Dimensions: 100 x 70 mm, wheel-thrown ceramic, fired in an oxidizing atmosphere (black color), fragment from the upper part, with a lip section. Probably a fragment from a large drinking cup.

Decoration: By dotting with a stylus, 6 rows of dots were applied near the lip, and 5 rows were applied towards the bottom.

Inscribed: ṂARTIA[S]

The story

The inscription was made after firing when the vessel was finished and ready for use. For this intervention, a precision metal tool was used, and the chosen method was that of scratching on the surface of the vessel. The writing is grammatically correct and very carefully executed from a calligraphic standpoint, providing certainty that we are dealing with an educated author. Usually, in such situations, the author is also the owner of the object, and this is the purpose of its inscription. In this particular case, we think of a soldier from the XIII Gemina legion, bearing the cognomen Martias. It is worth mentioning a few words about the XIII Gemina legion (the word “gemina” means “twin” and refers to the four identical legions recruited by Caesar in Gaul during the Gallic War), from which Martias may have been part. It had the lion as its symbol, indicating that it was recruited sometime during the summer. Throughout its history, it participated in the civil wars between Caesar and Pompey, Octavian and Mark Antony, and in the conquest and pacification of the middle Danube region and the Balkans throughout the 1st century AD. After participating in the conquest wars of Dacia, it was the only legion that remained in the new province for its entire existence, in the castrum at Apulum. Its commander (legatus legionis), a senator of praetorian rank, held the position of governor of Dacia Superior from 117 to 168 AD. The presence of the legion at Apulum led to the development of the most important urban center, with two cities, military settlements, and the seat of the consular governor.