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TIBISCVMSerie noui

ARHEOLOGIE

3 I 2013

Studii;i Comuniciri de Etnografie - IstorieI, lg7 5, 294 p.

II, 1977,526 p.

III,1979,443 p.

IV, 1992, 354p.

Studii gi Comuniciri de IstorieI, lg7g, aT p.

TIBISCUM(Studii qi Comuniciri de Etnografie * Istorie)

v 1984,

vl, 1996, 439 p.

vil, 1999,342p.VIII, 1993, 454p.x, 2000, 393 p.

xI,2003, a65 p.

xll, 2005, 429 p.

TIBISCUM(Studii qi Comuniciri de Etnomuzicologie)

X111,2007,108 p. (Volum omagial)

TIBISCUM7l20ll, Serie Noud212012, Serie Noui312013, Serie Noui

CON S ILIUL IUDETEAN CARA$-SEVERIN

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EDITURA MEGACluj-Napoca

i

Colegiu ;tiin!i1ic:

Costin Fenegan - Arhivele Naiionale Bucureqti

Doina Frunziverde - Univetsitatea,,Eftimie Murgu" Reqi{a

PS. Luclan Mic - Episcopul Caransebeqului

\rictor Neumann - Unlversltatea de \rest Ttmiqoara

Ioan Piso - Centrul de Studii Romane Cluj-Napoca

Alexar.rdru \/Lrlpe - Institutul de Arheologie ,Vasile PArvan'

Bucuregtt

Colegiu de redaclie:

Adrian Ardel -redactor responsabil

Bogdana Branca -secretar de redaclie

Lavinia Grumeza -secretar de redac{ie

Niccleta Nlatei -n.rembru

Dimitrie Pavel Negrel -membru

Carmen Maria Neumann -membru

Ne1u1u Rada -membru

Tibiscum, serie noui, continua publicaliile anterioare a1e

Muzeului ]udelean de Etnografie qi al Regimentului de

Grani!d Caransebeg:

Studii qi Comunicirl de Etnografie - Istorie, I975 - 1982

Studii $i Comuniciri de Istorie, i979

TIBISCUM (Studil qi Comuniciri de Etnografie - Istorie),

i984 - 2005

TIBiSCUN{ (Studii qi Comuniciri de Etnomuzicologie), 2007

Foto coperta i: Relief cu reprezentarea Cavalerilor Danubieni

descoperit Ia Tibiscum.

Orice coresPonden![ se va adresa

Muzeului Judelean de Etnografie qi al Regimentulur de Gr:r-:::

Piala I. Drigilina nr. 2,

ROr235400 Caransebeq

Tel/fa-x: 00 40 255 512193

Te1: 00 40 255 511173

e-mail: mjergcaransebes@yahoo com

http://utrv.muzeltl-caransebes.ro/

Richten Sie bitte jedrvelche Korrepondenz an die Adresse:

Muzeului Jude!ean de Etnografie 9i al Regimentului de Grani!i

(Grafschaft Museum fiir Vtilkerkunde und dem Grenze Regintent) '

Piala I. Dragilina nr. 2,

RO-235400 Caransebeq

e-mai1: mjergcaransebes@yahoo. com

http://nrullrmuzeul-caransebes-ro/

Plase send anY mail to:

Muzeului )ude!ean de Etnografie qi a1 Regirnentului de Graniti

(Caransebes County Museum ofEthnography and Border

Regiment),

Piala L Drigilina nr. 2, RO-235400 CaransebeE

e-mai1: mj ergcaransebes@yahoo.com

http:/i t'mv.muzeul-caransebes.ro/

Tutta 1a corrispondenza sari affrontata:

Muzeului Jude!ean de Etnografie qi al Regimentului de Grani{1

(Contea Museo Etnografico e del Reggimento di confine),

Piala I. Drigilina nr. 2,

RO-235400 Caransebeq

Tel/fax: 00 40 255 512193

Tel: 00 40 255 514173

e-mai1: mjergcaransebes@yahoo. com

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Responsibility lies solely 0n material content authors'

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EpI'runa Meca I www.edituramega.ro

e-mail: mega@edituramega. ro

h-s

CUPRINS _ INHALT _ CONTENSTS _ CONTENUTO

ARH EOLOG IESimboluri religioase - mirturii cregtine - dovezi de credin!5,

din preistorie p6nE in epoca contemporanl

ARCHAEOLOGYReligious symbols - Christian testimony - evidence of faith,

from prehistoy to the modern era

SUA SANTITA LUCIAN MICSanti Constantino ed Elena - Apostoli del Cristianesimo. Editto di Milano (313). ....13

Sfinyii imparayi Constantin Si Elena - apostoli ai creStindtdfii. Edictul de la Milano (31j)

FRANCIS TASSAUX

Rituels et liturgies dans 1es grands sanctuaires de la Gaule romaine (i"-no*'s.p.C.)..... .. .......... ................21Rituals and liturgies in the greath sanctuaries of the Roman Gaul (1'-4u AD)

