Fragmentary papyri that seem inconspicuous at first glance sometimes contain important historical information — like this hastily written list of the names of soldiers from the two legions that were stationed in Egypt in the Roman imperial period: legio III Cyrenaica and legio XXII Deiotariana. In this lecture I will try to show that the document dates from the time of the great Jewish uprising in Egypt (115–117 CE), and that the record reveals the high losses suffered by the Roman army in this bloodily suppressed revolt.

Bernhard Palme teaches Ancient History and Papyrology at the University of Vienna. Since 2009 he is also director of the Papyrus Collection and Papyrus Museum of the Austrian National Library. His research focuses on the history and culture of Graeco-Roman Egypt and the historical analysis of papyri. Currently he works on the administrative, military and legal history of the Later Roman Empire, fields in which he has published widely, as well as directed several research projects.

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