A mysterious woman’s name was etched into stone. Experts may have finally found her identity.

Here’s what you’ll learn when you read this story:

• A second-century well in Roman Butrint features a distinct inscription mentioning the mysterious Junia Rufina.
• The inscription offers little information about the woman, although she must have been a prominent member of society.
• New efforts to explore the history of Junia Rufina offer clues to her identity.

Etched above a 2,000-year-old well in Roman Butrint and written in stylized Greek lettering that stretches seven feet in length sits an inscription translated as “Junia Rufina, friend of the Nymphs.”

Rediscovered around 1930, the inscription has intrigued archaeologists for nearly 100 years. Who was Junia Rufina, and what was her role in society? A new study by University of Oxford archaeologist Milena Melfi published in the Journal of Roman Archaeology aims to answer those questions about the mystery that is Junia Rufina.

Butrint, located in what is now southern Albania, near the border with Greece, went through a Roman era during Hadrian’s reign as emperor. It was around that time, in the second century C.E., that a natural spring was ornamented as a monumental well, an architectural display of water as a key piece of urban design that expressed Greek traditions with Roman architecture.

The spring existed naturally, but the Romans rebuilt the site into a public well with stone walls, brick arches, and paved areas. This was likely thanks to construction programs led by Hadrian, known for encouraging the construction of baths, aqueducts, fountains, and wells throughout the Roman Empire, Butrint included. The well remained popular for centuries, taking on new forms along the way, but the structure retained two main features confirming its original Roman date: the Roman masonry in the vault and the western wall, and Rufina’s inscription on the parapet of the well.

The role of Rufina remained mysterious, especially around the “power and prestige attached to female patronage in highly networked families throughout the empire at the time of Hadrian,” Melfi wrote. The simple inscription implies there was no explanation needed at the time to describe Junia Rufina to people.

The Romans likely called the site of today’s Butrint either Bouthrotos or Buthrotum, and it was already a key settlement in Hellenistic times. It was re-founded as a Roman colony under Caesar and Augustus and continuously used throughout the Byzantine and medieval periods as a main port. It later became a Venetian and Ottoman fort.

“For its monumentality and prominence within the building, and possibly because of its mention of a female donor, it has long attracted the attention of scholars and visitors,” Melfi wrote, adding that while Junia Rufina had become a popular figure in the area, we’re no wiser about her identity and that “the simplicity and scantiness of her dedication is such that we know nothing about her identity or her role in Roman Butrint.”

Melfi wrote that Rufina’s tie to the monument “only suggests that she held an exceptional status, was undoubtedly wealthy, moved with ease in a Greek-speaking environment, conformed to contemporary trends of imperially inspired evergetism [private fortunes used for public good], promoted the cult of the Nymphs, and had a sympathy for Alexandrian/Egyptian culture.”

Traditionally, nymphs were associated with sources of water found in natural grottos, and the inscription in Butrint implies the existence of a cult honoring these semi-divine nature spirits, in which Junia Rufina likely participated.

Junia Rufina is a Roman name, and while the inscription is in Greek (not Latin), that practice was common during the time of Hadrian’s rule. The letters are also styled in a way that was customary during that period. The name suggests a link to the Junii Rufini family, a wealthy Roman clan intertwined with Roman officials. Melfi wrote that there’s no proof of the connection, but circumstantial evidence of lineage and naming suggests Junia Rufina may have been a daughter of a prefect of Egypt, giving her social and political prominence. “Junia Rufina, as member of a well-connected and influential Roman family based in Egypt,” Melfi wrote, “bound to a strong network of relations with Hadrian’s entourage, was likely at Butrint at the time of the imperial journey, either as a member of or as a host to the emperor’s travel party.”

Melfi believes it’s possible that the wealthy, powerful, and well-connected Junia Rufina was a daughter of Marcus Junius Rufus, prefect of Egypt, and stepsister of Julia Balbilla. Even with the uncertainty around this connection, Melfi wrote that Rufina offers a “perfect manifestation of the new Greek-speaking and Greek-educated commonwealth wanted by Hadrian, and of the power and prestige attached to female patronage in highly networked families throughout the empire.”

The well, then, offers a view into a Roman-influenced public works project and defines the woman who funded its construction, adding to a list of females playing key roles in creating public amenities with their personal wealth, especially as public water projects changed cities during the second century C.E.

“Whether by following the tradition of her family for benefactions and loyalty to the provincial administration, or by acting resolutely to consolidate her elite position locally,” Melfi wrote, “Junia Rufina ensured with her public generosity that her name would be remembered for generations to come.”