IOAN PISO, TIBERIU TECAR

Une inscription fun6raire des environs de Napoca.. .............330 inscriplie funerara din imprejurimile I'lapocdi

SNEZANA GOLUBOVIC, MIOMIR KORAE

Graveinventor,v-areflectionofthebeliefofdeceased.... ..........37

Inventarul mormintelor - o reJlectare a credin{ei celui decedat

RADA,{ILA ZOTOVIC

The relief presentation of the birds on the grave monuments of the Eastern part of the Roman province of Dalmatia

- Connection with the gods and soul.d" -" ---

Reprezentarile de pasari pe monumente t'unerare din estul Dalmatiei romone - Legdturi cu zei Si suJlet

47

IOANA CRETULESCU,

Barbarian presence on

LUCIAN'MIRCEA MURE$AN

Roman funerary m0numents belonging to mrlitary personnel stationed in Dacia (l"a - 3'a

Centuries A.D.) ....Prezenla barbarilor pe monumentele.funerare rlmafie apar{inknd militarilor din Dacin (secolel lI-IIl p. Chr.)

MILICA TAPAVICKI-ILIC, IELENA ANDELKOVIE GRASAR

Symbol as key to the question of Roman lvoman's afterlife......... ............65Simbolul - ca raspuns la intrebdri legate de viala de dincolo a femeii rlmane

NEMANJA MRDIC, ANGELINA RAIEKOVIC

Cult preparation of a burial pit - experimental research of 1oca1 customs..... ............85Pregatirea ritualica a unei gropi de mormhnt - cercetdri experimentale ale unor obiceiuri locale

.53

q:

i

N,IIHAELA ]UARTIN

General perspective on several Roman religious symbols .... '..Pcrspective generale asupra unor siinboluri religioase roffiane

NASER FERRI

Le tracce epigrafiche dei culti e delle divinitiL autoctone dardane e ie prime tracce del cristianesimo nella Dardania

Epigraphic tracks of ults and natiye Dard(utian dit,inities and the f,rst tracks of christianity in the Roman Dardani(t

KLUTINiE B O SHTRAKAi-CAI'IiUThespreadofchristranityinDardaniaaftertheissuanceofEdictofl\{ilan(313) ..........

Raspi.ndirea creStinismului in Dardania dupa emitarea Edictului din Milano (31j)

DOREL BONDOC

CAtevaevidenteprivindrelaliiiedintrepiginigicregtinilaCioroiuNou,inepocaromani- ...........-....11;

Some eyidences concerning the relatiotts between tke pagans and the christians in Cioroiu l{ou, during the Roman

period

GABRIEL CRACIUNESCU

Drobetaqisemnul crucii.......... """""" ""'131Droheta and the cross sign

ARHEOLOGIE _ STUDII

ARCHAEOLOGY - STUDIES

OCTAVIAN.CRISTIAN ROGOZEA, R.EMUS DINCA

Vesseis rvith marked bottoms from SAnandrei (Tlmig County)........

Fundurile de vas cu,,semne" de la Sknandrei (judetulTirui)

CAIUS SACARIN, DIMITRIE P.AJ/EL NEGREI

Bronze deposit from Zagujeni (ll), Carag-Severln County.. """""""""157Depozitul de bronzuri de la Zdguieni (ll), Iudetul CaraS-Seterin

ALEXANDRU HEGYI

Un fragment de ciocan pentru minerit descoperit Ia Zidlreni, iudelul Arad

Fragment of a mininghammer found at Zddareni (Arad County)

ANDREI GEORGESCU

An anthropomorphic figurine from Peclca - "$anlu N{are"........... """'203O statueta antropomort'd descoperitdla Pecica - "$anfu Mare"

SORIN NEN{ETI, ADRIAN ARDET

...19s

A relief from Tibiscum depicting the Danubian Riders..................'

Un relief al Cavalerilor Danubieni de Ia Tibiscum

ANA- CRI ST INA HAA,IAT, VIOREL $TEFAN G EORGES CU

Consideraiii privind produclia 1oca1[ de opaile de lut la Tibiscum

Some consideration abottt local latnps' production t'rom Tibiscum

LAVINIA GRUMEZA

Typology and chronology of beads found rvithin the Foeni Sarmatian Necropolis (Timiq County). . . . . .

Tipologia Si cronologia mdrgelelor descoperite tn necropola sarmatica de la Foeni (jud, Timi)

2t3

223

E.

