[n]S[ulem], IN NATALE DIVI CLAVDI, MISS[us] OST[io] DCLXXXVI. VICIT XXXXVII, INTER SING[ularum] VIC[it] XIX, BINAR[um] XXIII, TERN[arum] V. PRAEMISS[us] I, OCCVP[avit] VIII, ERIPVIT XXXVIII. SECVND[as] TVLIT CXXX, TERT[ias] CXI, QVAEST[um] RET[ulit] HS XVLVIIICCCXXXXVI.