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The question is rather straight-forward. I consider a "traditional" tombstone as some sort of monument having an inscribed name and date of birth/death or age.

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Certainly these were common (for the well-off) in ancient Rome. I don't know how much further back they date. – Charles Jul 22 '12 at 4:28
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It's the date of birth and death that's the clincher here. Ancient monuments/tombstones usually don't have that. Roman tombstones often recorded the age, but not the dates. The practice of recording birth and death on tombstones is certainly not common until the renaissance and possibly even later, but unfortunately I can't find any sources for this. – Lennart Regebro Jul 22 '12 at 7:10
@LanceLafontaine - any limitations such that it must have not been an important personage (e.g. a monarch), or what constitutes a tombstone (do the Pyramids count)? – DVK Jul 22 '12 at 11:21
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@LennartRegebro, An answer considering a monument/tombstone with the age would also be acceptable imo, I've edited the question. DVK, hmmmmm. I wouldn't say the Pyramids would count, as they certainly aren't "traditional", but no limitation on the status of the individual. – LanceLafontaine Jul 22 '12 at 13:53
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@LanceLafontaine: It was the tradition for Pharaohs. :-) – Lennart Regebro Jul 22 '12 at 14:38

2 Answers

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Ancient Egypt is thought to be the origination of the funeral tombstone, however the original name was Stele/Stela, and in plural stelae, comes from the latin, to stand. Stelae have been documented back to the first dynasty - 2890 B.C., they were used later by many number of other cultures. The highest recorded use is by Attica in Greece, example would be the Greece marble funerary stelae. The Roman uses of stele came from their expansion into Greece, in which they adopted some of the culture.

Funeral Stele - Stele - Brooklyn Museum Heku - Brooklyn Museum Stele

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With the definition of "traditional tombstone" meaning some sort of stone bearing the name of the dead, the answer is most likely ancient Rome, although I can't find a source for that. The major reason for that is that Rome was quite literate compared to most other societies before the western culture in 17th century. The practice also seems to have not continued into the middle ages, with the exception of the absolute elite.

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