In the guardhouse in Trastevere over 100 graffiti made by vigiles of the 7th cohort were found, in the various rooms with paintings. Already in 1887 they had for the most part been lost, but fortunately they had been described in detail shortly after the discovery, by Pietro Ercole Visconti and Wilhelm (Guglielmo) Henzen. Photos of some of them were taken by John Henry Parker around 1870. Today they can all be consulted on-line in the Electronic Archive of Greek and Latin Epigraphy (go to "Ricerca", then "Ricerca avanzata" top right, and enter "excubitorium" for "Locus inventionis").
Many graffiti have consular dates, ranging from 215 to 245 AD, so from the reigns of Caracalla to Philippus Arabs. Consular dates in graffiti are very rare and give them a rather formal character.
A very large number (63) was written by sebaciarii. These men were on duty for periods lasting one month (sebaciaria fecit mense ...), starting on the first day of the month. The work was tiresome. One sebaciarius wrote: "I am tired, arrange a new shift" (Fufius Getulicus dicit: lassus sum, successorem date). And the work was not without problems and danger, for sometimes it is stated that all was safe, ended happily, without complaints (omnia tuta, feliciter, sine querella), and that the comrades were unharmed (salvis commanipulis).
The word sebaciarius is derived from sebaceus, a tallow-candle, but it is not so obvious why. It has been suggested that this is a reference to torches that were used for the nocturnal illumination of streets. Others maintain that these torches where carried by the men when patrolling with comrades through the city at night. The danger of the work speaks in favour of the latter explanation. The men could well have been the overall leaders of the patrols. They seem to have been accompanied by an assistant called adiutor or emitularius.
The vigiles may have used a few horses: one graffito mentions a horseman (eques; but read differently by Theodor Mommsen), another has a drawing of a horse.
Religion, especially the cult of the Emperors, was of great importance for the vigiles. Some texts contain a plea for the well-being of the Emperor (salvo domino nostro). In other texts the vigiles congratule the Emperors with their reign and wish them many new years (vota X, vota XX: vota decennalia and vicennalia). One graffito, found on a wall next to the aedicula, is accompanied by a drawing of Victoria holding a palm branch and a wreath. She is flanked by the busts of Alexander Severus and his mother Iulia Mamaea. The busts and the name of Alexander were scratched away after their damnatio memoriae (which was later reversed).
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| The graffito with the drawing of Alexander Severus and Iulia Mamaea. Photo John Henry Parker. |
Drawing of the graffito by Martin Langner. Langner 2001, Taf. 10, 192. |
In a few inscriptions we hear of the Genius Centuriae. Scholars often refer to a graffito mentioning the Genius Escubitori, the protective spirit of the guardhouse. That graffito is not without problems however. The text as proposed by the editors does not fully coincide with a drawing published by Pietro Ercole Visconti. In particular, the editors read at the end of line 6 and the beginning of line 7 Genio escubitori | et, but line 7 begins with BVS, not ET. Apparently the Genius is not specified, and there is a reference to excubitores, "guards", not to the excubitorium, "guardhouse".
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Click to enlarge. Graffiti of the sebaciarii. From Visconti 1867. The graffito in the centre mentions in line 6 the excubitorium (guardhouse), or rather in lines 6 and 7 the excubitores (watchmen, guards, sentinels). |
((centuria)) MAXIM(i) VETTI(us) F LORENTINIV[s] SEBACIARIA FECI MENSE IVNIO GRATI(a)S AG A(m) GENIO ESCVBITORI BVS C{E}OM(m)ANIPVL IS SVIS IN PERPETV O |
I, Vettius Florentinius, from the century of Maximus, performed the sebaciaria in the month of June. I will thank the Genius, with my fellow guards and soldiers forever. |