.245

CRON ICA

THE CHRONICLEPublicalii, comuniclri Ei expozitii..... ......,....261

Publications - communications and exhibitions

RECENZI I

REVIEWS

..\VINIA GRUMEZAI{ARIANA PiSLARU, The Roman Coins t'rom Potqissa. Legionary Fortress and Ancietrt Town, Mega Pubiishing

House,Cluj-Napoca,2009,402p.,38fig.,XXXVpl.,ISBN978-606-543-021-1.......... ...................271

A\A CRISTINA HAMATGHEORGHE POPILIAN, Necropola Daco-Romand de Ia Diogi (judeful Dolj), ed. Sitech, Craiova 2012, 169 p.,32 frg.,

25, pl., ISBN 978-606-ll-2908-9........... ...................274

.{BREVIERI BIBLIOGRAFICE .............. ......279

BARBARIAN PRESENCE ON ROMAN FUNERARYMONUMENTS BELONGING TO MILITARY PERSONNEL

STATIONED iN DACIA (2ND - 3RD CENTURIES A.D.)

Ioana CRETUTESCU,Lucian-Mircea MURE$AN

University of Bucharest

ne cf the most vivid testimonies of the past, the funerary monument survives to thisday t'ith precious information about the Roman World at a given time in history,

-,r \\'ere its inhabitants, from where they came from, what was their life expectancy or their--::pation during their life time and who will survive them after they are gone. The funerary

'. :r:ntent thus becomes a tool through which they will be remembered by, because what the:::ans feared most and considered real death was to be forgotten.

Nevertheless, the habit of making modest to lavish stone monuments to be remembered by

-:r death wili not remain specific onlv to Roman citizens. Throughout the Empire this new:: o1'funeral manifestation reaches new provincial regions lvith the help of military units, the, - :ilit1. of the Roman army being a catalyst in the distribution of funerary monuments in pro-rcial territory. Dacia doesnt make an exception from this pattern, as stone cutters workshops.:: deliver such products are born near centers where different military units, from legions to

. -,.,:liar,v troops and numerl are stationed.Betbre beginning our discussion, it is important to define the term "barbarian; nhich is

-,:d here not in its iegal sense, as a member of Barbaricum and not a part of the Roman norld,,, opposed to Roman citizens or peregrines, but in its cultural and ethnic sense, of non-Roman:.qin, from outside the Roman world, and rvho wiil become part of the Roman Empire through

. .i 01'his ancestors military activity as a Roman citizen, but who is abie to retain cultural ele-

--r:nts ciearly indicating his ethnic origin, such as language or ethnic names even after obtaining- :rzenship.

The so called "military funerary monuments" are recognized to be an important stage in pro--rcial art evolution, as they are known to spearhead the production of funerary materials in pro-

, rlcial territor,v. Nevertheless, just as barbarians make their presence feit in the Roman Imperialrrmv earlf in the 1't century A.D., earning in some notable cases their rightful place as elite troops', orking for the benefit of the Roman Empirel, is it possible to feel their influence on provincial.inerary art? Is their presence felt among the vast numbers of Roman citizens and peregrines

--sted on funerary monuments and if it is, are there notable characteristics of these funeral mani--:stations that differentiate them from other such monuments found in the same region ?

In our attempt to answer these questions listed above, we turn to the Roman province of Dacia,:onquered from Decebalus' Dacians in a time when the Empire was at its territorial peak and with-:emendous military effort. Its strategic significance as a border province required sustainable

As u'as the case, later on, of the Moorish cavalry led bi, their ethnic leader, Lucius Quietus, who joined Trajanin his expeditions in Dacia and Parthia as free allies (Cassius Dio, LXVIII, 32,4), to which we add L. Quietus'o\{n personai rise in the Roman hierarchy to a position in which, it was rumored, he could challenge emperorHadrians authority (SHA, Hadr., 5, 9). For further information, see Speidel, 1975, p.208-213).

i' I B I S CV N,t, Arheologie, 3 120L3, p. 53 -64

54 | IoaNa CRETULESCU, LucreN-Mrncna MURE$AN

military control, provided by bringing and stationing a number of legions and numerous auxil-

iary troops, meant to protect this new Roman territory from the outside restless Barbaricum. As

methodology, we chose two paths of analysis, the first being a search for names of people with

cognominaindicating their direct ethnic origin, an evident barbarian ancestry, present on militaryfunerary monuments, while the second path of analysis focuses on numeri stationed in Dacia in

the 2"d and 3'd century A.D., those ethnic irregular military units composed of non-Roman ele-

ments from outside the Roman World, recruiting unromanized members who will retain their

ethnic language, armament and uniforms2. The general idea is to see if these examples show a

tendency to preserve their national identity through funerary practice, the general appearance ofthe funerary monuments attributed to them or through evidence noted in the carved inscriptions.

Thus we begin our analysis at Romula, in Dacia Inferior, where the funerary stela of vet-

eran Aelius Germanus3 was discovered. This monumental tombstone (fig. 1), measuring three

meters in height and dating from the second half of the 2nd century A.D., was dedicated by the

deceased's brother, also Aelius Germanus, decurio municipii. The two brothers, who cannot be

distinguished from one another as they have no agnomina, obviously inherited their names

from their father, who, most likety, obtained Roman citizenship during Hadrian's time, thus

the nomen genitle Aelius, and chose to preserve his German ancestry through the cognomen

Germanus. He was most likely a soldier, a career one of his sons will choose to follow, even if the

name of the military unit is unknown to us, oniy the fact that he was a veteran.

