Letter

[Anonymous]

In the Netherlands nearby the city of Utrecht, a unique find was done. A bronze letter (20 X 26.5 cm) that maybe has bin written by Severus (193-211) or Severus Alexander (222-235). This is the first letter ever found in the Netherlands.<br>
Its says:<br>
IN[...] <br>
CA[...]<br>
COH[...] cohort?<br>
TVR[...]<br>
TANTAQVECOM[...] so much<br>
SEVERVS EXECESSIT C[...] Severus died (or has left)<br>
TIA ATQVE PROVIDEN [...] -don't know how to translate it-<br>
NA QVOQVE CASTROR [...] also from the legionplace...<br>
BVS QVAEFVIT AD ID[...] he went too <br>
PLINA IAM INDE AD[...] court Marshall now sinds<br>
ETSINE QVA ERELI[...] and without<br>
PRA DIXI PER[...] i said<br>
PRAESENTIS E[...] from the pressent<br>
EIS QVOQVO MO[...] to them wherever<br>
VEL CL[...] or<br>
<br>
(This is my free translation feel free to correct me<br>
English/Latin is not my native language)<br>
I have no idear how to plac a photo in my post thats why i put in a URL<br>
www.geocities.com/leythe2004<br>
<br>
I took the picture at the Rijksmuseum van oudheden in Leiden, the Netherlands. <p></p><i>Edited by: <A HREF=http://pub45.ezboard.com/bromanarmytalk.showUserPublicProfile?gid=leythe>Leythe</A> at: 3/24/04 5:15 pm<br></i>

[Robert Vermaat]

Hi Leyte,<br>
<br>
Here it is (I hope, for Yahoo is not too keen onhaving their site used by others..):<br>
<br>
Ok, failure. retracted.<br>
<br>
Valete,<br>
Valerius/Robert <p></p><i>Edited by: <A HREF=http://pub45.ezboard.com/bromanarmytalk.showUserPublicProfile?gid=vortigernstudies>Vortigern Studies</A> at: 3/24/04 7:59 pm<br></i>

[Anonymous]

nice try! <p></p><i></i>

[Dan Diffendale]

This should work:<br>
<img src="http://www.sas.upenn.edu/~dpd/pics/bronze002.jpg" style="border:0;"/> <p></p><i></i>

[Jeroen Pelgrom]

looks interesting. Can´t wait to see a translation. <p>Professionals built the Titanic, amateurs built the ark<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
</p><i></i>

[Dan Diffendale]

Do you have other photos so that we could see the text in each part clearly? <p></p><i></i>

[Anonymous]

A few suggestions about this (though I'm not an inscriptions expert, just a Latinist):<br>
<br>
-TIA ATQUE PROVIDENTIA<br>
This is "something and foresight"; the -TIA suggests another feminine abstract noun such as e.g. sapientia, constantia, etc.<br>
<br>
NA QVOQVE CASTROR-<br>
Next letters will be -UM; castrorum = "of the camp"<br>
<br>
QVAE FVIT AD ID-<br>
"which" (feminine singular) "was at ID-"<br>
ID- could be the first letters of IDEM "the same".<br>
<br>
-PLINA IAM INDE AD<br>
-PLINA might well be the end of DISCIPLINA.<br>
"discipline now from there/then"<br>
<br>
ETSINE QVA ERELI-<br>
ET SINE QVA = "and without which"<br>
ERELI- Could be E RELI- in which case E RELICTIS "from the remainder"?<br>
<br>
PRA DIXI PER-<br>
-PRA is probably the end of SUPRA<br>
In which case could be UT SUPRA DIXI "as I stated above"<br>
<br>
Shaun<br>
<br>
<p></p><i></i>

[Anonymous]

If have one other picture,but i don't know how i can place it here. <p></p><i></i>

[Anonymous]

Is that a diploma or some sort of commemorative plaque? <p></p><i>Edited by: <A HREF=http://pub45.ezboard.com/bromanarmytalk.showUserPublicProfile?gid=antoninuslucretius@romanarmytalk>Antoninus Lucretius</A> <IMG HEIGHT=10 WIDTH=10 SRC="http://lucretius.homestead.com/files/Cesar_triste.jpg" BORDER=0> at: 3/26/04 5:42 pm<br></i>

[Dan Diffendale]

If you email it to me dpd (at) sas.upenn.edu I can post it. <p></p><i></i>

[Anonymous]

Hi Antoninus Lucretius,<br>
it was not a diploma. It might be a "order" from the emperor itself to a officer in the legions. <p></p><i></i>

[Anonymous]

Thanks Leythe. Do we have the context of the find?<br>
Was it a military site or a civilian one? <p></p><i></i>

[Anonymous]

The Rijksmuseum van oudheden in Leiden has placed the find on her website ( www.rmo.nl/new/home.html ).<br>
I translate what they say about it " This letter was probably a letter from the Emperor to the Governor in a district. These letters where hang on the walls of government buildings. One reason that a letter like this never was found before in the Netherlands was that after the fall of the Romamempire site's of the romans where luted by German or local tribes. This letter was found in the middle of a meadow not a campsite or a civilian site. How it ended up in that meadow.....now one can tell. <p></p><i></i>

[Dan Diffendale]

<img src="http://www.sas.upenn.edu/~dpd/pics/bronze001.jpg" style="border:0;"/> <p></p><i></i>