Roman Military Diploma Fragment

Bronze Roman Military Diploma Fragment

Latin text on both sides

42mm x 17mm x 2mm.

3.83g
Dark green patina.

Found in the former Yugoslavia.

Late 1st century. Possibly during the reign of Domitian

Possible inscription thanks to Curtis Clay:

Line 3: ASV, prob. from NOMINA SVBSCRIPTA, "whose names are written below".

Line 4: maybe EMD, coming from CIVITATEM DEDIT, "he grants citizenship".

Line 5: ABVI, from HABVISSENT, "(to the wives that they presently) have".

Line 6: ELIBE, from CAELIBES, "unmarried".

Line 7: MTA from DVMTAXAT, "just or merely (one wife per soldier)"

Lines 8-11: Should be the month date and the current consuls, which if they could be restored would establish the date of the diploma!

This fragment was submitted to Istvan for analysis. His rendering below:
Obverse:
]NIS [
]ION[ or ]HON[
]PTA SV[
]EM DE[
]HABVIS[
]ELIBES[
]MTAX[
] D [
]TIANO [
] IO [ or ]NO [ or ]HO [
] ­_S _ [


Reverse:
[the imperial names amd titles are in the previous (provbably three) lines
[IIS QV]I MILITA[VERVNT EQVITES ET PEDITES]
[IN A]LIS DECEM ET [COHORTIBVS ... QVAE]
[APELLANTVR ...]
those cavalrymen and infantrymen who served in ten alae and ... cohortes, which are called...