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

202 The Roman Army
from your affirmation that we have been discharged from this very
legion, not from the fleet, so that your endorsement (subscriptio—a
response to the petition written at the end) may serve us as written
evidence (instrumentum) if circumstances demand, and so that we may
be eternally grateful to your compassion.
(The names and centuries of twenty-two veterans follow.)
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
(instrumentum). However you wish it to be made known to the prefect
of Egypt that you have been discharged from you military oath by me
on the orders of our emperor. I shall give you your bonus and a written
document. [Publish this?]. Executed in the First Flavian Colony of
Caesarea, 22 January, in the consulship of Squilla Gallicanus and
Carminius Vetus.
These Egyptian soldiers had begun service as non-citizen sailors in the fleet at
Misenum; at some date between AD 125 and 138 they were transferred to the X
Fretensis, based at Jerusalem, which had presumably suffered heavy casualties
during the Jewish revolt. At this point they will have become citizens. They were
anxious, therefore, to confirm their citizenship through their status as legionary
veterans. It is clear from this text that legionaries did not normally receive
diplomata or official certificates of discharge, even if they asked for them (see
Mann and Roxan 1988; text no. 321 above). Cadus grants only an informal
instrumentum, in the sense of a simple statement that he was discharging these
legionaries and making this known to the Prefect of Egypt. Of course it need not
follow that legionaries were denied privileges of citizenship for their children
similar to those granted to other troops. It is indeed unclear how emperors could
give fewer privileges to legionaries than to auxiliaries, since the situation was
bound to be obvious to the troops. In the early period the government perhaps
reckoned that no concessions were needed for legionaries since they were already
citizens and, being forbidden to marry, should not have had children. So, diplomata
were not available to them. This rule was not applied to auxiliaries, who were
more informally organized and in any event might require proof of grants of
personal citizenship. In the case of praetorians who needed proof of their privileges,
diplomata were granted largely as a mark of honour. Subsequently, citizenship
may have been informally granted to legionaries’ children (see text no. 341),
even though no diplomata were issued.
330 P. Hamb. 31=Daris, Documenti 90, papyrus, Fayum, Egypt,
AD 103
Extract from the volume of certifications of status (epikrisis) by the then
prefect, Vibius Maximus. Certifications of status by Vibius Maximus in