Alba Regia. Annales Musei Stephani Regis. – Alba Regia. Az István Király Múzeum Évkönyve. 11. 1970 – Szent István Király Múzeum közleményei: C sorozat (1971)

Irodalom – Beschprechungen - Fitz Jenő: The Governors of Pannonia Inferior I. XI, 1970. p. 145–150.

I think it probable that he commanded a Pannonian formation as a legio legátus already), has exchanged the rule of the three-legion Moesia Inferior as soon as in 1(52 for his commission in the Parthian War. In my judgment the above quoted studies contain sufficient proof lor the confirmation of earlier research, that he and not his brother, Q. Iallius Bassus (whose military career is unknown) was the legátus at the beginning of the Markomannic Wars (A. BIRLEY, Provincialia 1969, p. 218). On the basis of the statements above we may affirm that C. Iulius Gemin(i?)us Capellianus followed Iallius Bassus in 158 or 159 and governed probably to 161. His Pannonian inscriptions (CiL, III, 3282, 3486; F. PÜLEP -G. ERDÉLYI, Intercisa 1, AHung. 33, 1954, no. 295) spelled his name in the form of C. Iulius Geminus Capellianus. I have called him like this (o.e., pp. 266 — 268) together with A. Dobó (o.e., pp. 62 — 63) and T. Nagy (o.e.,p. 401). R. S y m e, having suggested the African origin of the governor on the basis of P. Iulius Geminius Marcianus, used the name in the form of Geminius (o.e., p. 360). However evident may be to suppose his relationship with Marcianus, the orthography of his name ought to be adapted to his inscriptions, at least in the form Gemin(i?)us (PIE, I 339). The Pannonian career of Ti. Claudius Pompeianus is proved by a single date: on the 5th May 167, at the time of the dismissals from the Lower Pannonian army (CIL, XVI, 123), he stayed in Aquincum as governor. Were it not made doubtful by other data, one might suppose that Pompeianus may have been the successor of Ti. Haterius Saturninus, ruling the province from 164/165 to 167 at the least (so: T. NAGY, Budapest műemlékei [Monuments of Budapest] II, 1962, p. 42; the possibility has been mentioned also by A. Dobó, o.e., pp. 63 — 64). In this period the garrison of Aquincum, the legio II adiutrix, fought in the Parthian war, its place being occupied by the legio IV Flavia or its detachments only. In the latter case the striking force of the army of Pannónia Inferior was less than usual ; the governor had less chance of military success than otherwise, and the absence of the provincial army forced him to a defensive attitude. In the years 164 to 166 we actually do not hear of a significant clash with the barbarians, except the onslaught of the Langobards and Obii, in which Pompeianus had no part, although the troops of Lower Pannónia were engaged. (As stated by Cassius Dio, LXXI 3, la, the Germanic attack has been repelled by two Roman armies. The mounted array was led by Vindex, M. Macrinius Avitus Catonius Vindex, commander of the ala III Augusta Thracum, CIL, VI, 1449; the pedestrian one by Candidus. Thus the barbarian army of 6000 was not met by legions but by two vexillationes. As the organization of vexillationes sent to a military campaign followed Ihe provinces, one may suppose that the Upper Pannonian troops of Vindex co-operated with the Lower Pannonian detachment of Candidus.) The absence of Pompeianus seems to mean that he did not arrive at his new post in the time of the attack. As it is known, two years after his activity in Pannónia, in the second half of 169, Pompeianus married Lucilla Augusta, the widowed daughter of Marc Aurel, only a few months after the death of Lucius Verus. In view of the modest origin and advanced age of Pompeianus, Marc Aurel would not have chosen him, were it not for the outstanding military successes of Pompeianus before the middle of 169. In this marriage it would be hard to misunderstand the hard-pressed military situation of the empire and the evident idea, justified by the events of the following years, that under the given circumstances Pompeianus was the war leader needed by the empire and by Marc Aurel. (To give Lucilla into marriage in the middle of 169 could not be an urgent task, just as the choice of a husband who could not come up for succession, as it is meant by A. R. BIRLEY, o.e., pp. 221 —222. Should Marc Aurel have been led by the motives propounded