07-13-2012, 03:42 PM
In his article ‘Backbone of the legions’ in Ancient Warfare Special Issue 2010, Duncan Campbell drew attention to the tombstone of the centurion Flavius Augustalis (CIL V, 914) and the extraordinary precision with which his length of service is recorded: five years, six months, twelve days and four hours. This intrigued me and I looked up the inscription in Epigraphik-Datenbank Clauss/Slaby. What I found intrigued me further and I hope to come back to that but, in the meantime, I would like to try to establish the text. The reason for this is that, having followed the link to images of the stone and having studied the detailed photograph of the inscription there, I find myself in disagreement with the published reading.
The EDCS reading is as follows:
D(is) M(anibus) / Fla(vius) Augustalis cent(urio) / leg(ionis) Pri(mae) It[alica]es(!) milita/vit annis V me(n)s(ibus) VI die(bus) / XII (h)oras(!) IIII vixit annis / XLI me(n)s(ibus) VII die(bus) XV (h)oras(!) / IIII (h)abuit co<n=M>iugem C/astorinam annis / VIII me(n)s(ibus) III die(bus) VI (h)oras(!) / IIII et filium Stercorium / qui vixit an(nis) III me(n)s(ibus) VII di/e(bus) X (h)or(as) VI supravixit pater / die(bus) XLVII posuit tit<u=O>lum / Cas(torina) co<m=N>p(ari) ca(rissimo) suo
My reading, in which I have inserted the stops that I see between words but have not attempted to expand the abbreviations, is:
D M / Fla · Augustalis · cen · / leg · pri · It · Moes · milita/vit · annis [?] X · mes · VI · die · / XII · ora · IIII · vixit · annis / XLI · mes · VII · die · XV · oras / IIII · abuit · comiugem · C/astorinam · annis / VIIII · mes · III · die · VI · ora / IIII · et · filium · Stercoriu / qui · vixit · an · III · mes · VII · di/e X · or · VI · supra · vixit · pater / die · XLVII · posuit · titolum / Cas · con · p · ca · suo
Comparing the two readings will reveal some minor differences and some that are more serious. I see the years (as opposed to the months, days and hours) of the marriage between Augustalis and his wife as being nine, not eight, and my reading of the last line also differs. On this last point, I am supported by Franzoni, who expands the line to read Cas(torina) con(uigi) p(atri) ca(rissimo) suo (C. Franzoni, Habitus atque habitudo militis: Monumenti funerari di militari nello Cisalpina Romana, Rome 1987, no. 21 (pp. 37-38)).
The major differences, however, are in the title of his legion and in his length of service. EDCS renders the title of the legion as It[alica]es. As I see it, there is a clear stop after It and the word Moes following it is also clear. This would reflect the long association of the legion with Moesia and its full title, according to this inscription would be, perhaps, legio I Italica Moesiaca (suggested in G. Lettich, Itinerari epigrafica Aquileiesi, Trieste 2003, no. 103 (p. 93)). I do not know if there is any other evidence of this title; a search for ‘Italica Moes’ in EDCS produced no results.
As to Augustalis’ length of service, it seems clear that the figure for the number of years is X, not V (also read by Lettich, as is nine years for the length of the marriage). This on its own would have him enlisting at the age of 31, which is leaving it rather late, and rising to the rank of centurion within ten years, which is somewhat short a period but not unprecedented. Perhaps his age and maturity may have aided his promotion. However, there appears to be something preceding the ‘X’, although I am not sure what it is; it may be no more than damage to the stone. If it is a number, it is not a ‘I’, which would shorten Augustalis’ service, but it could just be a small ‘X’, inserted to correct an omission by the stonecutter. This would mean that Augustalis enlisted at a more normal age of 21 and would allow for his promotion to centurion after, say, 15 or 16 years. Close inspection of the stone itself might resolve this difficulty. Is anyone going near Aquileia in the near future?