Another somewhat similar example is found at Potaissa, in Dacia Porolissensis, although

this time we are dealing with a civiliana. The epitaph nominates the deceased, Aelia Publica, who

lived for 40 years, and the one that erected the monument, her husband, Aurelius Germanus.

This time we are not dealing with any kind of direct evidence to a militarybackground, one can

only suspect that he was a descendant of a military figure of German origin who obtained his

citizenship through a military career in the time of Marcus Aurelius.

Nevertheless, it must be taken into account also the fact that the Latin word for brother ofsame parents or, at least, same father, was "germanus", often seen in the works of Cicero, Plautus

and Ovids, thus, in our cases, to attributing the German origin of the already mentioned men itis common sense to add the idea that the name "Germanus" could have been alio an indicationof close family relationship.

On the other hand, an interesting situation arises from the tombstone of one Aurelius

Maurus from Miciau (fig.z). The monument has in its upper part a horseshoe-shaped niche withfive busts inside, above the niche in the stone slab's corners we have stylized acanthus leaves. The

field of the inscription is bordered by a frame which continues to surround even the horseshoe

niche. The monument was damaged in the 19th century, the second line of the epitaph, after the

formula Dis Manibus, was interrupted. A manuscript from that time contained the transcript ofthis epitaph, naming Aurelius MAIVRVS, determining the authors of CIL to give the name ofMaurusT to the deceased. While some scholars disagree with this proposition, suggesting that

the name should be read Ma(t)urus8, others consider the former theory a reliable onee, as do we.

2 Le Bohec, 1989, p.28.3 CIL III, 8033 = IDR II, 3514 CIL III, 916.5 Lewis/Short, 1879, germanus.6 CIL lI1,6267 = IDR III/3, 166.7 Speidel 1975,p,210.8 Speidel 1975,p.210.e Petolescu 2002, p, 136., Nemeth , 2003a, p. 448.

Barbarian presence on Roman funerarl ttonufftents belonging to military personnel stationed in Dacia | 55

Thus rve have the deceased Aurelius Maurus, a veteran of cohors Commagenorum, hissrrns, Aureiius Primanus and Aurelius Surus, the latter being a milis(!) n(umeri) M(aurorunt))'i(iciensius) and his daughter Aureiia Eustina. The monument \\,as erected by the wife and

nother Aurelia Surilla for her family. Not onlv do lve have the father Maurus, indicating a

I'loorish ancestry, who this time is a member of an auxiliary regular troop of Commagens, but',re have aiso the son named Surus, a cognoruen taken after his maternal grandfather, a Syrian,

-.navbe even a Commagenlo, $,ho is a member of the numeri Maurorum stationed at Micia. The

:-i-ionument belonging to this family with strong Oriental ancestry has been dated in the 3'd cen-

,'rrv A.D", most likely after constitution Antoninianatt.And so we reach our second path of analysis, concentrating on the nurneri stationed in Dacia

-:i the 2"d and 3'd centuries A.D.. These ethnic units, the so called "national numeri", recruited,heir members from the least Romanized communities (especially in the first three centuries

- D.)'' and, by not being incorporated in legions, cohorts or alae, they were able to preserve not: nly their fighting techniques, which were the very reason for which they were recnrited in the

-,:st place, but also, in some degree, their way of life. Because of this, they were considered by.:holars to be, if not the main reasonl3 at least one of the decisive factors that gradually led to the:arbarization of the Roman Army in the Later Empirela.

In the 2"d century, these tribal and regional units become a permanent presence on the;'ires, serving far away from home in deftnding for long periods of time specific sectors on the:orders of the Empire. And even if their commanders were Roman ofEcersls, by replenishing.leir numbers from their home iand, at least initially, these communities preserved their ethnic:iaracteristics, their names, their gods, even their ianguage. Moreover, their ethnicity became

,he element that defined these units, the Romans calling these soldiers "barbarians" (nationes)

:r bi, their ethnic or:igin (the Moors or the Palmyrians), which will become in time their troops'

-rames (ex: numerus Maurorum)t6.In Dacia, the numeri rvhose members were among the last ethnic groups to renounce their

.laiional characteristics were the ones composed of Palmyrians, Syrians or Moors.Palmyreni sagittarii were first recorded in Dacia in two military diplomas, one dating from

ll0 A.Dt7 and the other from 126 A.D.18, stating that members from this group were rewardedLoman citizenship by Emperor Hadrian, probably ante emerita stipendiare, for valor in time of',''ar. They were brought by Hadrian from the Syrian city of Palmyra, where he was governor.'ntil Trajan's death in tI7 A.D., as a solution to the Sarmatian problem2o. They were organized.

