 In effect, he had put his life on deposit, a condition also of the fearsome "sacramentum" sworn by gladiators.In the rare case of punishment by decimation, the surviving legionaries were often required to renew their oath, affirming the role of state "religio" as the foundation of Roman military discipline.By the 3rd century the "sacramentum" was administered annually, on January 3, as attested by the calendar of state ritual discovered at Dura-Europos, the so-called "Feriale Duranum", which dates to the reign of Severus Alexander (222-235 CE).