Hadrians Rückkehr nach dem Partherkrieg. Das früheste Militärdiplom für die equites singulares Augusti und die Entlassungsweihung in Rom vom Jahr 118

Abstract

A re-examination of RMD IV 231, a small fragment of a military diploma dated to July/August 118, reveals that the document belonged to an eques singularis Augusti. The constitutio must therefore have been granted in the context of the new emperor’s adventus at Rome on the 9th of July of that year. The earliest known document relating to this body of troops further allows the oldest discharge dedication from the cavalry barracks, made by 100 guardsmen in 118, to be dated with precision. This number is by far the largest attested on discharge dedications. It appears that on that date, the oldest cavalrymen in Trajan’s bodyguard, who had been recruited under Domitian, were discharged and the gaps filled by extensive adlectiones of new equites singulares Augusti with names beginning in Publius Aelius. This hypothesis seems to be borne out also by the numerical data. A final consideration of a number of other sources further shows how close Hadrian’s ties to his mounted guard are said to have been, especially given that they accompanied him on all his travels.