A
letter home from a Roman soldier 1,800 years ago has revealed that even for a
volunteer on the front, family rows are still an issue.
The
newly deciphered letter is from an Egyptian soldier named Aurelius Polion while
he served as a volunteer in a Roman legion in Europe.
It
reveals a row with his mother, and plans to return to his family.
The newly translated letter is from an Egyptian
soldier named Aurelius Polion while he served as a volunteer Roman legion in
Europe.
Addressed
to his mother (a bread seller), sister and brother, part of it reads: 'I pray
that you are in good health night and day, and I always make obeisance before
all the gods on your behalf.
'I
do not cease writing to you, but you do not have me in mind,
'I
am worried about you because although you received letters from me often, you
never wrote back to me so that I may know how you ...'
Researchers
were able to translate the majority of the letter, although some pieces are
missing -
such as the end of the preceeding sentence.
The
soldier says he has written six letters to his family without response,
suggesting some sort of family tensions.
'While
away in Pannonia I sent (letters) to you, but you treat me so as a stranger,'
he writes.
'I
shall obtain leave from the consular (commander), and I shall come to you so
that you may know that I am your brother.'
The back of the letter contains instructions for
the carrier to deliver it to a military veteran whose name may have been
Acutius Leon who could forward it to Polion's family. Although the Roman Empire
had a military postal system, Polion appears not to have used it, entrusting
the veteran instead.
The
letter was found outside a temple in the Egyptian town of Tebtunis more than a
century ago by an archaeological expedition led by Bernard Grenfell and Arthur
Hunt, according to Livescience.
However,
it was not transcribed until now, when Grant Adamson, a doctoral candidate at
Rice University, created infrared images of it to reveal more of the text.
The
back of the letter contains instructions for the carrier to deliver it to a
military veteran whose name may have been Acutius Leon who could forward it to
Polion's family.
Although
the Roman Empire had a military postal system, Polion appears not to have used
it, entrusting the veteran instead.
The letter is now in the Bancroft Library at the University of California, Berkeley.
By Mark Prigg
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