Military Diplomata – Naming British Garrison Units
The Latin word diploma is derived from the Greek diploô, “to fold”, and can be used to describe all sorts of folded document, including impressive diptychs of ivory and ordinary pieces of papyrus or parchment.
Military diplomata or discharge certificates used a standard formula so each one issued would contain exactly the same text. The original copies of the text to be used on all diplomata was inscribed onto a bronze tablet which was kept on full view to the public in the centre of the city of Rome. In any given year each auxiliary regiment in the Roman army would have soldiers who had fulfilled their term of service and were due to be retired. During the early empire these men, along with their wives and children, would be granted Roman citizenship upon retirement and proof of this was recorded in the form of a copy of this text reproduced onto a small bronze plate. Several of these small reproductions would be made each year at legionary fortresses all across the empire, and the name of each soldier who was due to be discharged would be inscribed onto the bottom of one of these tablets along with the dated signatures of (usually) seven witnesses. These diplomata would then be ceremoniously presented to each retiring soldier, thus providing him with personal proof of his Roman citizenship.
There were several elements that made the document official:
the name of the man who gave the diploma (e.g., the emperor),
the people who received it,
the act itself (e.g., a granting of rights),
further specifications,
the date
the names of witnesses, who had to be Roman citizens.]
The unit list comprises three alae and twelve cohorts, all previously known, which accounts for about onethird of the number of auxiliary units attested in Britain during the reign of Hadrian. 13 alae were named on the constitution of 17 July 122; a fourteenth on that of 16 September 124. By 127 two alae had […]
[IMP. C]AESAR, DIVI HADRIANI F., DIVI [TRAIAN]I PART(HICI) NEPOS, DIVI NERVAE PMN(EPOS), T . A[E]LIUS HADRIANUS ANTONINUS [AUG(USTUS)] PIUS, [P]ONT(IFEX) MAX(IMUS), TR(IBUNICIA) POT(ESTATE) VIIII, IMP(ERATOR) II, CO(N)S(UL) IIII, P(ATER) P(ATRIAE),EQ(UITIBUS) ET PEDIT(IBUS) QUI MILITAVER(UNT) IN ALIS III [ET COH(ORTIBUS) XI, QU]AE APPELL(ANTUR) AUG(USTA) GALL(ORUM) PROCUL(EIANA) ET I [PANNON(IORUM) SABIN(IANA)?J’ ET I HISP(ANORUM) ASTUR(UM); ET I […]
[IMP. CAES(AR), DIVI HADRIANI F., DIVI TRAIANI PARTH(ICI) NEP(OS), DIVI .VERVAE PRONEP(OS)], T. AE[LIUS HADRIANUS ANTONIN]US AUG(USTUS) PIUS, P(ONTIFEX) M(AXIMUS), [TR(IBUNICIA) POT(ESTATE) VII11, IMP(ERATOR) II], CO(N)S(UL) 1111, P(ATER) P(ATRIAE) N [EQ(UITIBUS) ET PED(ITIBUS) Q(UI) M(ILITAVERUNT) IN AL(IS) ] ET COH(ORTIBUS) VIII ET SU[NT2 IN BNITANNIA3 SUB P[APIRIO AELIANO 4 QUINQUE ET VIGINTRS STIPEND(IS) EMERIT( IS) […]
[IMP…][EQUITIBUS’ ET PEDITIBUS QUI MILITAVERUNT IN ALIS … E T COHORTIBUS QUAE APPELLANTUR AUG(USTA) GALLORUM PROCULEIANA ET…? ET …] ET I A[QUITANOR(UM) ET … ET … MO]RIN(ORUM) ET III E[T IIII ET VI NERVIOR(UM)? ET SUNT IN BRI]TANN(IA) SUB J[. .C . 10-12. . ., S QUIN(IS) ET VIC(ENIS) 6 PLUJNBUSVE STIPE[NDIS EMERITIS DIMISSIS HON]EST(A) […]
Middlewich (Salinae), Cheshire . Part of the second tablet of a bronze diploma, 96 X 131 mm (0) . Part of the left-hand edge of the outer face and its full height are preserved but it is broken off about to mm tothe right of the two central binding-holes : see PL .’ . Its […]
L’Année Épigraphique 1997.1779b; c.126AD This document names several infantry (cohortes peditatae) and part-mounted (cohortes equitatae) regiments, in the army of the propraetor Trebius Germanus. Both the initial portion and the names of the witnesses are lost. However, another copy of this particular series of diplomata has been found, from which most of the original text […]
Burn 100; CIL XVI.65; dated: July 17th 122AD In excellent condition, this discharge certificate was found in 1930 at Brigetio in Pannonia, now known as O-Szöny on the Danube in western Hungary; evidently the soldier to whom it once belonged went home after his military service in Ala Primae Pannoniorum Tampianae in Britain. This important […]
CIL XIII.3606; Ager Nerviorvm Diploma dated: c.98AD This document names part of the British army of Tiberius Avidius Quietus of around 98AD. It states that an ala and six cohortes are listed therein, but in reality, a single cavalry regiment and only five infantry cohorts are contained within the body of the text. In addition, it would appear that the second half of the diploma is missing. This would […]
CIL VII.1195; Privilegia Militvm dated: 16th September 124AD This document names six cavalry alae and twenty-one infantry (cohortes peditatae) and part-mounted (cohortes equitatae) regiments, in the army of the propraetor Platorius Nepos. Several of the cavalry wing entries are damaged, as are the names of the document witnesses also the name of the owner of the diploma. IMP CAESAR DIVI TRAIANI PARTHICI […]
This document names four cavalry alae and eleven infantry (cohortes peditatae) and part-mounted (cohortes equitatae) regiments, in the army of the propraetor Lucius Neratius Marcellus: IMP CAESAR DIVI NERVAE F NERVA TRAIANVS AVGVSTVS GERMANICVS DACICVS PONTIFEX MAXIMVS TRIBVNIC POTESTAT VII IMP III P P COS V EQVITIBVS ET PEDITIBVS QVI MILITANT IN ALIS QVATTVOR ET COHERTIBVS DECEM ET […]
L’ Année Épigraphique 1997.1779a; c.AD126 This document names several infantry (cohortes peditatae) and part-mounted (cohortes equitatae) regiments, in the army of the propraetor Trebius Germanus. Both the initial portion and the names of the witnesses are lost. However, another copy of this particular series of diplomata has been found, from which most of the original text may be reconstructed. E]T […]
L’ Année Épigraphique 1997.1001; Dated: 27th February AD158 Three fragments of a bronze military diploma were found in 1995 on the foreshore near the Roman fort at Ravenglass fort in Cumbria. This document names 4 cavalry Wings (Alae) and 17 infantry (cohortes peditatae) and part-mounted (cohortes equitatae) regiments, in the army of the propraetor Gnaeus Julius […]