These are the images that I used to reach the conclusions set out above:
http://www.ubi-erat-lupa.org/imagelink/i...p?Nr=14846
http://www.ubi-erat-lupa.org/imagelink/i...4846&Img=4
The EDCS reading is as follows:
D(is) M(anibus) / Fla(vius) Augustalis cent(urio) / leg(ionis) Pri(mae) It[alica]es(!) milita/vit annis V me(n)s(ibus) VI die(bus) / XII (h)oras(!) IIII vixit annis / XLI me(n)s(ibus) VII die(bus) XV (h)oras(!) / IIII (h)abuit co<n=M>iugem C/astorinam annis / VIII me(n)s(ibus) III die(bus) VI (h)oras(!) / IIII et filium Stercorium / qui vixit an(nis) III me(n)s(ibus) VII di/e(bus) X (h)or(as) VI supravixit pater / die(bus) XLVII posuit tit<u=O>lum / Cas(torina) co<m=N>p(ari) ca(rissimo) suo
My reading, in which I have inserted the stops that I see between words but have not attempted to expand the abbreviations, is:
D M / Fla · Augustalis · cen · / leg · pri · It · Moes · milita/vit · annis [?] X · mes · VI · die · / XII · ora · IIII · vixit · annis / XLI · mes · VII · die · XV · oras / IIII · abuit · comiugem · C/astorinam · annis / VIIII · mes · III · die · VI · ora / IIII · et · filium · Stercoriu / qui · vixit · an · III · mes · VII · di/e X · or · VI · supra · vixit · pater / die · XLVII · posuit · titolum / Cas · con · p · ca · suo
Comparing the two readings will reveal some minor differences and some that are more serious. I see the years (as opposed to the months, days and hours) of the marriage between Augustalis and his wife as being nine, not eight, and my reading of the last line also differs. On this last point, I am supported by Franzoni, who expands the line to read Cas(torina) con(uigi) p(atri) ca(rissimo) suo (C. Franzoni, Habitus atque habitudo militis: Monumenti funerari di militari nello Cisalpina Romana, Rome 1987, no. 21 (pp. 37-38)).
The major differences, however, are in the title of his legion and in his length of service. EDCS renders the title of the legion as It[alica]es. As I see it, there is a clear stop after It and the word Moes following it is also clear. This would reflect the long association of the legion with Moesia and its full title, according to this inscription would be, perhaps, legio I Italica Moesiaca (suggested in G. Lettich, Itinerari epigrafica Aquileiesi, Trieste 2003, no. 103 (p. 93)). I do not know if there is any other evidence of this title; a search for ‘Italica Moes’ in EDCS produced no results.
As to Augustalis’ length of service, it seems clear that the figure for the number of years is X, not V (also read by Lettich, as is nine years for the length of the marriage). This on its own would have him enlisting at the age of 31, which is leaving it rather late, and rising to the rank of centurion within ten years, which is somewhat short a period but not unprecedented. Perhaps his age and maturity may have aided his promotion. However, there appears to be something preceding the ‘X’, although I am not sure what it is; it may be no more than damage to the stone. If it is a number, it is not a ‘I’, which would shorten Augustalis’ service, but it could just be a small ‘X’, inserted to correct an omission by the stonecutter. This would mean that Augustalis enlisted at a more normal age of 21 and would allow for his promotion to centurion after, say, 15 or 16 years. Close inspection of the stone itself might resolve this difficulty. Is anyone going near Aquileia in the near future?
These are the images that I used to reach the conclusions set out above:
http://www.ubi-erat-lupa.org/imagelink/i...p?Nr=14846
http://www.ubi-erat-lupa.org/imagelink/i...4846&Img=4
Michael King Macdona
And do as adversaries do in law, -
Strive mightily, but eat and drink as friends.
(The Taming of the Shrew: Act 1, Scene 2)
And do as adversaries do in law, -
Strive mightily, but eat and drink as friends.
(The Taming of the Shrew: Act 1, Scene 2)