| The ex stipendio
in this line has close parallels with other texts. The debtor is
stating that he will repay the debt from his military salary. Recalling
that this line should begin with the name of the liburna
from line 3, the following reconstruction is possible:
[ N, X (denarios), quos reddam cum usuris ] ex stipendio
eis
Where N is the name of the liburna from line 3, and X is is the
monetary value of the loan. (denarios) indicates the assumed
presence of the symbol for denarii, the standard unit of currency.
It is interesting to note that the last three letters of this line
have been read in more than one way. One editor read et e,
which finds parallels with other documents of this sort, and would
suggest another source of repayment (e.g. ex stipendio et e
deposito, or et e viaticis; a viaticum
was a payment recieved by new recruits, and deposita refers
to money kept in the regimental savings-bank).
On the other hand, eis (the reading accepted by Bruckner
and Marichal) is also valid; this reading would refer to the persons
"to whom" the debt would be repayed. eis seems
to be the stronger reading based on palaeography: what would be
the cross stroke of the t is in fact merely a ligature
leading to the letter s.
Differences in readings between editors is not uncommon, and it
is not always possible to make an absolute judgement of which is
better. Which reading do you think is correct?
Next:
Line 5
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