Abstract

This paper deals with the use of the term primus in the inscriptions from the Western provinces, between the Augustan and the Severan age. This expression has attracted much scholarly attention, as it was used to identify the ‘firsts’ in a given community. The élites in Rome and Italy used to boast such a distinction, and this custom gradually spread across the provinces. Through the collection of the available evidence and the analysis of those who styled themselves as primi, this paper aims at investigating the epigraphic culture and the mentality of the local élites in the Western provinces