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

198 The Roman Army
and (13) first Thracians, Roman citizens, which are in Lower Pannonia
under the command of Iallius Bassus, legate, and who have been
honourably discharged having completed twenty-five years’ service,
and also members of the fleet who have completed twenty-six years’
service, and whose names are written below, the Roman citizenship for
those of them who did not have it, and the right of marriage (conubium)
with the wives they had when citizenship was given to them, or, with
those whom they married afterwards, limited to one wife for each man.
8 February in the consulship of Marcus Civica Barbarus and Marcus
Metilius Regulus.
Of the first German cohort of Thracians which is commanded by
Gaius Turpilius Verecundus, from among the infantrymen, to Monnus,
son of Tessimarus, from the Eravisci, and to Nicia, daughter of Tricanus,
his wife, from Canac [ _ _ _ ]
Recorded and authenticated from the bronze plaque which is affixed
at Rome on the wall behind the temple of the divine Augustus at the
statue (?) of Minerva.
(Witnesses) Marcus Servilius Geta, Lucius Pullius Chresimus, Marcus
Sentilius Jasus, Tiberius Julius Felix, Gaius Bellius Urbanus, Gaius
Pomponius Statianus, Publius Ocilius Priscus.
This diploma illustrates the change in formula which was introduced around
November–December 140 and which restricted the discharge benefits of the
auxilia so that only children born after military service were granted citizenship,
that is, the grant ceased to apply retrospectively to existing children, as provided
for in texts nos. 322–24. The motive for this has been much debated but remains
obscure. It may be that the government wished to bring the auxilia into line
with the citizen troops, who, it is usually argued, did not receive retrospective
citizenship for existing children. Since more citizens now were choosing to
serve in auxiliary units, this anomaly was more obvious. It is by no means
certain that the citizen troops were less privileged in this respect (see below,
text no. 341). But even if this is true, it does not explain why the problem was
resolved by a restriction in benefits. The purpose may have been to encourage
more sons of soldiers to enlist in the army in the expectation of gaining Roman
citizenship. A further suggestion is that the concessions made to soldiers by
Trajan and Hadrian (above p. 157) in respect of the liaisons they formed during
service, were likely to have encouraged cohabitation and the production of
illegitimate offspring with their troublesome legal consequences. Antoninus
Pius could have decided to legalize military marriages, but that perhaps seemed
too extreme at this stage, and instead he attempted to discourage such liaisons.
No similar restrictions were placed on sailors, who were less numerous, though
by 166 the formula on their diplomas had been altered and now referred to a
grant of citizenship to them, and their children born to women whom they
proved to have lived with them in accordance with ‘the permitted custom’