Διάταγµα Καίσαρος Ἀρέσκει µοι τάφους τύνβους τε, οἵτινες εἰς θρησκείαν προγόνων ἐποίησαν ἣ τέκνων ἣ οἰκείων τούτους µένειν ἀµετακίνητους τὸν αἰῶνα· ἐὰν δέ τις ἐπιδείξη τίνα ἣ καταλελυκότα ἣ ἀλλῳ τινὶ τρόπῳ τοὺς κεκηδευµένους ἐξερριφότα ἣ εἰς ἑτέρους τόπους δώλῳ πονηρῷ µετατεθεικόταν ἐπ᾿ ἀδικίᾳ τῇ τῶν κεκηδευµένων ἣ κατόχους ἣ λίθους µετατεθεικότα, κατὰ τοῦ τοιούτου κριτήριον ἐγὼ κελεύω γενέσθαι καθάπερ περὶ θεῶν εἰς τὰς τῶν ἀνθρώπων θρησείας. Πολύ γὰρ µᾶλλον δεήσει τοὺς κεκηδευµένους τειµᾶν· καθόλου µηδενὶ ἐξέστω µετακεινήσαι· εἰ δὲ μή, τοῦτον ἐγὼ κεφαλῆς κατάκριτον ὀνόµατι τυµβωρυχίας θέλω γενέσθαι.

Edict of Caesar. It is my pleasure that graves and tombs which anyone has prepared as a pious service for forebears, children, or members of his household are to remain forever unmolested. But if any person shows that another either has destroyed them, or in any other way has cast forth the persons buried there, or with malicious deception has transferred the bodies elsewhere to the dishonor of the dead, or has removed the inscribed or other stones, I command an action to be instituted against such person, protecting the pious services of men, just as if they were concerned with the gods. For it shall be by far more proper to do honor to the dead. No one whatsoever shall be permitted to remove them. If anyone does so, however, it is my will that he shall suffer capital punishment on the charge of desecration of graves.