Veterinarius

A "veterinarius" was a soldier in the Roman army who served as a veterinary surgeon.

Their job was to care for the multitude of animals attached to an individual military unit: cavalry horses, beasts of burden, animals used for sacrifice or animals used for food.

Because they had a specialist task to perform that would have required training and above-average intelligence, the soldiers who were "veterinarii" were given the status class of "immunis", soldiers who held "immunitas" from ordinary duties as they had special tasks of their own to fulfil. As such they are listed within the group of soldiers classified as immunes in Publius Tarruntenus Paternus’ "De Re Militari". [Though the original work does not survive the section on "immunes" is included in the "Digesta" of Justinian (Bk 50.6.7) ] The title of "pecuarius" (or sometimes "pequarius") is also associated with the veterinary service, though the exact destinction between the duties of a "veterinarius" and a "pecuarius" are uncertain. Paternus does not mention the title in his list of "immunes" which, unless he is grouping all animal workers together under the term "veterinarii", they were of lower importance.

It can be speculated that the "veterinarius" was concerned with the medical care of the animals while the "pecuarius" served in more hand-on roles as assistants. The fact that the "pequarii" are included within the association of soldiers connected with the hospital ("valetudinarium") of Legio III Augusta at Lambaesis [AE 1906.9; CIL 8.2553 = 18047; ILS 2438] would suggest that they had medical responsibilities for the animals and were not just grooms or feeders.

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