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From Alan Bowman and David Thomas, Vindolanda: the Latin writing
tablets London: Society for the Promotion of Roman Studies,
1983, pp. 266
In Tab.Vindol.I we identified four texts (I 30-33) as
connected with a person named Crispinus whom we identified as a
probable prefect of the First Cohort of Tungrians c. AD 105. 296
now enables us to see clearly that the correct reading of the name
is Priscinus and this can be read with little difficulty in the
other letters (we consider that the two persons named Crispinus
in 225.1
and 2 are different people, see notes ad locc.). We have
been able to identify a fragment discovered in the 1980s as probably
belonging to the letter originally published as Tab.Vindol.I
31, but we now regard the attribution of Tab.Vindol.I 32
(= 520)
as extremely doubtful and have consequently removed it from this
section. The combination of Tab.Vindol.I 33 and 82 (now
298.b)
offers us the probability that Caecilius September, known as a correspondent
of Flavius Cerialis (234,
252-253),
also wrote to Priscinus; another fragment, overlooked in Tab.Vindol.I,
may or may not belong to the same letter (298.a).
173, an application for leave, also appears to be directed to Priscinus.
The identification of Priscinus as prefect of the First Cohort
of Tungrians still rests on the evidence of 295
alone (though 173
also supports the view that he was a prefect). None of the other
letters preserves enough content to add anything substantive. The
archaeological context of the tablets points to Period 4, which
would put Priscinus at Vindolanda after c. AD 104; the presence
of his correspondence in a barrack-building would be a little surprising
if he were a prefect.
See also 448.
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