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Lost Along the Way: A Centurion Domo Britannia in Bostra*

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 March 2016

Laurens E. Tacoma ,
Tatiana Ivleva  and
David J. Breeze
Laurens E. Tacoma
Affiliation:
Institute of History, Faculty of Humanities, Leiden Universityl.e.tacoma@hum.leidenuniv.nl
Tatiana Ivleva
Affiliation:
School of History, Classics and Archaeology, Newcastle UniversityTatiana.Ivleva@ncl.ac.uk
David J. Breeze
Affiliation:
Edinburghdavidbreeze@hotmail.co.uk
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Abstract

This article discusses a not well-known funerary monument commemorating a centurion of British descent. IGLS 13.1.9188 records the centurion, T. Quintius Petrullus, ‘from Britain’, of the Third Cyrenaican Legion, who died aged 30 at Bostra in Arabia. This was a young age for a centurion and the article suggests that he had entered the army by a direct commission rather than risen through the ranks. Accordingly, he is likely to have belonged to a high-status family. The Bostra appointment was probably his first. The appointment is put into context alongside other similar equestrian career paths and the Jewish War during the reign of Hadrian is proposed as a possible occasion for the posting. In addition, the article examines this Briton alongside other Britons abroad.

Keywords

centurionatepromotions and transfers in the Roman armyinscriptionsBritons abroadBostramigration and mobility
Type
Articles
Information
Britannia , Volume 47 , November 2016 , pp. 31 - 42
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s) 2016. Published by The Society for the Promotion of Roman Studies 

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Footnotes

*

This article finds its origin in a simple query of Tacoma to Ivleva in the course of research for Tacoma and Tybout (forthcoming) about the reading of IGLS 13.1.9188. Ivleva in her turn discussed the inscription with Breeze. The three decided to join forces and to report their developing arguments into the present study. We would like to thank A.R. Birley, L.J.F. Keppie and R.S.O. Tomlin for their suggestions and comments. All mistakes and errors in the interpretation remain our own. The following abbreviations are used: AE

L'Année Épigraphique (1888–)

CAG

Carte archéologique de la Gaule

CIL

Corpus Inscriptionum Latinarum (1863–)

Hild.

F. Hild, Supplementum epigraphicum zu CIL III: das pannonische Niederösterreich, Burgenland und Wien 1902–1968 (1968)

IAL

C.M. Ternes, ‘Les inscriptions antiques du Luxembourg’, Hémecht 17 (1965), 267–481

IGLS

Inscriptions grecques et latines de la Syrie (1929–)

ILS

H. Dessau, Inscriptiones Latinae Selectae (1892–1916)

IK

Inschriften griechischer Städte aus Kleinasien (1972–)

IKöln

B. und H. Galsterer, Die römischen Steininschriften aus Köln (2010)

ILBulg

B. Gerov, Inscriptiones Latinae in Bulgaria repertae (1989)

ILJug

Inscriptiones Latinae quae in Iugoslavia … repertae et editae sunt (1963–86)

PME

H. Devijver, Prosopographia Militiarum Equestrium quae fuerunt ab Augusto ad Gallienum (1977–93)

P.Mich

C.C. Edgar, A.E.R. Boak, J.G. Winter et al., Papyri in the University of Michigan Collection (1931–)

RHP

B. Lörincz, Die römischen Hilfstruppen in Pannonien während der Prinzipatzeit (2001)

RIB

The Roman Inscriptions of Britain

RMD

M.M. Roxan, Roman Military Diplomas (1978–)

Tyche

Tyche. Beiträge zur Alten Geschichte, Papyrologie und Epigraphik (1986–)

References

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