Romanus Iulianus

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The grave inscription of the Germanic imperial bodyguard Romanus Iulianus from the 1st century (AE 1923, 73)

Romanus Iulianus lived in the first half of the first 1st century and was probably a member of the personal Germanic bodyguard ( Germani corporis custodes ) of the Roman emperor until his death . He probably came from the Germanic Batavian tribe , possibly, but less likely, from the Ubier . From these West Germanic ethnic groups, who were considered reliable allies of Rome, it was mainly free men who were recruited for service in the paramilitary unit.

Until Claudius came to power , it was customary for the emperor's closest male relatives in particular to have their own bodyguards. Before his elevation to emperor, Claudius maintained a unit of Germanic bodyguards divided into decuria , in addition to a few personal bodyguards in his immediate vicinity .

It can be assumed that before Romanus Iulianus entered the service of the emperor, he was assigned to the private bodyguard of a member of the Julio-Claudian family who cannot be precisely determined . In this environment he had married a Fausta Iulia, who after his death had a grave inscription ( titulus ) placed on the Via Portuensis in front of the Roman city wall . Modern research assumes that Fausta Iulia was the daughter of a freedman who had previously served as a slave, like the Germanic Peregrinus Romanus Iulianus, in the unspecified household of a member of the imperial family.

As a rule, the members of the Germani corporis custodes who had remained unmarried until then returned to their homeland after their period of service. The honorable dismissal, which served as capital to start a business, included a cash allocation and granting of Roman citizenship .

The career of the bodyguard Romanus Iulianus is one of the exceptions known in modern research. He took a Roman woman as his wife and remained in Rome until his death. It is not unlikely that he was granted Roman citizenship while still on active service.

literature

  • Heinz Bellen : The Germanic bodyguard of the Roman emperors of the Julisch-Claudian house (= Academy of Sciences and Literature Mainz. Humanities and social science class. Treatises of the humanities and social science class. Born 1981, No. 1). Steiner, Wiesbaden 1981, ISBN 3-515-03491-9 .
  • Alexandra W. Busch : Military in Rome. Military and paramilitary units in the imperial cityscape (= Palilia vol. 20). Reichert, Wiesbaden 2011, ISBN 3-89500-706-4 , here pp. 94, 95, 125, 126.

Web links

  • Alexandra W. Busch: Dissertation ( catalog online )
  • Titulus for the corporis custos Romanos Iulianos ( online )

Remarks

  1. ↑ Heinz Bellen: The Germanic bodyguard of the Roman emperors of the Julio-Claudian house , p. 32
  2. ↑ Heinz Bellen: The Germanic bodyguard of the Roman emperors of the Julio-Claudian house , pp. 23, 24
  3. ^ AE 1923, 73
  4. ↑ Heinz Bellen: The Germanic bodyguard of the Roman emperors of the Julio-Claudian house , p. 31
personal data
SURNAME Iulianus, Romanus
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Member of the Germanic imperial bodyguard (Germani corporis custodes)
DATE OF BIRTH 1st century
DATE OF DEATH 1st century
Place of death Rome