War and Peace: The Tribal Affiliations of Roman Veterans in Oescus and Ratiara.

The article examines the tribal affiliations (tribus) of Roman veterans settled in the Lower Danube colonies of Colonia Ulpia Traiana Ratiaria (Moesia Superior) and Colonia Ulpia Oescus (Moesia Inferior) after their honorable military discharge. It highlights that while tribal affiliation was integral to Roman names during active service, it was often omitted or diminished in retirement, with some veterans retaining their original tribal enrollment rather than adopting the colony’s designated tribe, Papiria. Evidence from inscriptions suggests that by the mid-2nd century, many veterans in Oescus were incorporated into the Papiria tribe, possibly reflecting social integration and prestige linked to colonial founding families, whereas in Ratiaria, veterans’ enrollment in Papiria appears connected to their participation in local administration. The study notes the overall decline of the traditional tribal system in the late 2nd century, replaced by pseudo-tribes, and discusses the complexities and limited epigraphic evidence surrounding veterans’ tribal identities and their social roles within these Roman colonial societies.