The Roman Army, 31 BC–AD 337: A Sourcebook

172 The Roman Army
solution, because the litigants were happy with an immediate decision, or because
no other official was readily available, or because other officials were glad to
have some of the burden of jurisdiction removed. Eventually, the centurion
would be seen by the local inhabitants as a source of de facto legal authority
and a means of redress. This was not a deliberate advance in militarism; the
government was simply using in an unplanned way some better-educated soldiers
to supplement existing officials in a minor role. The danger was that the army
was being more closely insinuated into local life and that verdicts of centurions
would be dictated by overriding military requirements. The development of
the judicial role of centurions is illustrated by many papyri from Egypt, but the
situation in other provinces is likely to have been similar (Campbell 1984:431–
5; Davies 1989:175–85).
286 P. Oxy. 2234, papyrus, Oxyrhynchus, Egypt, AD 31
To Quintus Gaius Passer, centurion, from Hermon, son of Demetrius.
Near the village of Teïs in the toparchy of Thmoisepho of the
Oxyrhynchite nome, I own a plot of land inherited from my paternal
grandfather, called ‘of the Woodland’, in which there is a public dyke
and a cistern, which is situated in the middle of my land, along with
cubic measures (?) and other things. For all of these I pay the appropriate
public taxes. But I am being attacked and plundered by the fishermen
Pausis, Papsious and his brother, and Cales, Melas, Attinus, Pasoïs,
and their accomplices, not few in number. They also brought along
Titius the soldier, and approaching my cistern with many fishing lines
and scaling knives, they fished with gaffs and pulled out fish worth one
silver talent. Moreover, when I remonstrated with them, they came up
to me apparently intending to [ _ _ _ ] me. Since they are using force
against me in many ways, I am taking recourse to you, and I request, if
you agree, that you have the accused brought before you so that they
may pay me back for the value of the fish, as was mentioned above,
and so that in future they may keep away from my property, in order
that I may be assisted. Farewell. Year 17 of Tiberius Caesar Augustus,
17 Pachon.
287 P. Ryl. 2. 141=Daris, Documenti 76, papyrus, Euhemeria,
Egypt, AD 37
To Gaius Trebius Justus, centurion, from Petermuthis, son of Heracleus,
resident of Euhemeria, farmer of state lands and public tax collector,
farmer of the estate of Antonia, wife of Drusus. On the second of the
current month, Pachon, in the first year of Emperor Gaius Caesar, while
I was remonstrating with Papontos, son of Orsenuphis, and Apion,