Aurelius Gaius
(0362) Text: Αὐρ(ήλιος) Γάιος β᾿ ἰστρατ[εσάμε]νο(ς) ἰς λειγειῶναν | πρώντην Ἰταλ[ικὴν Μ]υσιατικῶν, ἐκ- | λεχθεὶς ις’ ὀγδ[όαν Αὐ]γούσταν Γερμ- | ανικίαν, ἐν ἐπ[αρχί]ᾳ Σχυθ(ίᾳ) κα(ὶ) Πανν(ονίᾳ) | Ἰοβίᾳ Σκυθικᾷ· τή[ρων, ἰσ]τρατεσάμενος μα- | θητὴς ἰππέων, εἶτα ἰππ[εὺς λανκ]ιάρις, ὀπτίων τριάρ- | ες, ὠπ(τί)ων [ὠρ]δινᾶτος, π[ρίνκεψ] ὀπτίων, ὠνπτίων δ- | ὲ κομίτ(ων) o(ptio) comi(tum) c(uri)o(u) το[ῦ κυρίο]υ λεγιῶνος πρείμα(ς) Ἰο- | βίας Σκυθικῆς, τὴ[ν ἡγεμον]ίαν κυκλεύσας (Ἀσ)ίαν Κ- | αρίαν […] Λυδίαν Λυκαονίαν | Κιλικίαν [… Φο]ινείκην Συρίαν Ἀρα- | βία(ν) Φα(λε)στίναν Αἴγυπτον Ἀλεξανδρίαν | Ἰνδ[ί]αν […] Μεσοποταμίαν | Κα[ππαδοκίαν … Γ]αλατίαν Βειθυνίαν | Θρακ[ίαν …] Μυσίαν Καρ(π)ίαν | [… Σα]ρματίαν τετράκις | Βιμινά[κιον …]ν | Γουττίαν β᾿ | Γερμα[νίαν … Δαρδ]ανίαν Δε(λ)ματίαν | Παννο[νίαν …]ίαν Γαλλ(ί)αν Σπαν(ίαν) | Μαυρε[τανίαν … εἶ]τα προκόψας | καὶ ταῦ[τα …]γήσας ἤλυθον | εἰς πατρ[ίδα γαῖαν Πεσσι]ννουντίων | ἔνδ᾿ ἧν τεθρ[εμμένος, ἐν κώ]μη Κοτιαέων | καταμένων […] Μακεδονίας | ἐπιθὶς Ἰουλι[ῷ υἱοῦ καὶ Ἀρε]σκουσῇ τῇ ἑαυ- | τοῦ γλυκυτ[άτῃ γυναικὶ ἀ]γέστησα τὴν στ- | ήλην ἐ[κ τῶν ἰδίων] αὐτοῦ καμά- | των μ[νήμης] χάριν, ἕως τῆς | [ἀ]να[στάσε]ως· χα(ί)ρετε πά- | [ντες.]
Translation: Aurelius Gaius the second, who enlisted in legio I Italica stationed in Moesia, was selected to serve in legio VIII Augusta stationed in Germania, then in legio I Iovia Scythica in the provinces of Scythica and Pannonia; served as a tyro, apprentice cavalryman, then optio, optio triarius, optio ordinatus, optio princeps, then optio in the mobile forces of the emperor with legio I Iovia Scythica; toured the provinces of Asia, Caria, […], Lydia, Lycaonia, Cilica, […], Phoenica, Syria, Arabia, Palestinia, Egypt, Alexandria, India, […], Mesopotamia, Cappadocia, […], Galatia, Bithynia, Thracia, Moesia, Karpia, […], Sarmatia four times, Viminacium, Gothiscandza twice, Germania, […], Dardania, Dalmatia, Pannonia, […], Gallia, Hispania, Mauritania; then was promoted, and after having suffered many hardships he came home to his native Pessinus, taking up his residence in the village of Kotiaion. Together with his daughter Macedonia he set up this stele on the tomb of Julius his son and Areskusa his most sweet wife, at his own expense, for the sake of memory, until the resurrection. Farewell to all.
Commentary: Christian soldier, the most thorough pre-Constantinian Christian military inscription that survives, giving a thorough depiction (likely with ample hyperbole) of his career. Though AE is known for its rigor and editing, I have honestly never seen so many typos in a single entry as this one; I have instead based the above text primarily on Drew-Bear. It is not certain whether he had a son named Julius or a daughter named Julia, but the former is arbitrarily conjectured here. Furthermore, the reference to India is very peculiar; Tepper and DiSegni conjecture that Aurelius Gaius meant Ethiopia. There is little evidence that Roman soldiers were ever in India – some soldiers depicted on Amaravathi Mahachaitya (3rd century CE) in India appear Western, maybe Roman. Though Romans traded with the Indian merchants of Serica and apparently left a considerable mark in India (Warwick Ball, Rome in the East: The Transformation of an Empire (London: Routledge, 2000), 123-133), there is no evidence of a Roman military presence, though incidental escorting missions are imaginable. Note also the peculiar bilingual character, with the phrase optio comitum curiou (=κυρίου=imperatoris) inserted into his cursus honorum and wildy inconsistent transliteration of optio.
Provenience: Kutahya, Turkey (Cotiaeum, Phrygia) 303 CE
Bibliography: AE 1981.777; SEG 31.1116; Thomas Drew-Bear, “Les voyages d’Aurélius Gaius, soldat de Dioclétien,” in La géographie administrative et politique d’Alexandre à Mahomet, Travaux du Centre de recherche sur le Proche-Orient et la Grèce antiques 6 (Leiden: Brill, 1981), 93-142; Yotam Tepper and Leah Di Segni, A Christian Prayer Hall of the Third Century CE at Kefar ‘Othnay (Legio): Excavations at the Megiddo Prison 2005 (Jerusalem: Israel Antiquities Authority, 2006), 51-52*.