Bronze diploma granting citizenship to Marcus Papirius
Roman, AD 79
From Egypt
Awarded on 8 September AD 79
The bronze diploma comprises two inscribed sheets of bronze,
which could be hung up for display. The inscription confirmed the
formal discharge from the Egyptian fleet of Marcus Papirius of
Arsinoe (Philadelphia) in the Fayum area of Egypt, after
twenty-five years of service. Very importantly, it also bestowed on
him Roman citizenship, the standard reward for this length of
service. This had its rewards: protection under Roman law, voting
rights, reductions in some taxes, and the legitimization of his
marriage to Tapaia in the eyes of Roman law, thus granting her
citizenship as well. He could also pass this on to his son
Carpinius and future descendants.
Rome required many thousands of men for its increasingly active
army and navy. From the early days of the Empire, recruits from
among citizens in Italy were not sufficient to meet demands.
Recruits were drawn from the new imperial territories, such as the
Balkans and the eastern Mediterranean, encouraged by the promise of
citizenship on completing service. In the later history of the
Empire large numbers of mercenary soldiers were brought in from
Germanic areas outside the Empire itself. Ultimately this had
disastrous results, particularly for Italy and the Western
Empire.
The bureaucratic and precise nature of the wording allows the
date of Papirius' diploma to be fixed as 8 September AD 79, less
than a month after the eruption of Vesuvius which buried Pompeii,
Herculaneum and other sites.
S. Walker, Roman art (London, 1991)