Pomponius, Petition from Veterans, PSI 9.1026B
https://caesarea-maritima.org/testimonia/422
Context
This long text survives in two copies on papyrus at the Bibliotheca
Medicea Laurenziana (inv. 14488): A with writing mostly on the front and a single short
column against the fibers on the back, and B with writing on one side. It contains a
petition to the Imperial legate Vilius Cadus in Caesarea Maritima written by one
Pomponius, presented by one Lucius Petronius Saturninus, and signed by a group of 22
soldiers, who posted it in a Portico of Junia Ba[?] at Caesarea Maritima (B line 1).
They had served honorably in Legio X Fretensis, long stationed in Palestine, and were
returning to their home town of Alexandria following discharge from duty. They now
requested a written document or proof (instrumentum) to affirm their
discharge “if circumstances demand” (rebus necessariis, line 9),
presumably in an effort to secure citizenship for themselves or their children, or to
garner any other benefit that such recognition of honorable service to the State might
confer. The legate added his endorsement to the bottom of the recorded petition,
promising to produce the document for the Prefect Egypt—and not formal certification or
diplomata, which, as he states, was not standard practice—in his
offices at Caesarea on January 22, 150 CE. Both copies have Greek transliterations
intermixed sparsely with Latin. The texts stored in Florence were recovered from
somewhere in Egypt, where the veterans brought them on their way home. Apart from its
rich evidence for personal names and military communications during the High Empire,
this text attests to concerns among legionary veterans over their legal status in
retirement. It also gives the sole testimony for a named portico at Caesarea where
notices were posted.
Text
Descrip̣tum et recognitum ex lib(ello) proposito cum ạ[l]<i>is in
po[r]tico Iuniae Ba ̣ ̣[ ̣ ̣] ̣ae, i(n) q(uo) s(criptum) e(rat) i(d) q(uod) i(nfra)
σ(κριπτυμ) ι·θ·σ·ε·ι·θ·ι·σ·ε· (στ):Vilio Kado leg(ato) Aụg(usti) pr(o)pr(aetore) ab
v[et]eranis leg(ionis) X Fr(etensis) n(umero) XXII, qui militare coeperụnt Glabrioṇ[e et
T]orquato ιτεμ \ετ Π[ ̣ ̣ ̣ ̣ ̣ ̣]/ Aq̣[ ̣ ̣ ̣ ̣ ̣]ọ c[o](n)s(ulibus), qụ[o]ṛum
ṇ[o]ṃịṇạ [s]ubie<c>ta ṣụṇṭ. Cum militaverimus, domine, in classe Misenis et ex
indulgẹn[tia - ca. 14 ] leg(io ) Fr(etens )t[ra]nsla[tis] s[up]ẹṛ XX o[ ̣ ̣ ̣ ̣]
ṇobis uti bonis mil(itaribus) constiteri{n}t, ṇụṇc̣ quoq̣ụe felic[issimis tem]poribus
ṣạ[cra]ṃẹṇ[to - ca. 13 ]s etiṇ patriam Alexandriam ad Aegyptum ituri petimus et
rogamus digneris nobis adfirmare a te missos esse, ut ex adfir- (5)ṃạtione tua
appareat nos ex ẹạdem leg(ione) missos esse non ex clasṣẹ ụṭ possit rebus
necesari<i>s subscriptio tua insṭ[rume]nti caụsanobis prodess[e] et huṃạṇịtati
tuae in perpetuo gratias agere. C(aius) Viḅius Maximus (centuria) Petroni Fir[ ca.14
]imus (centuria) IulịạniAeternalis· C(aius) Praesentius Procụ[l]ụs (centuria) Iuli
Sabini· C(aius) Crispus Apollinaris (centuria) Claudi Ṃ[a]cedonis· C(aius) Ṣạ[ ca. 25
]ini·C(aius) Iulius C̣ṛịspinus (centuria) Pọ[n]tieni Magni p(rimi)p(ili)· C(aius)
Aurelius Priscus (centuria) ̣ar ̣ni Π[ ̣ ̣ ̣ ̣ ̣ ̣]· Ḷ(ucius) Petrọ[ ca. 20 ]ṣṭṛọṇiSe[v]erị· C(aius) Longinus ⟦seue⟧ Priscus (centuria) Verui Rufi· C(aius) Longinus
Priscus (centuria) ẹạḍ[em]· C̣(aius) Απολλινα̣ρ̣ις Μαχ̣ι̣μυς (κεντυρια) Πε̣τρονι (10)Fiṛmi· C(aius) Iulius Capito (centuria) Ploti Celeris· M(arcus) Sabinus Apollinaris
(centuria) eadem· C̣(aius) Crispus Α[pol]linaris (centuria) Aeli Artori· Κ(αιυς) Ιυλιυς
Κελ̣ε̣ρ (κεντυρια) Αεμι[l]i-ani Rufi· C(aius) Iulius Apollinaris (centuria) Iuli
Sabini· C(aius) Iulius Loṇgus (centuria) Mari Germani· M(arcus) Valerius ̣ ̣ ̣ ̣[ ̣ ̣
̣]bi ̣e ̣ ̣ ̣ ππ(ιλι)·C(aius) Iulius Petronianuṣ (centuria) [ ̣ ̣]fi Paulini· C(aius)
Aurelius Maximus (centuria) [Cla]ụdi Ṃạṛcelli· T(itus) Flavius Max̣iṃụṣ (centuria)
eadem· [ ̣ ̣ ̣]lerius Ap̣ọḷ-linaris (centuria) Flavi Longini. L(ucius) Petronius
Saturninus edidi pro me et conveteranis meiṣ. Pomponius scri[bsi. S]ubs[cri]ptio:Veterani ex legionibus instrumentum accipere non solent, attaṃ[e]n sacramen[to] v[o]s a
me [iussu imper]atoris n(ostri) (15)solutos notumfieri praefecto Aegyptio
desideratis. Et instrumentum daḅ[o] pr[ ̣ ̣ ̣] ̣e· Ac[tum in c]ol(onia) [I F]l(avia)Caes(area) XI Kal(endas) Febr(uarias), Squilla Gallicano et Carmin{n}io Vetere
co(n)s(ulibus)1
Textual Note
Ed. Vitelli 1928 with ref. to Smallwood 1966Corrigenda Note
Minor corr. (resolved personal names, clear reconstructions, punctuation, capitalization)Translation
Recorded and authenticated from the petition published along with
others in the Portico of Junia Ba[----], in which was written the text which is written
out below [last phrase transliterated in Greek].To Vilius Cadus, legate of the
Emperor with propraetorian power, from 22 veterans of the Legion X Fretensis, who began
their military service in the consulship of Glabrio and Torquatus or in the consulship
of P[aulinus] and Aq[uilinus; = 124 and 125 CE], and whose names are listed below.
