Skip to main content
Intellect

Roman plates display at BYU relocated to Special Collections

Visitors who missed “Two Ancient Roman Plates: Bronze Military Diplomas and Other Sealed Documents,” when it was displayed on the third floor of the Harold B. Lee Library at Brigham Young University, can still view the two ancient plates in the L. Tom Perry Special Collections on the library's first level during the summer.

The set of Roman plates were issued by imperial decree on Oct. 14, AD 109 during the rule of Emperor Trajan. Called a military diploma, these plates conferred citizenship and military honors to a retiring Roman soldier in Dacia, and outlined that he was allowed to freely travel throughout the empire and wear a toga as a Roman citizen.

The library’s acquisition of these 2,000-year-old bronze plates was made possible by a group of donors brought together by John W. Welch, a BYU law professor and editor-in-chief of BYU Studies. Interested parties who cannot visit Special Collections in person can view images, explanations and videos about the exhibit at romanplates.byu.edu.

For more information, contact Roger Layton, Harold B. Lee Library communications manager, at (801) 422-6687, or roger_layton@byu.edu.

plates1-h.jpg
Photo by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Related Articles

data-content-type="article"

Want to thrive in your 30s? BYU study says education and service in your 20s are key

July 16, 2025
New BYU research shows that hitting the books and helping others in your 20s leads to a happier, more regret-free life in your 30s.
overrideBackgroundColorOrImage= overrideTextColor= promoTextAlignment= overrideCardHideSection=false overrideCardHideByline=false overrideCardHideDescription=false overridebuttonBgColor= overrideButtonText= promoTextAlignment=
data-content-type="article"

Wildflowers not wildfires: How BYU and Provo City are helping to restore Rock Canyon Trailhead

July 10, 2025
At Rock Canyon Trailhead in Provo, Utah, BYU researchers are fighting fires with flowers. By replacing a problematic weed called cheatgrass with wildflowers, students and faculty are working to protect and restore one of Provo’s most popular hiking spots.
overrideBackgroundColorOrImage= overrideTextColor= promoTextAlignment= overrideCardHideSection=false overrideCardHideByline=false overrideCardHideDescription=false overridebuttonBgColor= overrideButtonText= promoTextAlignment=
data-content-type="article"

Wildfires in residential areas are on the rise; why hydrants and the water system behind them were never meant to stop those fires

July 01, 2025
BYU professor Rob Sowby teaches and studies environmental engineering, urban water infrastructure and sustainability. He has particular expertise in the planning, design, construction and operation of public water systems. That expertise has been increasingly important (and regularly sought out) in the wake of apocalyptic wildfires that have taxed those public water systems.
overrideBackgroundColorOrImage= overrideTextColor= promoTextAlignment= overrideCardHideSection=false overrideCardHideByline=false overrideCardHideDescription=false overridebuttonBgColor= overrideButtonText= promoTextAlignment=
overrideBackgroundColorOrImage= overrideTextColor= promoTextAlignment= overrideCardHideSection=false overrideCardHideByline=false overrideCardHideDescription=false overridebuttonBgColor= overrideButtonText=