Hadrian, 117-138. Military Diploma (Bronze, 50 mm, 14.85 g), for an unknown auxiliary soldier stationed in Dacia Superior. G. Iulius Bassus, legate, circa 10 December 136-10 July 138. C. C. Petolescu & A. Corcheş: O nouă diplomă militară privitoare la provincia Dacia Superior, in: Drobeta 11-12 (2002), 120-126 (this piece). Fragmentary and broken into two pieces, otherwise, very fine.


Obverse:

IMP(erator) CAESAR DIVI [TRAIANI PARTHICI F DIVI]
NERVAE NEPOS TRA[IANVS HADRIANVS AVGVSTVS]
PONTIF(ex) MAX(imus) TR(ibunicia) P[OT(estate) XX... IMP(erator) II CO(n)S(ul) III P(ater) P(atriae)]
EQVIT(ibus) ET PEDIT(ibus) QVI [M(ilitaverunt) IN AL(is) III ET ... EQ(uitum)]
ILLYR(icorum) ET COH(ortibus) X QUA[E AP(pellantur) I BAT(avorum) (miliaria) ET I]
HISP(anorum) CAMP(agonum) ET I GAL[L(orum) ET BOSP(oranorum) ET I ALP(inorum) ET I]
VIND(elicorum) ET I THRAC(um) SA[G(ittaria) ET I VB(iorum) ET I AVG(usta) ITVR(aeorum)]
SAG(ittariorum) ET II GALL(orum) [PANNON(ica) et II FL(avia) COM(magenorum) ET II]
GALL(orum) DACIC(a) ET [IIII HISP(anorum) et VIII RAET(orum) ET SVNT IN DACIA SVPER(iore) SVB IVLIO BASSO ...]

Reverse:

IMP(erator) CAE(ar) DI[VI TRAIANI PARTHICI F DIVI NERVAE]
NEPOS TRA[IANVS HADRIANVS AVGVSTVS PONTIF(ex) MAX(imus)]
TR(ibunicia) P[OT(estate) XX... IMP(erator) II CO(n)S(ul) III P(ater) P(atriae)]
EQ(uitibus) ET PED(itibus) Q(ui) [M(ilitaverunt) IN AL(is) III ET ... EQ(uitum) ILLYR(icorum) ET COH(ortibus) X]
Q(uae) AP(pellantur) I BAT(avorum) [(miliaria) ET I HISP(anorum) CAMP(agonum) ET I GAL[L(orum) ET]
BOSP(oranorum) ET I ALP(inorum) [ET I VIND(elicorum) ET I THRAC(um) SA[G(ittaria)]
ET I VB(iorum) ET [I AVG(usta) ITVR(aeorum) SAG(ittariorum) ET II GALL(orum) [PANNON(ica) et II FL(avia)]
[CO]M(magenorum) ET [II GALL(orum) DACIC(a) ET [IIII HISP(anorum) et VIII RAET(orum) ET SVNT IN DACIA SVPER(iore) SVB IVLIO BASSO ...]

Translation:

Imperator Caesar, son the deified Trajan Parthicus, grandson of the deified Nerva, Trajan Hadrian Augustus, pontifex maximus, holding tribunician power for the 21st (or 22nd) time, imperator for the second time, consul for the third time, father of the country. To the horsemen and footsoldiers who have served as a soldier in the three alae and the ... of horsemen of the Illyrici and the ten cohorts which are called I Batavorum miliaria and I Hispanorum Campagonum and I Gallorum et Bosporanorum and I Alpinorum and I Vindelicorum and I Thracum Saggitaria and I Ubiorum and I Augusta Ituraeorum Saggitariorum and II Gallorum Pannonica and II Flavia Commagenorum and II Gallorum Dacica and IIII Hispanorum and VIII Raetorum, and (which) are stationed in Dacia Superior, which is governed by Julius Bassus ...

This fascinating document is a so-called constitution, a type of military diploma related to the mass discharge of veterans in a given province. In this case, the veterans of the auxiliary units of Dacia Superior were granted Roman citizenship, among other privileges, after a successful military career of 25 years. The local commander of each unit would draw up a list of deserving veterans and pass it on to the provincial governor, who in turn would send a summary for the entire province to Rome. There it would be ratified, a bronze plaque recording the grant would be set up, after which individual copies for each soldier would be drawn up and sent back to the province to be handed out.

The date of our diploma is either the 21st or the 22nd tribunate of Hadrian. Although the name of the legate is lost, it most likely is G. Iulius Bassus, the scion of a prominent family originally hailing from Pergamum which was related to the Attalid kings and the Galatian tetrarchs. Not much is known about Bassus' further career, but his father had likewise been governor of Dacia before he was killed during the Dacian revolt of 117.