Veteran nomenclature

[Patrick Tansey]

I have come across an inscription (CIL III.2066 Salona, Dalmatia) which purports to show a veteran of the legio XIV Gemina named M.Uttedius Salluvianus C.Petilius Amandus. I find this elaborate polyonomous nomenclature very surprising in an ordinary miles. Does anyone know of any parallels ?

[Praefectusclassis]

This is the inscription we're talking about, right?

Belegstelle: CIL 03, 02066 (p 1030)
Provinz: Dalmatia Ort: Salona
M(arco) Uttedio / Sallubiano / C(aio) Petilio / Amando / domo Iguvio ve/terano leg(ionis) XIIII / Gemin(ae) decurioni / colon(iae) Salonitan(ae) / quaestori pontifi/ci Petilia / Secundina / coniux

According to the reconstruction, it's not a name with a load of cognomina, as indeed often happens in high ranking types, but simply two complete names. Prolly one is in the dative, the other in the ablative?

[Patrick Tansey]

That is the inscription. But how can this be interpreted as two names given the singular: veterano, decurioni, quaestori, pontifici ?

[M. Demetrius]

C(aio) Petilio / Amando / domo Iguvio ve/terano leg(ionis) XIIII

Forgive my ignorance, since I'm only in Latin I, but wouldn't this be some relative?

Domus is house, so wouldn't this be like listing a family or military connnection, while the names that precedei it were the person's own name?

Just asking.

Latin can be pretty confusing, even without the wholesale use of abbreviations, right?

[Praefectusclassis]

The only translation I can think of is the following:
To Marcus Uttedius Sallubianus,
his wife Petilia Secundina, daughter of Caius Petilius Amandus from Iguvio, veteran of Legio XIIII Gemina, decurio (='local counselman') of the Colonia Salonitana, questor of the pontifex, set this up.

[hansvl]

Hi,

Double names are really uncommon, but not unexisting. As Jasper pointed out carrying lots of cognomina is a feature of the higher social ranks, but they sometimes used double names: first their full name (praenomen - nomen gentilicium and cognomen) and then the name of a patron (by whom they were mostly 'adopted'), mostly only gentilicium and cognomen. Like this: L. Gavius Romanus Vibius Secundus. Even more uncommon is taking the praenomen of the patron as well as in: Q. Planius Sardus L. Varius Ambibulus or as in the inscription we are talking about: M. Uttedius Sallubianus C. Petilius Amandus. It can even get out of hand as in this name:M. Herennius Faustus Ti. Iulius Clemens Tadius Flaccus (all my exemples are high ranking officers of Legio III Augusta).

So it's a feature of high social ranking.

Let's take a look at the inscription at hand:

Here you also have a double name. It is clear however (from the dedicator) that the patron in this case is his father-in-law, propably a high ranking citizen of Salona who 'adopted' his son-in-law who became a high ranking citizen of Salona as well when you look at his titles: he is member of the city council, he is a quaestor (financial agent of the town) and priest (pontifex).

So in the translation of Jasper there are a few problems: the second name isn't an ablative (even if so you can't translate is as being an genitive: daughter of ...) but just the second part of the full name. And he isn't a quaestor of a priest: otherwise you should have had quaestori pontificis. So here is my translation:

M(arco) Uttedio / Sallubiano / C(aio) Petilio / Amando / domo Iguvio ve/terano leg(ionis) XIIII / Gemin(ae) decurioni / colon(iae) Salonitan(ae) / quaestori pontifi/ci Petilia / Secundina / coniux

To Marcus Uttedius Sallubianus Caius Petilius Amandus from the town Iguvium (i.e. town in Umbria, Italia), veteran of Legio XIIII Gemina, councilmember of the colonia Salona, quaestor and pontifex. Petilia Secundina, his wife (set this up).

So this person was a member of a high ranking family in this Roman colony. Possibly he was an officer in the legion, but he doesn't indicate this: he uses the neutral veteranus without indicating rank. So we can only guess.

@ David: domo (always in ablative) is a word in the onomastic habits of the Romans that indicates the origin of a person (mostly it is just ommited). It means more (from the) hometown than 'house'.

Hans

[Praefectusclassis]

Hi Hans,
That seems much better than my version. Thanks!

[Patrick Tansey]

Hans’ interpretation of the inscription is correct – there really is no room for doubt that these names belong to one individual. If that individual was a person of note there is no problem – names of this kind are well attested in the ‘upper classes.’ I was surprised because he describes himself as an ordinary miles. If Hans’ conjecture that he was an officer in the legion is right, the nomenclature would be less remarkable. But are there parallels for officers referring to themselves merely as milites ?

[hansvl]

Hi Patrick,

Well he doesn't describe himself as an ordinary miles. He clearly states 'veteranus' a veteran without giving us any clue what his rank was when serving. Veteranus is just a neutral term to indicate a (honesta) missio from the army.
Sometimes one indicates rank in this manner: 'veteranus ex (ordine) x' (e.g. veteranus ex optione). Whe just don't know what rank he had in this case.

Hans

[Patrick Tansey]

You are quite right Hans - he does not describe himself as a miles. But my point is this - he became a decurion so we might perhaps imagine that he had served as a centurion at best. But I would guess that the officers you referred to with comparable multiple names were legionary legates and the like. So my original point remains - it seems curious to me that a man of this comparatively low social rank had a name of this kind which is a hallmark of high society. That is why I wondered whether anyone was aware of any parallels.