Roman tombstones are pretty systematic – Latin is neat, titles line up, and the dates are usually spelled out in a predictable way. Viking runes are more compact, the text wraps in a spiral or a horizontal line, and a lot of narrative is squeezed into a few symbols. If you’re looking for straight‑forward narrative detail, the Romans keep a clearer record of who died and when. Vikings, on the other hand, embed poetic imagery, but the story is harder to parse without knowing the runic alphabet. I always keep a sheet of notes on each site; I can’t remember your birthday but I’ll never forget the stone’s inscription.