-:ier on into a numerus until the time of Antoninus Pius, based on a funerary monument from

^ rbiscum2I.

The numeri are not numbered as other Roman military units, the ones bearing the same

:lhnic name are known by the location of their camp where they are stationed. In Dacia, the

Petolescu 2002,p. 136.

r*emeth 2003a,p.448.Speidel 1975,p.202.Iiommsen 1910, p. 109, Rostor'.tzeff 1957, p.428 and following.Speidel 1975,p.203 and following.Speidel 1975,p.203 and foliowing.Le Boi-iec 1989, p. 28.

IDR I, 5. 6

iDR,I,8.Petolescu 2002, p 138.

Benea/Bona 1994, p. 54-55.IDR III/1, 167, Petolescu 2002,p.139.

56 I IoaNa CRETULESCLT, LucreN-Mrncna N,IURE,gAN

Paln-ryrian numeri were recorded at 'f ibiscum, in Dacia Superior and porolissum, in DaciaPorossisensis. Most likely, in this case we are referrir-rg to trvo distinct uuits that occupiecl theirrespective canlps at the sante time22.

At Porolissum there is evidcnce that a temple declicated to deo patrio lJelo, a palmyriangod, was rebuilt in the time of Caracalla, with the financiai eflbrt of nutnerus Palmyrenortu,Porolissensiunf3, obvi<lus eviclence thiit its mernbers stili worshiped their homela.d deities.Furthermore, there are some exarnples wherc lve havc either fully or partiaily pairnyrian narnesmentioned otr funerary nlonuments discor.ered here2r. El,en so, we havc only one example show-ing a fuily Palmyriirn narrle on a rnilitary ton-rbstone from Porolissum, the fragmentary rnolu-ment raised by Sahnas Rami2s ex n(umertt) P(almyrenortutt) to his beiovecl rvife. Nonetheless, atPotaissa, we have an interesting monument belonging to a fantily of Pairlyrian lineage2,,(fiS.:).The monument is dedicarted by Aelius Bolhas Bannaei, a veteran of n(tnnerus) palntur(eroium)(!) and by his wife Aelia Domestica to tireir daughter Aelia Tiiadmes2; (read as Thadmes by otherscholars'S) Paimura, a freed slave named Surillio and other servants. The veteran not only pre-serves his origin by making his name the cognonteir (Bolhas) but also his patronymic as agnomen.His ancestry is passed to his deceased daughter in two ways, the use of Tiiadmes (Thadrnes), butmore importantly bv adding Palnrura to her narne. Moreovel we have a Syrian freed slave men-tioned, Surillo, probabiy brought together with the family frorn Syria, as it was really not uncom-mon for the soldier to bring along with him l-ris family and slaves to his new horne2e.

Retuming to Tibiscum, this locatiotr has several particularities thirt distinguish it from otherDacian rnilitary centers. Not only it is the honre of tlvo "nirtional nunteri", rtttnterus palmyretroruntTibiscensiunt and nunterus Maurctrum'l'ibiscettsiunt, but also it is the iocation where the major-ity of military funerary ntottutrents dedicated to these types of units were identified. Moreover,Tibiscum is the only docunrented center in Dacia where we irave bilinguai tombstones writtenin both Latin and Pahnyrian. This fact further supports the idea that th! pahnyrian communitylocated here was reluctant to aba,don their eth,ic heritage.

Even though Syria and Palmyra wele under Roman rule fror-n the l,rceltury B.C to the1't century A.D., their culture and language remained unconqueredr,. Moreover, an interestingfact is that even though this region was in a Greek linguistic dominated part of the Empire, thepeople who came to Dacia did not use Greek rn their epitaphs, but Latin. This can mean only onething, that even though the ones that dedicateci the funerary monuments were speaking Greekor any other language for that fact, the epitaphs were meant to be reacl and understooJ by thesurviving settlers and passersby, who rvere speaking Latin. Furthermore, the fact that there arePalmyrian epitaphs means that this ethnic group was really strong at'I'ibiscum.

The Palmyrian archers stationed at Tibiscum were the ones rnentioned in the 126 A.D. mili-tary diplorr-ra, who were later organized in a nunterus, as mentioned before. The rrajority ofepigraphical rnaterial drscovered here is of funerary use, mostly dedicated to soldiers and sr-rb-oflrcers, who died during their servrcer'. They have either complete or partial palmyrial nanres

" B.,I-VB*a 1994, p. 55.23 Petolcscr.r 2002, p. 141.ra See Nemeth 2003b, p. 444-445.2s clL I1i, 837.:6 CIL III, 907=Cll.lll,7693=Russu, 1969, p. 173.27 Pctolcscu 2002,p.142, Nerneth, ZOO:b, p. ++S.16 Marilrescu-1'eposu 19tt2, p. 130, rtr. Sl15, pl. X.:e Ncmcth 2003b, p 440.3o Nemeth 2003b, p. 4,10.3r Pctolescu 2002, p.140-141.

