Fülöp Gyula (szerk.): Festschrift für Jenő Fitz - Szent István Király Múzeum közleményei. B. sorozat 47. (Székesfehérvár, 1996)

A. R. Birley: Some Governors of Moesia Inferior

One or two more cases might be added: Sex. Octavius Fronte (cos. suff. 86), presumably a grandson of the Tiberian senator of praetorian status, Octavius Fronto,(U| may well have had a consular father; M. Antonius Hiberus (cos. ord. 133) was pr:

Moesia Sup. or Inf. :

III Daciae:

Cappadocia:

Syria:

Syria Palaestina:

Excluding uncertain cases - those whose consular descent or tenure of the governorship is open to doubt - this produces a grand total of 41 cases, subdivided as follows;

bably not the first consul in his family. The first Prastina Messalinus (cos. ord. 147), given his name Messallinus, also looks ther like a member of a consular house. New light has now Deen shed on this man10 11 12 13 14 (15).

Pomponius Bassus (cos. ord. 211)

L. Aemilius Cants, (cos. suff. a. inc.)

Pollienus Auspex jr. (cos. suff. a. inc.)

(?) Iasdius Domitianus (cos. suff. a. inc.)(16)

P. Calvisius Ruso Julius Frontinus (cos. suff. ?84)

(?) M. Cassius Apollinaris (cos. suff. 150)(17)

C. Julius Severus (cos. ord. 155) (?)(18i Sex. Catius Clemenlinus (cos. ord. 230)

(?) M. Cassius Apollinaris (cos. suff. 150)(19)

M. Annius Libo (cos. suff. 161)

Cn. Julius Verus (cos. suff. 7151)

P. Calpurnius Atilianus (cos. ord. 135)

C. Julius Severus (cos. ord. 155)

C. Erucius Clarus (cos. ord. 170)

3; Moesia Sup. 1; Moesia Inf. 8; Moesia Sup. or Inf. 1; III Daciae 2; Cappadocia 2; Syria 2; Syria Palaestina 3. A few of the men concerned governed more than one consular military province, viz.Hispania Citerior 6; Britannia 4; Germania Inf. 4; Germania Sup. 3 ; Germania Inf. or Sup. 1 ; Pannonia 1 ; Pannonia Sup.

L. Neratius Priscus (cos. suff. 97): Germania Inf. (?), Pannonia

M. Atilius Bradua (cos. ord. 108): Germania Inf. or Sup., Britannia Cn. Julius Verus (cos. suff. 7151): Germania Inf., Britannia, Syria T. .. Vitrasius Pollio (cos. suff. 7151): Moesia Inf., Hispania Cit.

L. Dasumius Tullius Tuscus (cos. suff 152): Germania Sup., Pannonia Sup.

Pollienus Auspex jr. (cos. suff. a. inc.): Britannia, Moesia Inf. or Sup., Ill Daciae, Hispania Cit.

This reduces the number of persons concerned to 31. One may readily explain some of these governorships as the product of unusual circumstances. Thus, the first on the list, Plautius Silvanus Aelianus, is a “hangover” from the Julio-Claudians. Besides, Hispania Citerior is rather exceptional (see below); and it may well be that he was nominated to the governorship but never took it up.(20) The British governorships of Neratius Marcellus and Atilius Bradua, the two commands of Neratius Priscus, and the Cappadocian governorship of Calvisius Ruso121’ may all reflect Trajan’s shortage of suitable military men at a time of warfare. Alfoldy’s comments on Syria Palaestina have already been quoted-“the quietest of the provinces with larger armies”. The governorship of Syria by M. Aurelius’ cousin Libo in the 160s was supposedly intended to keep an eye on L. Verus.1221 Cassius Dio’s governorship of Pannonia Superior (and previously that of Dalmatia) was a product of the reaction to Macrinus and Elagabalus in the 220s. This still leaves some twenty cases - more if some of those with question marks against their name are added - which stand out as exceptions.

What is at once apparent is that Hispania Citerior and Moesia Inferior together make up the lion’s share. The former, one of Rome’s oldest provinces, exceptionally large in area, yet with only one legion, made an ideal posting for a son of a consular family who did not want to “opt out”. In spite of what Galba did in 68 - not to mention the odd business involving Spain and perhaps its consular governor in 145<23> - the province cannot have seemed dangerous to the emperors. Moesia Inferior at first sight was rather different. It had three legions down to the 160s and thereafter retained two. Yet the figures show that, from an early stage in its existence (it was split from Moesia Superior in the mid-80s of the first century) down to the 240s, men of consular descent did indeed govern this province. In a certain way it carried some of the special appeal that Spain had: although strictly speaking Moesia did not exist under the Republic, its territory had been the concern of Republican proconsuls of Macedonia, and governors of Moesia Inferior could fee: themselves inheritors of that tradition. Further, it had numerous Greek cities, which might have increased its attractiveness.

(10) Perhaps son of C. Octavius Vindex (cos. suff. 184).

(11) W. Eck, RE Supp. 14(1974) 87 f. suggests that he was a son of P. Catius Sabinus (cos. II ord. 216).

(12) Note the idea that the younger Auspex was mistakenly credited with governing Moesia Inferior instead of the elder, in ILS 8841 ; A.R. Birley, The Fasti of Roman Britain (1981) 154 n. 22, following a suggestion by J.B. Leaning.

(13) This man’s descent from M. Statius Priscus (cos. ord. 159) is purely a conjecture.

(14) PIR2 0 34.

(15) J. Fitz, Alba Regia 24 (1990) 47 ff.

(16) W. Eck, op. cit. 196 f. favours the view that the legate of Dacia under Severus Alexander was son of the man whose consular career is given by CIL VI 1428 — 31651 = 29742 == Bull. Comm. 87, 111 ff. He cites the view of I. Piso that the two were identical.

(17) Given the commonness of the gentilicium Cassius, G. Alfoldy’s view, Konsulat

und Senatorenstand (1977) 324, that this man may have been son of Cassius Agrippa (cos. suff. 130), must be regarded as rather doubtful.

(18) Not necessarily the Julius Severus of ILS 2311, AE 1968, 505 b. It is more likely that the governor of Cappadocia was L. Julius Statilius Severus (cos. suff. 155), as pointed out by G. Alföldy, op. cit. 221.

(19) Cf. n. 17 above.

(20) W. Eck, Chiron 12 (1982) 288 n. 24.

(21) It should be noted that the consular date assigned to Ruso is that proposed by R. Syme, ‘P. Calvisius Ruso, one person or two?', ZPE 56 (1984) 173 ff. = Roman Papers IV (1988) 397 ff.

(22) HA Verus 9.2.

(23) Cornelius Priscianus was declared a public enemy in 145 for ‘disturbing the peace in the province of Spain’, Inscr. It. XIII. 1. p. 205.

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