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THBRoman Bronze Military Diploma w/ Aramaic Text
Lot 73d
About Seller
Artemis Gallery
686 S Taylor Ave, Ste 106
Louisville, CO 80027
United States
Selling antiquities, ancient and ethnographic art online since 1993, Artemis Gallery specializes in Classical Antiquities (Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Near Eastern), Asian, Pre-Columbian, African / Tribal / Oceanographic art. Our extensive inventory includes pottery, stone, metal, wood, glass and textil...Read more
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Live Auction in Progress ... Currently on Lot Estimate:
$6,000 - $9,000
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About Auction
Live
By Artemis Gallery
May 10, 2018
Set Reminder
2018-05-10 10:00:00
2018-05-10 10:00:00
America/New_York
Bidsquare
Bidsquare : Fine Ethnographic / Asian / Ancient Art
https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/artemis-gallery/fine-ethnographic-asian-ancient-art-3213
Featuring antiquities from around the world including Pre-Columbian, Tribal, Classical, Asian, so much more! Artemis Gallery info@artemisgallery.com
Featuring antiquities from around the world including Pre-Columbian, Tribal, Classical, Asian, so much more! Artemis Gallery info@artemisgallery.com
View Full Catalog (407)
- Lot Description
Roman, Imperial Period, ca. 1st to 3rd century CE. A complete cast bronze military diploma, with an Aramaic inscription in seven lines. When people from the Roman provinces had served in the Roman army for twenty-five years, they were rewarded for their service with a discharge granting them Roman citizenship and the right to marry. These were recorded on two bronze tablets that were fastened together with wire ("diploma" is Greek for a two-page folded document). Most of these tablets that we know of record the names of veterans of foreign birth who were discharged together; a copy was issued to each one. The missing top half would have recorded the date of the discharge and the Emperor giving it. This document would have been treasured by its owner, who had survived over two decades of war and disease, perhaps in an outpost far from home, in order to gain these rights. Size: 5.4" W x 7.35" H (13.7 cm x 18.7 cm)
Roman citizens would have been deeply familiar with inscriptions, many of them written in the languages of the provinces: Punic, Syriac, Hebrew, Demotic, and, like this one, Aramaic. Most were inscribed on wood, but there was also a great quantity inscribed on bronze. Unfortunately for us, the vast majority of these were melted down during the late Roman period and the Middle Ages, and it is estimated that between .3 and 1% of all diplomas have survived to the present day.
Provenance: private Davis collection, Houston, Texas, USA
All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.
A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.
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#133025Mottled turquoise and brown patina on surface. Very readable.Condition
- Shipping Info
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