Bcrbarian Presence on R.aman;funerory monuments belonging to military personnel stationed in Dacia | 57

:Jmplete Roman names without a hint to their origin. Another interesting aspect is that the'-.s rr'lth partial or complete Roman names have as nomen gentile Aelius, in some cases even: ?ta€fioftten Publius is present, in direct 1ink, probably, to the two miiitary diplomas offering

, ,,zensLrip to tiris ethnic group stationed in Dacia by Hadrian.lhus we have the fragmentary funerary monument dedicated to Aelius Borafas Zabd.iboli32,

:s t [eJx n(numero) Pal(ml,renorum) (fig. 4), probablyby Yaleria and anothe r Zabdibo]33. The.---:stone is so darnaged that only the lower part of the relief survived, indicating two busts in

- --he, a pattern ol1en used at Tibiscum. Again we see that a new Roman citizen opted to keep, <l\-en name as cognomen and his patronymic as agnomen.It is probably a citizenship offered--'- io this soldier and not to his family as no Aelia or Aelius is seen in the epitaph. Another::bstone dedicated to an Aelius with Pahnyrian cognomen is the fragmentary monument of

-.elius Male3', a soldier in the same numerus Palmyrenorum (fig. S).

There are three bilingual tombstones at Tibiscum that retain our further attention (in allthere are four bilingual examples3s). Firstly, there is the funerary monument dedicated to Neseslerhei36 [e(x)] n(uruero) Pal(myrenorum) (fig. B), erected by his brothers Malchus and Ierheus.The Paimyrian text offers further information, as it does not translate mot a mot the Latin epi-taph, indicating the date of the monument the month of Teveth of the year 470, sometimesbetrveen Decernber l7th L59 A.D. and |anuary 16'h i60 A.D. in the Julian calendar3T. The monu-ment was roughly mutilated, even so, \ve can distinguish the bust of the deceased in the upperregister, above the field of the inscription.

Secondir,, lve have ihe monument dedicated to Aelius Guras Iiddei3s {fig. 7), an optio fromthe Palmyrian numerus, erected by his heir, the pontifex Aelius Habibis. Only the partial fieldri the inscription survived and a small section from the lower part of the relief. Again thePalrrryrian text casts an interesting iight, as the Roman flomen gentile is eliminated from theepitaph, only the military rank is mentioned, the deceased being presented as"Gura, the son ofIoddai, optio"3e, thus indicating rvhat the deceased or his heirs considered important to be com-:nunicated to their ethnic community, the deceased's given name under which his people knew:rrm, while the Latin epitaph shows that he was a Roman cittzen, to be recognized by his fellowreers. We have two different messages for to two distinct communities.

Lastly, there is the fragmentary bilingual tombstone of a soldier from the Palmyrian nume-rus, erected by his brother Themhesa0 (fig. 6), the Palmyrian incomplete text offering only a fili-ational, probably the deceased's.

A funerary column from Apuluma2 (fig. 9) that mentions two Thracians as members ofthe n(umerus) Palmyren(orum) Tibiscensium retains our attention. Mucatra Brasi and his heir-\'lucapor Mucatraiis, two obvious names of Thracian origin, were soldiers and contubernales inthe Tibiscian Palmyrian numerus, indicating that even these ethnic military units rvere forced

r: CIL III, 14216=IDR IIIIi, 152=ILD 216." ILD, nr.216,p. 115-116..- IDR III/1, 155.:; The forth is extremely fragmentary and with littie relevance to our study, for further information see IDR III/ 1,

178, p.210.:. IDR ITIII, 167.I IDR III1l, p. t97.rs CIL III, 7999=IDR III/1, 154.

" IDR III/1, p. 180.]J IDR TIIII,I7O.rr iDR IiI/1, p. 200-201.r: AE, 1914, 102=IDR IIi/5,559.

f

58 | ioeNe CRETULESCL-, LucraN-Mrncra MURE$AN

at some point to apply regionai recruitment to replenish their ranks as a result of the differentconflicts they were involr.ed in13.

Syrian origin has proven to be difficult to attest with certainty, as the cognotnen Surus, Sura,

Surillio or Surilla, may belong to Thracians, Ceits or Illyriansaa other than Syrians. It rnay bepossible to be sure if the names are nritten as Syrillio or Syrusas. In our analysis we alreadydiscussed Aurelius Surus from N{icia and the freed slave Surillio at Potaissa. In Dacia there is anltmerus Surrorutn sagittariorunz documented at Arutelaa6 (mentioned as Surii Sagittarii) andlater at Romula, on the funerary monurnent of Claudia Amba, dedicated by Claudius MontanusimmunisaT, but without relevance to our present study.