Since, sire, we served in the praetorian fleet at Misenum and then, after transfer to
the Fretensis Legion through the generosity [---], conducted ourselves over 20 [years]
in every respect as good soldiers should, now indeed in these most felicitous times we
have been discharged from our military oath and, as we are about to return to Egypt, to
our native city of Alexandria, we ask and request that you should think it appropriate
to affirm for us that we have been discharged by you, in order that it may be obvious
from your affirmation that we have been discharged from this very legion, not from the
fleet, so that your endorsement may serve us as written evidence if circumstances
demand, and so that we may be eternally grateful for your compassion.Caius Vibius
Maximus, (century of) Petronus Firmus[---]imus, (century of) Julianus AeternalisCaius Praesentius Proculus, (century) of Julius SabinusCaius Crispus Apollinaris,
(century) of Claudius MacedonCaius Sa[----]nusCaius Iulius Crispinus, (century) of
Pontienus Magnus, senior centurionCaius Aurelius Priscus, (century of) [----] Π[----]Lucius Petro[----]stronus SeverusCaius Longinus Priscus, (century of) Verus RufusCaius Longinus Priscus, same (century)Caius Apollinaris Maximus, (century of)
Petronus FirmusCaius Julius Capito, (century of) Plotus CelerMarcus Sabinus
Apollinaris, same (century)Caius Crispus Apollinaris, (century of) Aelius ArtorusCaius Iulius Celer, (century of) Aemlianus RufusCaius Julius Apollinaris, (century)
of Julius SabinusCaius Julius Longus, (century of) Marus GermanusMarcus Valerius
[----], senior centurionCaius Julius Petronianus, (century) of [----]fus PaulinusCaius Aurelius Maximus, (century of) Claudius MarcellusTitus Flavius Maximus, same
(century)[----]lerius Apollinaris, (century of) Flavius Longinus.I, Lucius
Petronius Saturninus, presented (this petition) on behalf of myself and my fellow
veterans. I, Pomponius, wrote it. Endorsement: Veterans from the legions do not usually
receive a written document. However, you wish it to be made known to the prefect of
Egypt that you have been discharged from your military oath by me on the orders of our
emperor. I shall give you your written document. [Publish this?] Executed in the First
Flavian Colony of Caesarea, 22 January, in the consulship of Squilla Gallicanus and
Carminius Vetus.2
Translation Note
Rev. Campbell 1994 with ref. to Palme 2006Works Cited
- 1 G. Vitelli, ed., Ρapiri greci e latini IX: no. 1001-1096, Pubblicazioni della Società Italiana per la ricerca del Papiri greci e latini in Egitto (Florence: E. Ariani, 1929), vol: 9.1026B, p: 39-41.
- 2 J. Brian Campbell, The Roman Army, 31 BC-AD 337: A Sourcebook (London and New York: Routledge, 1994), p: 201-202, entry: 329.
Additional Bibliography
- E. Mary Smallwood, ed., Documents Illustrating the Principates of Nerva, Trajan and Hadrian (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1966), p: 113, entry: 330.
- Bernhard Palme, Die classis praetoria Misenensis in den Papyri, in Italo--Tusco--Romana: Festschrift Luciana Aigner-Foresti zum 70. Geburtstag am 30. Juli 2006, ed. Petra Amann, Marco Pedrazzi, and Hans Taeuber (Vienna: Holzhausen, 2006), 282–99, p: 296-297.
How to Cite This Entry
Joseph L. Rife, “Pomponius, Petition from Veterans, PSI 9.1026B,” in Caesarea Maritima: A Collection of Testimonia, entry published June 30, 2023, https://caesarea-maritima.org/testimonia/422.
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Bibliography:
Joseph L. Rife, “Pomponius, Petition from Veterans, PSI 9.1026B.” In Caesarea Maritima: A Collection of Testimonia, edited by Joseph L. Rife., edited by Joseph L. Rife. Caesarea City and Port Exploration Project, 2023. Entry published June 30, 2023. https://caesarea-maritima.org/testimonia/422.About this Entry
Entry Title: Pomponius, Petition from Veterans, PSI 9.1026B
Authorial and Editorial Responsibility:
- Joseph L. Rife, general editor, Vanderbilt University
- Joseph L. Rife, editor, Caesarea Maritima: A Collection of Testimonia
- David A. Michelson, Daniel L. Schwartz, and William L. Potter, technical editor, “Pomponius, Petition from Veterans, PSI 9.1026B”
- Joseph L. Rife, entry contributor, “Pomponius, Petition from Veterans, PSI 9.1026B”
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- TEI encoding by Joseph L. Rife
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