11. Araştırma Sonuçları Toplantısı - Kültür ve Turizm Bakanlığı

trict of Kocaeli in Bithynia and now in the Istanbul Archaeological Museum-,One of the two new examples consists of three fragments constitutingabout three quarters of one leaf. They were brought to my attention in1988 by workmen engaged in bui1ding a forest road near the Roman settlementon the shoulder of Cebel Ires, a prominent mountain about 15 kilometerseast of Alanya, generally believed to be aneient Laertes. Arrangementswere subsequent1y made for the fragments to be deliyered tothe Alanya Museum-. The workmen found the fragments lying in thedump from the illieit exeavation of a structure that was probably a houseabout 40 metres west of the agora. Of the other diploma onlyone quarterof one tabella .survives. This was found by a villager in the small communityof Kalın Oren located on a Roman site of some size near the modemtown of Anamur and seven kilometres from Anemurium, its Roman predecessor.It is now in the museum of that town.Military diplomas such as these contain the text of a constitutio ocproclamation from the reigning emperor, in which he grants certain privilegessuch as eitizenship (civitas) and legal marriage (conubium) to veteransretiring from specified auxiliary units at the end of 25 or more years-of service., The document issued to the individual was in fact a personalizedcopy of an original document registered and deposited in Rome. Itthus served much the same role as a citizenship certificate or passport inmodem times. The historical significance of diplomas, however, lies intheir remarkable specifieity. Besides listing the full titulature of the reigningemperor and the consuls in office at the time of issue, the text namesthe precise date on which the document was issued. Second, diplomaswere issued to all those serving in the units stationed in a particular provincewith the eligible number of years of service to their name. Thuswhat is generally believed to be a complete list of all the units, cavalryand infantry alike, that composed the auxiliary establishment of that provinceis recorded. Even where the text is fragmentary, as in the case ofour examples, considerable portions of the original text can be reconstructed.This is possible partly because of the formulaic character of thetextof diplomas and partly because the text is repeated on the inside face.A missing portion on one side is frequently complemented by the survivingportion on the other. Moreover the accumulation of a substantial(2) M.M. Roxan, Roman Military Diplomas 1954-1977 (London, 1978), no. 74, pp. 94-95. Theinfoımation concerning the findspot is supplied in a supplementary sheet of Addenda andCorrlgenda inserted separate1y.(3) For full details, see J. Russell, "A Roman Military Diploma from Eastem Pamphylia", ATA95 (1991),469-488.162