The Moors, organized as national numeri, even if little funerary evidence has survived upuntil now, have made their presence felt in Dacia in the 2"d and 3'd centuries A.D. Their first con-nection with this territory w'as during Trajans campaigns for conquering Decebaius' Kingdom,when their sheik Lucius Quietus led the Moorish cavalry as free allies in battle in Dacia and lateron in Parthiaa8. We also see them depicted in full charge on Trajan's column, scene LXIV" Lucius

Quietus, the destroyer of Edessa, wiii even run for the position of consul, such was his iniluencethat when later emperor Hadrian u,iil want to get rid of him, he just has to spread the rumor thatthe Moorish commander wants imperial powerae.

In Dacia, a military cavalry formation composed of Moors is mentioned in two militarydipiomas from the time of Antoninus Pius, one at Ricaris0, and the other from Cristegtisl, men-tioning vexilarii Africae et Mauretaniae Caesarensis qui sunt cum Mauris gentilibus in DaciaSuperiore. These ethnic troops, in time, especiaily from the end of the 2"d century A.D., willprovide a tremendous helping hand in Imperial expeditionary armiess2, becoming one of theEmpire's most important elite assault troops. In Dacia theyrvere present during Marcus Aurelius'Marcomanic Wars and in the time of Philip the Arab the Moors had a decisive role in defeatingthe Carpss3.

There are three Moorish troops identified in Trajan's province, each of them named aftertheir camp's location, one at Optatiana, while the other trvo were already mentioned at Miciaand Tibiscum.

At Optatiana we have the base of a pilaster shaped monument dedicated by Aurelius Bassussa(fig, 10), a signifer in n(umeri) M(aurorunt) O(ptatianensium) to his family, his wife AureliaPrisosta, daughter Aurelia Bassina and son Aurelius Denzi (who supposedly iived for B0 years!).The names indicate the Thracian origin of this famil1,, especialiy Denzi and Prisostas5, againmaybe suggesting that this troop has also used regional recruitment for replenishing its numbers.

At Micia, in 205 A.D. a temple dedicated to the gods of the motherland was reconstructedby the Moorish community settled heres6, again, as the Palmyrians, the Moors also continue toa3 Russu 1967,p.91.aa Russu 1969,p.179.a5 Nemeth 2003b, p. 446.46 CIL iII, 12601a=IDR II, 575 and CIL III, 12601b=iDR 11,576.17 IDR II, 350.*8 Cassitrs Dio, LXVIII, 32, 4, Speidet 1975,p.212.ne SHA, Hadr., 5, 9. Speidel 1975, p.212.s0 IDR I, 29.

" CIL XII, 108=IDR I, 6.s: Spidel 1975, p.212.53 Zosln-ros, I, 20.s4 AF-,1932,81=1LD757.ss Russu 1968, p.460.s6 IDR IUl3,47.

Barbarian presence on Ronto.n furlerary nlotlur'ttents belonging ta military personnel stationed in Dacia | 59

\\.or:ship their local deities even in the 3'd century A.D. We aiready discussed the funerary monu-

ment of Aurelius ldaurus from Micia, but there is another tombstone discovered here that draws

cur attention, a fragmentary one57, only the Illyrian patronymic Dassi survived and the name of

the n(umertts) Mau(rorum) M(iciensium) is \'isible on the three fragments of the monument's

inscription fie1d.

Nevertheless, Tibiscum again is a source of exceptional funerary material regarding this

trpe of numeri. Only two fragmentary stelae survived to this day, but they are considered to

be essential to highlightlng the fact that this community was reluctant to abandon their native

habits, and what *ui., them special is the field of the inscription divided by a border in two

separate segments.

The flrst example is the tombstone of an anonym ols libra(rius) n(urneri)" (fig. 1l), which

has as well as the fleld of the inscription and the broken and badly damaged upPer relief divided

in trvo by a wiile simpie border. in ihe two halves destined for the epitaphs, both texts begin with

the formul a of D(isi M(anibus), the one on the left mentioning the librarius, while the one on

the right is impossibie to decipher. The other example refers to one Aelius Seblf"']tt (fig' 12), ex

tr(um-ero) l,[[a]/ur(orurn) Tib(iscensium), his wife Aelia Sa[" ']tus and son Aelius Valens' monu-

ment erected by their heirs. The field of the inscription is divided by a simpie border into two

halves and the epitaph which was meant to occupy only one section is spread in both, disregard-

ing their purpose, u, lf th. artisan did not know the function of this type of monument'

The authors of iDR IlI/1 bring convincing analogies as srmilar monuments \^/ere found in

the North African provinces of Numidia and Mauretania6o, proposing that the two monuments

from Tibiscum were ordered from here and their epitaphs rvere carved upon their arrivaf in one

case without knowing the proper way to do it. There were other opinions6t, that these monu-

ments were brought to tibis.um through the filter of the workshops situated in Scupi, in upper

Ifoesia, as similar "dlptical" -orr,r*.rr1s were d'iscovered here' Even so' the fact that the tomb-

stones of Scupi do nol refer at all to any north Africans or to members belonging to Moorish

troops, we tend to believe that the monuments from Tibiscum were in fact of North-African

origir, only that they r,vere made locally, after the ciient's specifications' The errors found on one

monument indicate that the artisans in fact were facing a new tlpe of product which they never

dealt with before.

