De Zéla à Béryte avec un soldat de la première cohorte pontique

Abstract

An unedited Latin epitaph, most probably from the Roman colony of Berytus (Beirut), honours the
memory of C. Julius Rufus, a soldier in the cohors I Pontica equitata civium Romanorum. The deceased
was originally from Zela, a Pontic town that was integrated into the Roman Empire in 64/5 AD, at the
same time as the rest of the empire of King Polemon II. His death occurred just when his cohort was on
its way to or from the front. His epitaph hence reflects the importance of Berytus as a place of transit
for Roman troops on their way to more remote locations. The unit Rufus belonged to was hitherto
unknown. Consisting partly of the cavalry that had made the name of the royal Pontic troops, it was
probably annihilated or dissolved during the conflicts that mark the history of the Near East in the last
third of the 1^st century or during the 2^nd century AD.