Vindolanda writing tablet number
160
A.K. Bowman and J.D. Thomas
generated by create-descripta-xml.pl
- J. R. Ratcliff
Digital edition: 1
Centre for the Study of Ancient Documents, University of Oxford
2002-12-02
Alan K. Bowman and J. David Thomas, The Vindolanda Writing Tablets (Tabulae Vindolandenses II), British Museum Publications ( London), 1994
English
Ancient Greek
Latin
-
A leaf with writing on both sides, perhaps a document recording the activities of workmen. The order of the text is uncertain and our designation of the sides as A and B is therefore arbitrary. The text appears to record names in the nominative, followed by a trade and the century to which they belong, then adding the work on which they are engaged. This has been discussed by Bishop (1985) in connection with the manufacture of weapons and military equipment; note the archaeological evidence for the manufacture or repair of metal objects at Vindolanda (see VRR I). There is occasional use of interpunct.
. . . . . . .
traces?
[[ ] em[ ]]
[[ ].riu..[ ]]
[[ ]utarius [ ]]
]arium · [
]us adiuu[
[[ ]arium [ ]]
]s faber · (centuriae) u[
].um gladi.[
]usas (centur- ) fru[
[[].tralem [ ]]
[[ ].s faber [ ]]
[[ ]rrum[ ]]
]t qs e.[
. . . . . . .
. . . . . . .
[[ ].eni a[ ]]
[[ ]ius (centur- ) .[ ]]
[[ ].us ma.ri.[ ]]
[[ ].uus faber [ ]]
]..am..[
]s Rufini [
].a.ean.[
traces
].. faber [
[[ ]atorium [ ]]
[[]. frumen[
]a.. am[
] (centur- ) frum[
]m [
trace
. . . . . . .
Cf. [184].ii.21, Lucius scutarius and CEL 26 (Vindonissa).
There are many possibilities, including adiuu[andum and ad iuu[encos, cf. [180].33.
In the ed. pr. these words were transcribed as belonging to two separate lines. It now seems to us that the join between the two pieces of the leaf is close enough to take them as one line; the r is rather odd, but not impossible. For the century compare [184].i.1. On faber see O.Bu Njem, pp.80-1.
Since gladi. cannot be preceded by a name, we prefer to envisage a reference to swords rather than some case of gladiarius; since ]dum cannot be read, we do not have ad plus gerund(ive).
]usas: perhaps the end of a name; NPEL lists Attusas, Beusas, Nausas
fru[: see also B.11, 13. Perhaps "N of the century of Fru..."; for a name beginning with these letters (but probably not Frumentius, which occurs in RIB I 2109) see [187].i.3.
Perhaps de]xtralem, an axe or hatchet, but the only example we can find (Isidorus 19.19.11) is late. Adams points out that dextralis goes into some Romance languages, including Spanish (Meyer-Lübke (1911), 2620) and that Isidorus would therefore have got it from contemporary usage rather than earlier Latin.
Possibly a reference to a carrus, cf. [343].ii.17-8.
As a possible parallel we note that ChLA XI 497 has 5 lines added at the foot in a second hand, the last of which is read s(unt) q(uo)q(ue b(ene)f(iciarii) ii. The first trace in this line might be s but t is preferable; thereafter we cannot read qq but we now prefer qs to qp of the ed. pr.
The first trace does not permit (centuria) u]ceni, cf. [184].i.1.
After the centurial sign we cannot read f or u.
We might have the name Macrinus here.
].lius, ed. pr. We might have e.g. Inge]nuus (cf. [187].i.11) or another name with this ending.
We cannot read a centurial sign before Rufini.