Celesticus the Centurion
(0153) Text: [… Celestico Ɔ leg(ionis) III Gall(icae),] IIII Scy(thicae), VI Ferr(atae) | [curatori …, curator]i ripae superior(is) | [et inferior(is), curatori] coh(ortis) I (S)ebaste- | [n]ae supiuvim[…]t Hierapoli | Elabelus qui et Saturninus Malichi f(ilius) | h(onoris) c(ausa).
Translation: […] Celesticus centurion of legiones III Gallica, IIII Scythica, and VI Ferrata, curator […] curator of the northern and southern banks, curator of cohors I Sebastenorum […] Hierapolis, Elabelus and Saturninus son of Malichus. This was erected for the sake of honours. (Trans. Christopher B. Zeichmann)
Commentary: Celesticus was also honoured in §154. Note that he was in cohors I Sebastenorum; he was a curator early in his career, so it is conceivable that he was a Palestinian native recruited into the Judaean auxilia before it was transferred to Syria.
Provenience: Palmyra, Syria (Tadmur, Syria) 81-96 CE
Bibliography: IGLS 17.208; Henri Seyrig, “Antiquités Syriennes,” Syria 22 (1941): 236-240.