6. f2011 vindolanda letters
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Short Range Communication
• Trumpets– Charge, retreat
• Cornets ( played by cornicen)– Motion of colors
• Classicum or buccina (horn)– Used by commander, salutes, executions
• Tuba (played by tubicen)– Signal trumpet
Vegetius, De Re Militari
Longer range communication
• Beacons
• Semaphores
• Coded signals
• Manpower needed?
• caelum crebris imbribus ac nebulis foedum
Signaling
The other 'evidence' from field
archaeology, aerial photography and
excavations for Roman military signalling
systems is hypothetical, and varies from the
ridiculous to the inconclusive.
Donaldson, “Signalling, Communications and the
Roman Imperial Army” 1988
• Probable Method: pony express
Period Dates Size Occupants
I c AD 85-95 3 acres Coh I Tungrorum
II c AD 95-100 5 acres Coh VIIII Batavorum
III AD 100-105 5 acres Coh VIIII Batavorum
IV AD 105-120 8 acres Coh I Tungrorum; Vardulli cavalry +Legionaries;
V AD 120-130 5 acres Coh I Tungrorum ; stone fort
VI c AD 130-160‟s 3.6acres Possibly Coh II Nerviorum
VIA c AD 160-200 4 acres. Unknown – Possibly North African in origin or Coh II
Nerviorum
VIB c AD 208-211 1.5acres Unknown
VII c AD 212-280 3.6acres Coh IV Gallorum
VIII c AD 300-367 3.6acres Coh IV Gallorum
IX AD 367-410 3.6acres Unknown –Riacus
X c AD 410-600 3.6acres Unknown – Brigomaglos and Riacus only known
occupants
Roman Names
Forename Family name Nickname, local name
or tribal name
Praenomen gentilicium or nomen Cognomen
? Flavius Cerialis
Acquired Roman
Citizenship after
accession of first
Flavian, Vespasian
From Petillius Cerialis
Correspondents
• Felicio, a centurion
• Priuatis, a slave
• Caecilius September, prefect of a cavalry
unit
The Extras
• Types of auxiliary units
– Quingenaria or milliaria
– Equitata
• VIIII Batavians
• I Tungrians
• Itinerant cavalry, legionaries, other units
Bronze military diploma
Malpas, Cheshire 103 CE
To:
Reburrus, a Spanish decurion
in the 1st Pannonian cavalry
Military DiplomaFrom Hadrian for the
units:
which are in Britain….
… soldiers who have
served twenty-five
years and received an
honourable discharge
…. To them and to
their children for
posterity has been
granted … citizenship.
Not Written on Stone
• Papyrus
• Vellum
• Wax tablet – business and legal use
• Ink tablet – ephemeral use
Writing Tablets and Scribes
PROC AVG DEDERVNT
BRIT PROV
'The imperial procurators of
the province of Britain
issued this
Challenge-Reading the Tablets
• Conservation
• Dirt: Infra-red photography
• Reading script
• New words, new spelling
• Filling in missing parts
– Formulaic writing
– Standard abbreviations
– Recognized names
Cerialis Seeks Advancement
Now (?), in whatever
way you wish, fulfil
what I expect of you
and ... so furnish me
with friends that
thanks to you I may be
able to enjoy a
pleasant period of
military service.
Expenses
• Dinners with Brocchus
• Hunting
• Distribution of beer to the decurions
• Chickens
– Dinner guests
– Holidays
Account - Details
• Cloaks, number 6, 11 /2 denarii each, total 69 denarii
• Skillets, number 4, denarii 2 7/8 and 1 as each, total 11¾
denarii.
• Scarlet curtain (?), measuring 11 ½ , total 54 ½ + denarii
• Hair, 9 pounds in weight, 5¾ denarii per pound, total 51¾
denarii.
• Drawers, number 10, 2 ½ denarii each, total 25 denarii.
Supplies – Detailed List
•Wheat
•Hides from tannery at
Catterick
•Send cash
•Delivery delay because
the bad roads would have
resulted in injuries to the
animals
More for the Saturnalia
Severus to his Candidus, greetings. Regarding the ... for
the Saturnalia, I ask you, brother, to see to them at a
price of 4 or six asses and radishes to the value of not
less than 1/2 denarius. Farewell, brother.‟
Back: To Candidus, slave of Genialis the prefect, from
Severus, slave of ?
Birthday Invitation
On 11 September, sister, for
the day of the celebration of
my birthday, I give you a
warm invitation to make
sure that you come to us, to
make the day more
enjoyable for me by your
arrival, if you are present
(?).
To Sulpicia Lepidina from Claudia Severa, wife of Aelius Brocchus
HW
INTEREA PAVIDAM VOLITANS PINNA
TA .VBEM segn.Meanwhile, the winged [bird, rumor], flying though the
trembling city. Virgil IX 473 Slack
Roll call
18 May, net number of the
First Cohort of
Tungrians, of which the
commander is Iulius
Verecundus the prefect:
752, including centurions 6
of whom there are absent:
[list numbers of absentees and
where they are]
Work
Three groups
•Building a hospitium
•Working at lime-kilns
•Getting clay for making
wattle fences
Clothing
I have sent (?) you ... pairs of socks from Sattua, two pairs
of sandals and two pairs of underpants, two pairs of
sandals ... Greet ...ndes, Elpis, Iu..., ...enus, Tetricus and all
your messmates with whom I pray that you live in the
greatest good fortune
Request for Leave
I ask, my lord
Cerialis, that you
consider me a
worthy person to
whom to grant
leave
Complaint
I want you to know that I
am in very good health, as
I hope you are in turn, you
neglectful man, who have
sent me not even one
letter. But I think that I am
behaving in a more
considerate fashion in
writing to you ... to
you, brother, ... my
messmate.
Mistreatment - Complaint
I implore your majesty not
to allow me, an innocent
man, to have been beaten
with rods… I implore your
mercifulness not to allow
me, a man from overseas
and an innocent one, about
whose good faith you may
inquire, to have been
bloodied by rods as if I had
committed some crime.
Intelligence on the Britons
... the Britons are
unprotected by armour
(?). There are very many
cavalry. The cavalry do
not use swords nor do the
wretched Britons
(Brittunculi) mount in
order to throw javelins.
Development of Vici
Traditional model
• Extra mural area with bath house and a few
traders and camp followers
• Economic development
• Some political independence
– Survive dismantling of the fort
• Military annexes or fortified civilian
annexes
Extramural Vindolanda
• Antonine (~160)
– Defensive enclosure perhaps to facilitate wagon
parks, horse lines
• Severan (~210)
– Stone fort
• 3rd century
– Settlement
Finds in barracks
• Female shoes – not just associated with
prefect
• Bracelets and beads at Catterick
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