Budapest Régiségei 19. (1959)

TANULMÁNYOK - Nagy Tibor: L. Attius Macro pannóniai helytartósága 27-33

T. NAGY THE PANNONIAN GOVERNORSHIP OF L. ATTIUS MACRO For more than a century, the only known inscriptured Pannonian relic concerning L. Attius Macro was the altar-stone of Kisigmánd. As interpreted by v. Domaszewski (CIL III 11077), its inscription is this : NYMPHI[S] I SACR. ] L. ATTIUS | MACRO | LEG. AUG. An essentially correct version of the inscription was presented already by Samuel VajdaandFloris Romer,

12 while a different new reading was given by Mommsen (CIL III 4356), one that was regarded as authoritative by western prosopographical literature during several decades and has been accepted as such by our investigators up to the present day. The words LEG AVG, indicating the official rank, was unnecessarily completed with pr(o) pr(aetore) by one of the founders of Roman epigraphy who, by doing so, gave rise to an assumption that was to persist so tenaciously in literature, namely, that Attius Macro was one of the proconsuls of Pannónia Superior. When preparing a critically compiled list of the proconsuls of Upper Pannónia, Ritterling (who adopted the said reading of v. Domaszewski) turned against Mommsen's interpretation with the correct argumentation

10 that Attius Macro could not yet function as provincial governor but only as legionary legate at the time when the altar-stone was erected. Edmund Groag was one of the few authors, who accepted Ritterling's arguments.

14 Indeed, Mommsen's interpretation is objectionable both epigraphically and prosopographically. If we were to accept Attius Macro as one of Hadrian's proconsuls in Upper Pannónia, only the year 135 and the first half of 136 could be considered as the time of his tenure of office. This, however, is highly improbable for the following reasons : To our knowledge it never happened that a person was appointed governor of Upper Pannónia in the year following his consulship. Reidinger's useful table makes it clear

19 that there was always an interval of at least 3 to 4 years — and not infrequently even one of 8 to 10 years — between consulship and UpperPannonian governorship. It is, therefore, hardly conceivable that one of the consuls of 134 should have become the governor of Upper Pannónia as soon as 135. It could not have happened later, as L. Ael. Caesar appears already in 136 as the supreme representative of the executive power who held this office until his death on January 1, 138. His successor, T. Haterius Nepos, was cos. suff. in the same year as Attius Macro (although somewhat earlier). Well, if T. Haterius Nepos, a consular, senior in rank to Attius Macro, attained the governorship of the province in 138, it is almost impossible that his junior should have preceded him ; it would have been in sharp contrast to usage which was violated in very exceptional cases only.

21 How long T. Haterius Nepos kept his office as proconsul is not known. Considering SHA, Vita Anton. 5,3 it is safe to assume that he continued as governor for some time after the accession of Antoninus Pius. It is, on the other hand, improbable that the term of his governorship of Pannónia Superior lasted eight years, i. e. until the succession of L. Pontius Laelianus who is known to have taken office in 146.

24

It is, thus, necessary to postulate the governorship of an unknown legate for the years between 142—143 and 145. It is solely during these years (and in no case in 135—136) that a governorship of L. Attius Macro may be conceivable — if a conception of this kind had some epigraphic justification. The altar-stone of Kisigmánd provides no such justification. Fresh data concerning L. Attius Macro's further career are furnished by an altar-stone found at Palotaújfalu. This relic, fragmentary in its upper portion, was found among the ruins of a mediaeval church and came into the possession of the Aquincum Museum in 1914.

25-27 It bears the following inscription : ... | [L.]ATT1US ! MACRO I LEG. AUG. I PR. PR. I COS. DES. Palotaújfalu is undoubtedly but a secondary finding place of the relic in question ; it has hitherto been assumed that it came to Palotaújfalu in connection with a stone transport from Brigetio:

28 it is, however, more probable that it was taken to Palotaújfalu (on the left shore of the Danube) from the praetorium of the camp of the Aquincum legion or from the governor's palace, like the other stone relics found together with Attius Macro's altar-stone .

29 Very instructive among these other relics is the fragment of a Jupiter altar : so far, literature seems to have failed to recognize that the 2nd and 3rd lines of the inscription may be completed to form the name of Ti. 32