Tegula fragment

The army did more than preserve peace and security along the frontiers of the Roman Empire. The soldiers also created the necessary infrastructure and constructed military and public buildings. They frequently placed their stamp – quite literally – on the very roof tiles, generally the stamp of the army unit responsible for the construction work. But in some cases a commander or governor would see fit to inscribe his own name, as in the case of the roof tile shown here. The inscription reads: SVB DIDIO IVL(IANO) CO(N)S(VLARE): ‘Under the rule of Marcus Didius Iulianus, ex-consul’. After his term as consul in Rome (175), Didius had served as governor (in c. 178) of the province of Germania Inferior, which included the Netherlands. In 193 he served as emperor of the Roman Empire for two months.