Communities of war : families of Roman Dacia

This paper examines the cultural information of epigraphic choices within military communities of Roman Dacia and engages with the private behaviors of members of the military and their families in the ancient world. A case study on votive inscriptions dedicated by members of the military supports this paper’s primary interest in dedicants of military epitaphs. Actions taken by soldiers, veterans, and their families present in votive inscriptions and epitaphs alike as individual and collective decisions intentionally made to communicate private behavior to the audience. At the same time, they situate themselves in the broader epigraphic trends of the Roman Empire, albeit in unique ways. While both inscription types demonstrate individual reaction to societal norms, the epitaphs studied contain a notable absence in single-woman dedicants and an associated prevalence of situating both the deceased and the dedicants in identifiable social roles. The concern for societal status and self-identification emphasizes the significance of public expression of private behavior, as well as issues of legality and community response in the aftermath of death. Votive inscriptions and military epitaphs alike feature a prioritization of military identity among military communities in Roman Dacia at the expense of individualized choices regarding the self that are publicly communicated.