Fragment of a Roman Bronze Military Diploma Granted by Emperor Septimius Severus

195 A.D.

2 in. (27.13 grams, 50 mm).

Issued for a member of the equites singulares Augusti, the emperor’s horse guards; granted by Septimius Severus in the summer of AD 195, during his Parthian expedition; obverse with seven lines of text with well engraved letters: (1) [… IMP] • VI • C[OS …] / (2) [EQVITIBVS Q]VI•INTER•S[INGVLAR MILITAVERVNT CASTRIS] / (3) [NOVIS QVIB]VS PRAEEST [. . .] / (4) [TRIBVNVS QVI]NIS ET VICEN[IS PLVRIBVSVE STIPENDIS] / (5) [EMERI]TIS DIMISSIS H[ONESTA MISSIONE QVORVM] / (6) [NOMINA SVB]SCRIPTA SVNT [CIVITATEM ROMANAM] / (7) . . . + ++ . . . . On the inner face traces of 7 lines of text: (1) [- - -]MAX·TR[IB / (2) [- - -]+ COS [- - -] / (3)[EQVITIBVS QVI I]NTER·SINCV[LAR MILITAVER CASTRIS] / (4) [NOVIS QVIBVS] PRAEEST + [- - -] /(5) TRIBVNVS] QVINIS ET VI[CENIS PLVRIBVSVE STIPENDIS] / (6) [EMERITIS] DIM[ISSIS HONESTA MISSIONE QVORVM] / (7) +++. [No Reserve]

Provenance

Property of a European gentleman, acquired on the London art market.

Published

F. Matei-Popescu and P. Rothenhöfer, A new fragment of a military diploma for the equites singulares Augusti in Journal of Ancient History and Archaeology 12, 2025, pp. 256-258.

CONDITION

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LOT 0123