A Nyíregyházi Jósa András Múzeum évkönyve 49. (Nyíregyháza, 2007)

Régészet - Fernando López Sánchez: Rome and its Sarmatian allies (AD 68–175)

Fernando Lopez Sanchez VADAY 1990/91. Andrea H. Vaday: The Dacián Question in the Sarmatian Barbaricum. Antaeus 19-20. 1990-1991.75-83. VERMEULE 1981. Cornelius C. Vermeule: Jewish Relations with the art of Ancient Greece and Rome. Judea capta sed non devicta. Art of Antiquity Vol. IV/Part II, Department of Classical Art, Museum of Fine Arts. Privately Printed, Boston 1981. VULPE 1938. Radu Vulpe: Histoire ancienne de la Dobroudja. Connaissance de la terre et de la pensée roumaines. Vol. 4. Academia Romana di Bucarest, DaciaVerlag, Bucarest 1938. Fernando LOPEZ SANCHEZ University of Zaragoza Ciudad Universitaria Plaza de S. Francisco 50009 Zaragoza, Spain Wolfson College Linton Road OX2 6UD, Oxford, UK e-mail: flopezsanchez@hotmail.com Rome and its Sarmatian allies (AD 68-175) According to Tacitus' Históriáé 1.79, the news of the defeat in the Danube of nine thousand Roxolan horsemen reached Rome around the middle of February in the year AD 69. Having achieved the Imperial Purple in a very short time and full of enthusiasm (laeto Othone et glóriám in se trahente), emperor Otho decided to celebrate the victory in Rome by organising a triumphus, in which a group of troops from Moesia, responsible for the defeat of the Roxolan Sarmatians, took part. The monetary series minted during the very short reign of Otho, allude to this military victory, as is shown in the Victoria Othonis type with the image of Victory on the right, marching with a palm branch and a wreath. The Victoria Othonis series, minted in gold or silver, must therefore be considered as donativa distributed in Rome on the occasion of the triumph over the Roxolans of the legions from Moesia. It is known that the Sarmatians of the Danube were in a state of anxiety in this period due to political events after the death of Nero in AD 68. Tacitus regarded them, moreover, as enemies of Rome, though their behaviour in AD 68-70 was not significantly different from that observed in the Batavians led by lulius Civilis and allied to Rome at the time. The Batavians were soon entered into direct relations with the Julio-Claudian dynasty, and with Rome as a whole, and a similar situation could have occurred with the Iranian tribes of the Danube. The death of Nero in AD 68 led to the revolt of those Batavians allied to the dynasty, but also of other groups, such as the Sarmatians. The Sarmatian defeat referred to in Otho's monetary issue of AD 69 does not employ the common imagery used in Rome to symbolise battles with declared enemies (e.g. humiliated figures, trophies). The palm branch and the Victory are used above all at the centre of Roman monetary images to represent a military victory, but not necessarily a confrontation with the enemies of Rome. The iconographic language "Rome versus her enemies" contains references to the Sarmatians from 112