Roman military diploma
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A Roman military diploma was a document inscribed in bronze certifying that the holder was a Roman citizen. It was issued during the Principate period to retiring veterans who had served in those corps of the Roman armed forces which enlisted non-citizens: mainly the auxilia, but also the Roman navy, the equites singulares Augusti (Praetorian Guard cavalry) and the cohortes urbanae (the city of Rome's public order guards).
The most prestigious corps, the Praetorian Guard infantry and the legions, recruited Roman citizens only. But the others recruited mainly peregrini: inhabitants of the Roman empire who were not Roman citizens, the vast majority of the empire's population in the 1st and 2nd centuries. After 25 years' service (26 in the navy), the veteran was entitled to Roman citizenship and its considerable benefits (including exemption from the poll tax)[1].
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[edit] History
The diploma was a notarised copy of an original constitutio (decree) issued by the emperor in Rome, listing by regiment (or unit) the eligible veterans. The constitutio, recorded on a large bronze plate, was lodged in the military archive at Rome (none such has ever been found). The first known diploma dates from the year 52 AD, in the rule of the emperor Claudius (r. 41-54), who appears to have regularised the practice of granting Roman citizenship to peregrini auxiliaries after 25 years' service.
In 212, the Constitutio Antoniniana, issued by the emperor Caracalla, granted Roman citizenship to all the inhabitants of the empire, thus ending the second-class peregrini status. This should have made military diplomas redundant, and indeed the last known auxiliary diplomas date from 203 AD. But oddly, diplomas of the fleets, Praetorian cavalry and the cohortes urbanae continued to be issued until the late 3rd century.
[edit] Rights granted
The veteran's children also received citizenship, but not his female partner. Serving soldiers were not legally allowed to marry until the time of emperor Septimius Severus (r. 197-211). But on discharge, the veteran was granted connubium (the right to marry) a single non-citizen woman (this was needed as Roman citizens were not normally permitted to marry non-citizens). From c.50-140 the diploma granted citizenship to any children born during the recipient's term of service. But after c. 140 only children born after his discharge were eligible. One diploma is known where a soldier's parents and siblings were also granted Roman citizenship, but this seems to have been exceptional.
[edit] Description
The diploma consisted of two bronze tablets hinged together. Inscriptions would be engraved on each side of both plates. The full text of a diploma is listed on the outer side of the so called tabula 1; the outer side of tabula 2 shows the names of seven witnesses and their seals covered and protected by metal strips. The same text as tabula 1 was repeated over the two inner sides. The plates would then be folded shut and sealed together: the external inscription would be legible without breaking the seals. The internal inscription duplicated the text on the constitutio. The double-inscription and seals were presumably to prevent forgery or alteration.[2] A likely procedure: the holder would take the sealed diploma with him to the province or civitas (county) he intended to retire in. He would then present the diploma to the keeper of archives either at the provincial governor's headquarters (or perhaps at his local civitas offices). The archivist would break the seals and check that the data on the internal inscription matched the external one. If it was in order, he would then enter the diploma holder's name onto the register of resident Roman citizens.
[edit] Significance
Over 800 diplomas from the Principate have been found and over 650 published, providing a rare corpus of Roman documentary material, whose survival is due to its being made of metal, rather than biodegradable material such as papyrus or wood. A particular advantage of diplomas for historians is that they record the names of several auxiliary units serving in the same province at the same time, as diplomas were issued in batches: thus a single diploma may yield the names of as many as 25 units. As regards the recipient of the diploma, the following details are recorded: name of beneficiary and name of his father; names of beneficiary's wife and children also granted citizenship; military rank; origin (nation, tribe or city); regiment; province and date of issue.
[edit] Notes
[edit] References
[edit] Primary sources
various publications ie in "Zeitschrift fuer Papyrologie and Epigraphik", Chiron, etc
[edit] Secondary sources
- Corpus Inscriptionum Latinarum (CIL) Band XVI and Supplement
- Roman Military Diplomas (RMD, Margaret Roxan, Paul Holder) Vol I-V
- Werner Eck, Hartmut Wolff (Hrsg.): Heer und Integrationspolitik. Die römischen Militärdiplome als historische Quelle. Böhlau, Köln [u.a.] 1986. (Passauer historische Forschungen, 2) ISBN 3-412-06686-9
- "Die Rolle des Militärs für den sozialen Aufstieg in der römischen Kaiserzeit" (Barbara Pferdehirt)Mainz, RGZM (2002) 2) ISBN 3-88467-069-7
- "Römische Militärdiplome und Entlassungsurkunden in der Sammlung des Römisch-Germanischen Zentralmuseums" (Barbara Pferdehirt) Mainz, RGZM (2004) 2) ISBN 3-88467-086-7
