Sale: CNG 72, Lot: 2731. Estimate $1000.  Closing Date: Wednesday, 14 June 2006.  Sold For $2300. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

[Epigraphy] ROMAN. Thrace. Bronze military diploma. Date 7 March, AD 70. 102mm x 90mm. Upper right corner of a bronze plate engraved on both sides with the discharge record of a Roman legionary. The diploma is precisely dated – the year of the second consulship of Vespasian and the first of Titus, Caesar, the day before the Nonae of March – 7 March AD 70. Issued for a veteran of the Legio II Adiutrix, formed by Vespasian in AD 70 from marines in the Ravenna fleet who had sided with Vespasian in the war against Vitellius. The veteran was honorably discharged – honest missio as a disabled soldier – causarius – and granted citizenship-civitas as a loyal supporter of the Flavians. This diploma marked the end of the service career of a Thracian soldier, whose name unfortunately is not preserved. The original of this diploma would have been set up at Rome on the Capitoline Hill, by the Ara Gentum Iuliae.

Another fragment from this same diploma was recently published by Eck, MacDonald & Pangerl in “Neue Militärdiplome für die Truppen in Italien: Legio II Adiutrix, Flotten und Praetorianer”, ZPE 139, pp. 195-198 (pl V, 1); a small fragment of the text in the lower left hand corner.

The surviving text of this fragment:

Side I-5mm lettering, within chased frame:
[...]ASIANVS CAESAR AVG TRB
[...]I CAVSARIS QVI MILITAVE
[...] G II ADIVTRICE PIA FIDELE QVI
[...] ILES FACTI ANTE EMERITA
[...] XAVCTORATI SVNT ET DIMIS
[...] MISSSIONE QVORVM NOMI
[...] PTA SVNT IPSIS LIBERIS
[...] FORVM CIVITATEM DEDIT
[...] CVM VXORIBVS QVAS TVNC
[...] VM EST CIVITAS IS DATA
[...] BES ESSENT CVM IS QVAS

Side II-8mm lettering in a different hand:
[...]TA AVI SIQVI CAE
[...]CVM IS QVAS POST
[...] T DVMTAXAT SIN
[...] A D NONAS MART
[...] O CAESARE AVG II
[...] VESPASIANO COS
[...] DESCRIPTVM
[...] I

Smooth dark green patina, two holes by which the halves of the diploma were bound together.