There were two stonecutter workshops identified in the vicus at Tibiscum62 and the monu-

ments that they produced here have specific characteristics. The tombstones are simple' the field

of the inscription has a simple undecorated border while usually the upper relief is occupied by

the deceased's busts in a niche. Eiements of portraiture indicate their exotic origin' men having

curly hair and beards, tlpical for the inhabitants of North Africa' Moreover' now' at the end of

our study, by analyzing i't . *.rttioned funerary material' we can see that among all the centers

rvhere national numeri were stationed, where their funerary material had the usual elements

tlpical to their respective workshops, with no clear evidence that these ethnic groups brought

new characteristics to the monuments' composition, Tibiscum on the other hand breaks the

mold and shows how reluctant were these oriental communities to abandon their ways' their

language and their preference in funerary material'

57 IDR TTTI3,176.5S IDR TTTII,172,59 IDR III/1, i56.60 IDR IIIIl,172, Nemeth 7002a,p. 447-449'51 CringuE 2004,P.103-l 10.

62 Beneai Bona 1994, P. 102-103.

60 | IoeNa CRETULESCU, LucreN-Mrncra MUREgAN

Even so, the fact that their epitaphs are written in Latin an<i the fact that their dead are

remembered by using Roman style monuments is evidence enough that even if they maintainsome native eiements, they become in time an active part in the Roman World, a world so eclec-

tic, that everybody in sorne way could find their place in it.

This workwas possible u,ith the financial support of the Sectoral Operational Programme for HumanResources Development 2007 -2013, co-financed by the European Social Fund, under the project num-ber POSDRU I 107 I t.5 I S i 807 65.

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Ed. Nemeth, Maurii, in"Funeraria Dacoromana'l Mihai Birbulescu coord.,Editura Presa Universitard Ch.rj eani, Cluj -Napoca, 2003.

Ed. Nemeth, Palmirenii qi sirienii, in "Funeraria Dacoromana'] MihaiBirbulescu coord., Editura Presa Universitari Cluj eani, Clu; -Napoca, 2003.

C. C. Petolescu, Auxilia Daciae, Editura Ars Docenti, Bucuregti, 2002.

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Barbarian presence on Roman funer(7ry monuments belonging to miliiary personrtel stationed in Dacia 1 61'

BARBARIANPRESENCEoNROMANFL]NERARYN,I0I'IUMEI'ITSBELONGINGTO MILITARY PERSONNEL STATIONED IN DACIA (2., - 3RD CENTLTRIES 'A'D')

(Abstract)

Mllitaryfunerarymonumentsarekrrowntospearheadtheder'elopmentoffunerarymaterialinnenly founded provincial territory and represent an important stage in funerary proYincial art in gen-

eral. Nevertheless, there are examples mentioned on these monuments referring to military personnel

stationed in Dacia in the 2.d-3.,1 centuries A.D. indicating their wish to be remembered by as representa-

tives of distinctive ethnic groups, such as Aelius Germanus from Romula or Aurelius Maurus and his son

Aurelius surus of Micia. Moreover, there are members of the so called "nationar numeri" composed of

Palmyrians, Syrians or Moors stationed in Trajans province who shorv their reluctance to abandon their

ethnic characteristics by preserving their original ,]u*., even after obtaining Roman citizenship' their

native language or purti.olu, eiements in the monumentt architecture in some cases' aS seen especially

rn the case of Tibiscum, showing an unique indir.iduality among Roman funerary provincial art'

!-*--l

Fig. 1. Funerary stela of AeliusGermanus from Romula

Fig. 4. Upper fragment ofAelius Borafas Zabdiboli's

tombstone, Tibiscum

..s--\ftncr.r MURI$AN

Fig.2. Funerary stela ofAurelius Maurus from Micia

Fig. 5. Fragmentary monumentolAelius Male from Tibiscum

Fig. 3. Tombstone of AeliaThadmes Palmura from potaissa

Fig. 6. Fragmentary bilingualtombstone erected byThemhes at Tibiscum

Barbarian presence on Roman frulerlry monunlents belongittg to rnilitary personnel stationed in Da.cia | 63

Fig. 7. Bilinguai tornbstoneof Aelius Guras liddei,

Tibiscum

Fig. 10. Funerary altar from Optatianadedicated by Aureiius Bassus

Fig. 8. Bilingual tombstone ofNerses ierirei, from Tibiscun-r

1 1. Tombston e of a libraritLsnumeri from Tibiscum

Fig. 9. Funerary column fromApulum riedicated to Ivlucaira Brasi

Fig. 12. Tombstone of AeliusSebl[...] from Tlbiscum

Fig