Diplomas and Witnesses!

[Spedius]

Ave

The fifth and last of the topics discussing the various methods used to date diplomas, for the four previous topics, please see the list below:

http://www.romanarmy.com/rat/viewtopic.php?t=6732
http://www.romanarmy.com/rat/viewtopic.php?t=6767
http://www.romanarmy.com/rat/viewtopic.php?t=6771
http://www.romanarmy.com/rat/viewtopic.php?t=6803

The convention adopted by the Romans was to have diplomas attested as genuine copies of an original posted in Rome by seven witnesses. On very rare occasions that number has been as high as nine. Diplomas were legal documents and, as such, followed a very strict formula. A diploma consisted of two tablets with inscriptions on both sides of each. This would give you four inscribed sides on a complete diploma.

On the outer face of tablet II was inscribed the list of witnesses.

Following the pattern that I have adopted in the four previous topics, I am, once again, going to be concentrating on the reign of Titus (24/6/79-13-9/81).

I have chosen a diploma datable to 8 Septembre 79 as my example. This was issued to the auxilia of Noricum and was first published by Peter Weiss in Zeitschrift fur Papyrologie und Epigraphik 146 (2004) 239-254. This article can be downloaded from ZPE at the following site:-

http://www.uni-koeln.de/phil-fak/ifa/zp ... index.html

The seven witnesses are:

01. M. Licini Cerialis
02. Ti. Clavdi Honorari
03. P. Cvrtili Restitvti
04. C. Clavdi Silvani
05. C. Hostili Veri
06. M. Valeri Firmi
07. M. Caecili Anniani

The next step is to compare these names against a list of previous witnesses to get a date range. Witnesses generally served for several years, appearing again and again in similar or alternative sequences on diplomas. The witnesses on our chosen example appear to be unique, this is the first time any of them have acted as witnesses.

I have attached a copy of the image upon which is inscribed the names of the above mentioned witnesses. This image was obtained from Andreas Pengerl's website which can be accessed by clicking on the following link:-

http://www.romancoins.info

Please click on the image to enlarge it.

Vale

M. Spedius Corbulo

[Praefectusclassis]

Hi Jim.
To what extent is it now possible to construct a continuous series of witnesses? And isn't it true that they vary in rank & standing?

[Spedius]

Hi Jim.
To what extent is it now possible to construct a continuous series of witnesses? And isn't it true that they vary in rank & standing?

Ave Jasper,

The answer to the first part of your question would be a tentative yes. When constructing this topic I consulted the various lists in my copies of the RMD series. Witnesses are listed in several forms, by praenomen, nomen and cognomen. They are also listed by date and again by diploma.

The second part of your question is once again a tentative yes. I "know" that the witnesses varied in rank and standing but trying to prove it would be a task of monumental proportions. IIRC some of the early diplomas had that information included against the witnesses names.

I did make a start at transcribing the witnesses from the CIL and RMD series but I didn't get very far with that particular project.

Isn't this the type of information associated with PIR?

Vale

M. Spedius Corbulo

[Praefectusclassis]

I think the PIR project is indeed very ambitious, however, the status of witnesses is important for the status and workings of granting of diplomas.

[Spedius]

I think the PIR project is indeed very ambitious, however, the status of witnesses is important for the status and workings of granting of diplomas.

Ave Jasper,

Have you seen the PIR publications? The database is a list of names with x-refs to them, I assume?

Won't the subject of your first post come as a side effect of our project? If all data from all diplomas is in a searchable database couldn't you drag out a list of all witnesses? Anything attached to their names would come too, wouldn't it?

I agree that the status of the witnesses is important but only in as much as they would need to be creditable persons to act as witnesses. Finding out any more information would be difficult unless someone is prepared to search for each through the various university databases one name at a time. That could involve writing a programme that would do it automatically, then it may be possible. Would it (the programme) or one search on the inscription or the expanded version of the inscription?

The big question is, why would anyone want any more details about the witnesses? From my point of view, they are only of interest in assisting in the dating of diplomas.

Vale

M. Spedius Corbulo

[Kate Gilliver]

M.Roxan & J.Morris, "The witnesses to Roman military dipomatata", Arheoloski Vestnik 28 (1977), 199-333, is probably a good place to start.

[Spedius]

M.Roxan & J.Morris, "The witnesses to Roman military dipomatata", Arheoloski Vestnik 28 (1977), 199-333, is probably a good place to start.

Ave Kate,

Thank you for the reference, where did you find it?

My main problem is how to get hold of the article, do you have a copy?

I'm assuming the article is a list of witnesses, if it was published in 1977 it would consist mainly of CIL XVI and RMD I? Perhaps it may include others known to Margaret Roxan?

I agree with you though, it would be a good place to start. Do you want the job? It's not something that I'm eager to undertake.

Vale

M. Spedius Corbulo

[Kate Gilliver]

Jim, the reference is in a festchrift for Margaret Roxan edited by John Wilkes, Documenting the Roman Army, published by the Institute of Classical Studies, 2003. There's a bibliography of all her works at the beginning which you'd probably find very interesting and useful. You should be able to get a copy off Oxbow if Amazon don't list it, it has some good articles in it.
I think I read the Roxan & Morris article as an undergrad. but can't remember much about it (in my defence, I was an undergrad a rather long time ago). Margaret Roxan lived in a room the size of a broom cupboard next to my supervisor, Mark Hassall's office, and if he wasn't there she'd take time out to talk to a student with an unhealthy interest in the Roman army!

As for your kind job offer, I will sadly have to turn you down as I already have a frightening number of things in the 'to do really urgently' pile.


Kate

[Spedius]

Ave Kate,

I bought J.J. Wilkes' "Documenting the Roman Army" at the same time as RMD IV, the Roman Society were offering a discount for pre-ordering.

Thank you for reminding me.

It's quite remarkable what Margaret Roxan was able to achieve from her "broom closet" office.

It's a shame about the offer of work. Would anyone else like to volunteer?

Vale

M. Spedius Corbulo

[Spedius]

Ave

I'm sure you've all heard of the old expression "You learn something new every day".

Well I did.

Please allow me to explain.

I thought I knew a lot about witnesses and their function. What I didn't know was they actually attached their own personal seal to each diploma to which they acted as a witness. This was their attestation that it was a true copy of the original in Rome. The original was afixed to the wall in a prominent place and displayed for all to see

Please see the following website for descriptions and images:-

http://www.sbonline.net/diploma/diplomae.htm

Vale

M. Spedius Corbulo

[Spedius]

Ave,

I have compiled a simple chart to illustrate the shifting pattern of people acting as witnesses.

This was copied from "Das Militardiplom" by Nicole Lambert and Jorg Scheuerbrandt, Stuttgart, 2002, ISBN 3-8062-1726-2.

This excellent little book, all in German, is a well presented introduction to Roman Military Diplomas and well worth taking a look at.

Please click on the image to enlarge it

Vale

M. Spedius Corbulo