by the distinguished English scholar, he certainly would not have entrusted the command of his army to his mediocre son-in-law, first because the situation did not allow the taking of risks and there were experienced war leaders at the emperor's disposal, second because the military successes of the mediocre son-in-law would have been contrary to his intentions.) The circumstance that Pompeianus became the son-in-Jaw of Marc Aurel in 169 does not only presuppose an especially important military victory (among the known triumphs of Pompeianus the defeat of the Marcomanns and Quads, having reached Aquileia and Opitergium, can only be taken into consideration), but also the command of a force which enabled him to win a resounding victory. Since we possess no data whatever which would prove that Pompeianus, as consularis, might have commanded another province on the ever changing Danubian front, the governors of which are in any case familiar (Hommages à Marcel Renard. Collection Latomus 102,, 1969, pp. 262 — 274), we may infer that the later distinguished general of the Marcomannic Wars was in charge of a major force, consisting of two legions, in Pannónia Inferior. In other words, he was consularis. Contrary to the statement of A. Dobó, we do not know the date of Pompeianus' first consulate; one fact being certain that he did not gain this office before 166 (H.-G. PELAUM, Les gendres de Marc Aurèle. JS, 1961, pp. 31—34). He took over the command of Pannónia Inferior in the spring of 167 at the latest, thus his consulate may be dated to 166. One cannot exclude the possibility that he became sufjeetus in his absence, during his Pannonian governorship already (ibid.). If we put the beginning of his term of office to the beginning of 167, we may infer that he left the province in the first half of 169 only. The identification of L. Ulpius Marceline with the governor of Britannia in the reign of Commodus was utterly doubtful even earlier. The chances of identification are lessened even more by the new dating of the Benwell inscription (RIB 1329) to 211, proving that Britain was governed by another Ulpius Marcellus immediately before its partition (A. R. BIRLEY, The Roman Governors of Britain. Epigraphische Studien 4, 1967, pp. 81 — 82). The governor of Lower Pannónia ruled under an Augustus and this circumstance contradicts to his identification with both governors of Britannia. The first Marcellus led the war of Britain in 184. Were this Marcellus the legátus of Pannóniai Inferior, in the period of the sole reign of Marc Aurel, we had to reckon with the years 169 to 174 (i.e. 169 to 172 or 172 to 174), between Ti. Claudius Pompeianus and C. Vettius Sabinianus Iulius Hospes. Judged by the extraordinary character of an advancement from Pannónia to Britannia, in my earlier paper I suggested that L. Ulpius Marcellus was already consularis in the time of his Lower Pannonian governorship (o.e., pp. 273 — 274). Now this hypothesis seems to be less likely, since research does not date the beginning of the Britannián commission to 179 any more. If we tried to identify L. Ulpius Marcellus with the governor of Britannia in the period of Caracalla, his place could be found between 194 and 197 in Pannónia Inferior, between C. Valerius Pudens and Ti. Claudius Claudianus, before Caracalla has been raised to the rank of co-emperor by Septimius Severus. However, this seems to be a too long time span, the more so, because Marcellus, should he have ruled Pannónia Inferior between 194 and 197, i.e. in the period of the Civil War, ought to have belonged to the immediate retinue of Septimius Severus, destined for a quick and significant career in the future as such (Alba Regia 10, 1969, p. 69—86.). Lacking further data, we cannot decide, with which legátus of Britain can we identify the Lower Pannonian governor, or whether we should reckon with a third Ulpius Marcellus. His altar in Sopianae, dedicated to Virtus and Honor (CIL, III, 3307 — 10285), is flanked by Victoria on one side and by a Roman soldier or Mars with a captive German on the other (I. JÁRDÁNYI - PAULOVICS, BpR 14, 1945, pp. 218-220, 272), so it ought to be linked with some Germanic war in any case. Consequently, independent of the governors of Britain, the term of office of L. Ulpius Mar148