Bierzo Edict
Encyclopedia
The Bierzo Edict, also referred to as the Edict of Augustus from El Bierzo and the Bembibre
Bronze is a controversial document dated to 15 BCE found in El Bierzo
in Spain
in 1000. The document is a bronze tablet measuring 24.15 cm x 15.6 cm. At the top it has a moulded 3 cm ring.
This has been described as a single edict
by Augustus
and as two edicts, one issued on 14 February and the other on 15 February.
power and proconsul
, says:
I knew from my legate
s which presided over the Transdurian province [note, this province disappears during Augustus also] that the inhabitants of the Paemeiobrigensian hillfort [= castellum
, it could just mean a community in general], belonging to the people of the Susarri, had remained faithful, while the rest became dissidents. Therefore, I bestow them a permanent immunity and the possession of their land [it therefore did not become ager publicus], with the same boundaries which they had when my legate Lucius Sextus Quirinalis governed this province [historical note, this area was supposedly pacified after the Cantabrian Wars, BC29-19, and this edict is from BC15].
To the inhabitants of the Paemeiobrigan hillfort [again, castellum], of the people of the Susarri, and onto which I bestowed full immunity, I restore to their place the people of the Aliobrigiaecinan hillfort [castellum], of the people of the Gigurri, into the same civitas, and order that these from the Alobrigiaecino hillofrt fulfill all the obligations together [within] the Susarrans.
Said in Narbo Martius (Narbonne)
the 16th and 15th days before the kalends
of March, being consuls M. Drusus Libanius and L. Calpurnius Piso."
in 2001 which discussed the inscription and various anomalies including the lead content of the bronze, various textual issues, the two dates and the title given to Augustus.
Bembibre
Bembibre is a municipality and a city located in the province of León, Castile and León, Spain. According to the 2010 census , the municipality has a population of 10,097 inhabitants. The second largest urban settlement in the region of El Bierzo, it is considered as the capital of traditional...
Bronze is a controversial document dated to 15 BCE found in El Bierzo
El Bierzo
El Bierzo is a shire in the province of León, Spain. The valley has the administrative status of comarca and its capital is the town of Ponferrada. Other major towns are Bembibre and Villafranca del Bierzo, the historical capital.- History :...
in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
in 1000. The document is a bronze tablet measuring 24.15 cm x 15.6 cm. At the top it has a moulded 3 cm ring.
This has been described as a single edict
Edict
An edict is an announcement of a law, often associated with monarchism. The Pope and various micronational leaders are currently the only persons who still issue edicts.-Notable edicts:...
by Augustus
Augustus
Augustus ;23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14) is considered the first emperor of the Roman Empire, which he ruled alone from 27 BC until his death in 14 AD.The dates of his rule are contemporary dates; Augustus lived under two calendars, the Roman Republican until 45 BC, and the Julian...
and as two edicts, one issued on 14 February and the other on 15 February.
Text
-
-
-
- Imp(erator) · Caesar · Divi · fil(ius) · Aug(ustus) · trib(unicia) · pot(estate) ·
- VIIII · et · pro·co(n)s(ule) · dicit · Castellanos · Paemeiobrigenses · ex ·
- gente · Susarrorum · desciscentibus ·
- ceteris · permansisse · in officio · cog
- novi · ex omnibus · legatis · meis · qui ·
- Transdurianae · provinciae · prae/fuerunt · itaque · eos · universos · im
- munitate · perpetua · dono · quosq(ue)
- agros · et quibus · finibus · possede
- runt · Lucio · Sestio · Quirinale leg(ato) ·
- meo · eam · provinciam · optinente{m} ·
- eos · agros · sine · controversia · possi
- dere · iubeo
- Castellanis · Paemeiobrigensibus · ex
- gente · Susarrorum · quibus · ante · ea ·
- immunitatem · omnium · rerum · dede
- ram · eorum · loco · restituo castellanos
- Allobrigiaecinos · ex gente · Gigurro
- rum · volente · ipsa · civitate · eosque
- castellanos · Allobrigiaecinos · om
- ni · munere · fungi · iubeo · cum ·
- Susarris ·
- Actum · Narbone · Martio ·
- XVI · et · XV · k(alendas) · Martias · M(arco) · Druso · Li
- bone · Lucio · Calpurnio · Pisone
- co(n)s(ulibus)»
-
-
Translation
"The emperor Caesar Augustus, son of The Divine, in his ninth tribunitialTribune
Tribune was a title shared by elected officials in the Roman Republic. Tribunes had the power to convene the Plebeian Council and to act as its president, which also gave them the right to propose legislation before it. They were sacrosanct, in the sense that any assault on their person was...
power and proconsul
Proconsul
A proconsul was a governor of a province in the Roman Republic appointed for one year by the senate. In modern usage, the title has been used for a person from one country ruling another country or bluntly interfering in another country's internal affairs.-Ancient Rome:In the Roman Republic, a...
, says:
I knew from my legate
Legate
Legate may refer to:*Legatus, a general officer of the ancient Roman army drawn from among the senatorial class*Papal legate, a messenger from the Holy See*Legate, a rank in the Cardassian military in the fictional Star Trek universe...
s which presided over the Transdurian province [note, this province disappears during Augustus also] that the inhabitants of the Paemeiobrigensian hillfort [= castellum
Castellum
A castellum is a small Roman detached fort or fortlet used as a watch tower or signal station. The Latin word castellum is a diminutive of castra , which in turn is the plural of castrum ; it is the source of the English word "castle".The term castellum was also used to refer to a settling or...
, it could just mean a community in general], belonging to the people of the Susarri, had remained faithful, while the rest became dissidents. Therefore, I bestow them a permanent immunity and the possession of their land [it therefore did not become ager publicus], with the same boundaries which they had when my legate Lucius Sextus Quirinalis governed this province [historical note, this area was supposedly pacified after the Cantabrian Wars, BC29-19, and this edict is from BC15].
To the inhabitants of the Paemeiobrigan hillfort [again, castellum], of the people of the Susarri, and onto which I bestowed full immunity, I restore to their place the people of the Aliobrigiaecinan hillfort [castellum], of the people of the Gigurri, into the same civitas, and order that these from the Alobrigiaecino hillofrt fulfill all the obligations together [within] the Susarrans.
Said in Narbo Martius (Narbonne)
Narbonne
Narbonne is a commune in southern France in the Languedoc-Roussillon region. It lies from Paris in the Aude department, of which it is a sub-prefecture. Once a prosperous port, it is now located about from the shores of the Mediterranean Sea...
the 16th and 15th days before the kalends
Kalends
The Calends , correspond to the first days of each month of the Roman calendar. The Romans assigned these calends to the first day of the month, signifying the start of the new moon cycle...
of March, being consuls M. Drusus Libanius and L. Calpurnius Piso."
Authenticity
An international symposium was organised by the city museum of León, SpainLeón, Spain
León is the capital of the province of León in the autonomous community of Castile and León, situated in the northwest of Spain. Its city population of 136,985 makes it the largest municipality in the province, accounting for more than one quarter of the province's population...
in 2001 which discussed the inscription and various anomalies including the lead content of the bronze, various textual issues, the two dates and the title given to Augustus.
External links
- Artícle by Mª del Rosario Hernando
- Summary of Hispania Epigraphica 7, 1997 (2001), nº 378, description with photograph
- Hispania Epigraphica 8, 1998 (2002), nº 325, summary of earlier reports