LE SYMPOSIUM INTERNATIONAL LE LIVRE. LA ROUMANIE. L ...

538 IVO TOPALILOV
that the veterans and their descendents played a certain role in governing
the city. 14 In this case, however, the examples of a direct link between the
bouleutes and the veterans or their descendents are occasional. What is
important, however, is that almost all of the bouleutes were romanized and
their roman names are typical for the military.
Before proceeding, I would like to call attention to a fact regarding the
study of inscriptions in thrace. Contrary to some adjacent provinces, such
as Moesia Inferior, there are no inscriptions that I am aware of in thrace
whereby an ordinary veteran of peregrine origin is presented with his cursus
honorum combining the military as well the civic offices. the inscriptions
mention either the military either the civic one office achieved. We do
know of bouleutes, for instance, who had roman names and whose names
are definitely military ones, i.e., peregrines who received their roman
citizenship and roman names after the end of military service. 15 As far as
I know there is no such inscription in thrace with both military and civic
service mentioned. this might be due to the lower level of romanization
and urbanization of the locals since in some other provinces such a link
is attested. 16 It seems that in thrace the veterans preferred to show their
military status instead of their civic administrative one. In the cases in
Moesia Inferior the inscriptions not only present the cursus honorum and
with this a certain distinction with the locals and other roman citizens is
underlined.
As is well known philippopolis and its territory provided a huge
number of soldiers, mostly praetorians. After discharge some of them
returned to thrace, but, to the contrary of the widely accepted idea, not to
their original villages, rather to the centre – philippopolis (tab. 1). Fig. 1
shows the points where roman veteran’s inscriptions were found and make
this clear. As one may observe, most of them settled in philippopolis, some
of the inscriptions belong to those set up in the sanctuary of Asclepius near
Batkun, some of them lived near the via diagonalis and other important
roman roads, and just a few returned to their villages in the valley.
14 See for instance the inscription found near Butovo – CIl III, 7437(=6150,
12346), where we find T. Ae(lius) Felix bul. and C. Senti(o) Verano bul(euta); see also
[C.?] pompeius Magnus, bul(euta), probably grandson of p. pompeius Magnus, veteran
from Stobi (CIl III, 12410; 12409)- GeroV 1952, 97; idem, 1953, 378; see also lucius
Aurelius Surus bul. civitats – CIl III, 12422; for veterans’ families in civic aristocracy–
see GeroV1952, 116.
15 See for instance Γ(αίος) Ἰουλίος Οὐαλερίος βουλευτοῦ – IGBulg. II, 598.
16 See for instance IDr 3, 2, 120; fig. 95; CIl III, 1481.