04-08-2010, 02:53 PM
Quote:One diploma, iirc.D'oh -- Arabia. Of course it's a new one!
P.Weiß & M.P. Speidel, "Das erste Militärdiplom für Arabia", ZPE 150 (2004), 253-264. (And, yes -- 2004 counts as "new" in archaeology!)
Occam's razor says that Julius Severus travels from Britain to Judaea for the Jewish War (AD 133/136) and takes cohors I Aelia Classica (amongst others) with him. It subsequently discharges men in Arabia in AD 142 (the new diploma), before making the journey back to Britain, where further veterans are discharged in AD 158. Except that Weiß & Speidel don't like this reconstruction. They want a third cohors I Classica, born and raised in Arabia! I'm not sure I go along with them. How about you?
