Late Roman ranks

[Renatus]

There's a very interesting inscription from Maionia in Anatolia (AE 2004, 01396a), briefly mentioned by Lee in War in Late Antiquity. It was set up by Valeria to honour her fallen husband, the tribune Dassianus. The only study I can find is in French, so perhaps somebody can help with the Latin?:

"GR" // Dum tenera fuera(m) cognovera(m) compare[m dulcem] / singulaque meruit gradatim cuncta dec[ora] / centurio primus domesticus inde trib[unus] / culminis adeptus his viribus audax ina[nis] / in bello cecidit sic fata hoc tribue[[t]run[t] / ut Dassianum comitem rursum coniun[gerem] / et idem quae sunt humanis rebus adempta s[olacia] / tunc ad carum subolem Hadrianum me pro[duxi] / ut manibus eius qu(a)e sunt suprema futu[ra] / reddere vita(m) peti merui prece quodque r[ogavi] / orbe pererrato requiem mihi parcat de[us] / post bis tricenos transactos mensibus [annos] / nunc Ludi(a)e sedes consedi ultima(m) terram m[ea] / fatis iam debita reddi te qu(a)eso care f / adde sepulti // "GR"

There are a couple of interesting points here (beyond Valeria's rather touching devotion!) - Dassianus's ranks are listed as centurio primus (either 'first centurion' or 'centurion first (of all)' - I'm not sure), then domesticus (I would guess a member of the protectores domesticii), then tribune. The promotion from centurion to protector to tribune is quite common from the mid 3rd century onwards, but I think the protectores only became known as domesticii a bit later, perhaps under Constantius II.

There's also the mention of 'deus' - God singular, which suggests this is a Christian epitaph. Both these points might imply a later date for the inscription, maybe mid to late 4th century - which would mean that the rank title centurio was still in use then.

Of course, Dassianus could have started his career as centurion under Diocletian (say), then been promoted much later... But it would be fascinating to know in which war he fell - Lee calls it 'a useless war', which implies a civil conflict, although I don't know where the adjective appears in the text!

A French translation and commentary can be found here:
http://www.epigraphie-sfer.fr/rencontres...102008.pdf

A date in the third quarter of the 4th century or at the end of the 4th or beginning of the 5th century is suggested.

The revised translation treats primus in centurio primus as not being part of Dassianus' title. His successive ranks are translated as Centurion tout d'abord, domestique, puis tribun, 'first of all centurion, domesticus, then tribune'.

Not having Lee's book to hand, I do not know the context in which he uses the word 'useless'. Inanis can mean 'useless' but its primary meaning seems to be 'empty, void'. The French translator renders it as sans vie, 'lifeless' - 'he fell lifeless in battle'.