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LOT 0139
Roman Bronze Military Diploma Fragments for a Soldier of the Cohors I Ulpia Dacorum
129 A.D.
1 5/8 in. (16.1 grams total, 40-42 mm).
Two adjacent fragments of bronze sheet with incised script to both faces; the larger with two straight edges; obverse with incised lateral margin and text in rustic capitals: 'SFR · POSTI[.] ISQ EO / NUBIVM.CV VXORI / CVM· EST.CIV [.]TAS · ISD / SENT · CVM · ILS QVAS / TAXAT · SINGVLI · SINE / P I V V ENTI OCEL / COH I VLP [.] ACOR'; reverse with looser, wider-spaced capitals written perpendicular to the obverse: '..THICIF ·OI / IANVSANI / COS / ..IFP CP / ...ASCRI .. / ETI NIP [.] / ...N...' [2]
ProvenanceEx German art market, 1990s.
Acquired from an EU collector living in London.
From the collection of a Surrey, UK, gentleman.
Dana, D. & Matei Popescu, F., Nouvelle copie de la constitution du 22 mars 129 (Syrie) pour un soldat de la cohors I Ulpia Dacorum. EDCS-J 53, 03/2026. DOI: 10.36204/edcsj-053-202603
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AUCTIONS:
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LOT 0139
Roman Bronze Military Diploma Fragments for a Soldier of the Cohors I Ulpia Dacorum
Sold for (Inc. bp): £1,105
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Historic Roman Cut and Polished Roman Imperial Purple Porphyry Section
Sold for (Inc. bp): £1,170
Comprising a triangular piece, cut and polished on several sides, probably recycled material mined in ancient Roman times between the 1st and 5th centuries A.D.; mounted on a custom-made metal display stand. 5.97 kg total, 38 cm including stand
Acquired on the UK art market since the 1990s. From the private collection of a Somerset gentleman.
Mons Porphyrites (today Jabal Abu Dukhkhan) is the mountainous site of a group of ancient quarries in the Red Sea Hills of the inhospitable eastern desert in Egypt, a five-day trip from the Nile during Roman times. They were discovered by Caius Cominus Leugas in 18 A.D., and during the Roman Empire, the mines officially belonged to the emperor and were the only known source of the Imperial Porphyry, Mons Porphyrites. This dark purple stone was associated with royalty and used for prestigious sculpture and architecture. The location of the mines was lost sometime in the 5th century and rediscovered in the early 19th century. Excavations in the area have revealed the well-preserved quarries and the dwelling places of the quarrymen, and also thousands of ostraca have been discovered containing messages that provide details of how the quarrying took place, and of how the highly skilled quarrymen ordered their food. -
Roman Iridescent Glass Bottle
1st-2nd century A.D.Estimate: £100 - 140 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £50
Tubular in form with shallow rounded base, sloped shoulder and flared rim to the mouth. 13.5 grams, 84 mm
Ex London, UK, art market 1990s. -
Roman Carnelian Gemstone with Winged Victory
2nd-3rd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £65
Intaglio winged Victory standing with one arm extended; supplied with a museum-quality impression. 0.29 grams, 8.81 mm
From the private collection of a European gentleman (1942-2024), formed since the 1970s.