Studia Antiqua et Archaeologica 27(1): 191-198
Casian GĂMĂNUȚ
ABSTRACT
An epitaph discovered at Sour Djouab, Algeria, was erected by Decineus, who names himself
the brother of the deceased, for a certain veteran named Fulvius Felix. The death of the latter occurred,
most probably, towards the end of the 2nd century AD. Despite the doubts about the biological tie
between Decineus and his frater, the presence of a Dacian anthroponym at that time in an extremely
militarized area of the Roman Empire is enough to raise curiosity regarding the career of this soldier.
The author makes use of historical context and archaeological data in order to understand, at least in
general lines, how the career of Decineus evolved. This paper aims to reconstruct, as much as possible,
the life and military activity of Decineus, as well as to answer questions concerning his recruitment,
belonging to an auxiliary unit and eventual life after his release from military service.
KEYWORDS
epitaph, Roman army, Mauretania Caesariensis, auxilia, anthroponym