by Aldus Marius on Fri Jun 22, 2007 7:24 pm
Ave, amice...
...and that there's no ordinary Latin; it's (a) inscriptionese, which has its own conventions; and (b) military trade-talk. Fortunately, those are the two forms of Latin in which I can do more than stumble around in the fog between my ears! So here's most of it (yes, some bits elude me):
Val(erio) Thiumpo qui militavit in leg(ione) XI Cl(audia) lectus in sacro comitatu lanciarius, deinde protexit annis V, missus, pr(a)ef(ectus) leg(ionis) II Hercul(iae) [e]git ann(is) II semisse et decessit, vixit ann(is) XXXXV, m(ensibus) III d(iebus) XI...
...all of which is to say that Valerius Thiumpus (some of these Provincials had some, to us, odd-sounding names) served in Legio XI Claudia; he was a lanciarius, or light-infantry spearman, in a detachment of the Legion [a vexillatio comitatensis] that had been sent to serve in one of the mobile "field armies" of the time; he served in that capacity for five years, was honorably discharged, and returned as Praefectus for Legio II Herculea, where he served for two and a half years before his death at the age of 45 years, three months, and eleven days.
The bits I'm unsure of: ...lectus in sacro...; ...deinde protexit...; and the details of the structure of Diocletian's army, myself being better-acquainted with the Flavian-Antonine era.
(There was a "Staff War College" for senior officers called the Protectores, whose alumni did Secret Service duty for a spell after they graduated; maybe protexit has to do with that. Way to go, Valerius!!)
Does this help?
Aldus Marius Peregrinus.