L'Annee Epigraphique 2006

Made it up to the university library for the first time in quite a while (the deal on library cards for alumni is actually rather better than it used to be. if you can find someone on the desk who recognises a University Association card and knows what that entitles you to... but. wasn't really any harder to sort out than I was expecting).

One of the first ports of call: AE 2006 (which is to say, the most recent volume, published towards the end of last year).

Decent notice and summary of my own thesis publication (which was now as long ago as 2006). Glad they liked the 'imposante bibliographie' (and to discover that the adjective is as complimentary as it seems at first sight...).

AE 2006.864 is notice of the publication of the inscription from Aachen I blogged about February last year (and have amended slightly in that light). There is slightly more to the closing dedicatory formula, but I still think we're missing a verb to go with aedes. More to the point is the proposed identification with the centurion of legio I Minervia, Q. Iulius Flavus, previously attested at Bonn and Cologne (AE 1930.23; CIL XIII 8172). At the proposed late 2nd-early 3rd century date, the Twentieth should not have been anywhere in the vicinity and if Flavus had been serving previously on the Rhine then we either suppose that the dedication was set up after he had received news of the transfer, but before setting off (a solution offered for other 'alien' centurions) or perhaps accept that his family was established on the Rhine and that centurions might go on a long tour of duty without taking them along (whatever conclusions we might come to about the occupation/occupants of centurion's quarters: e.g. Hoffmann in Britannia 1995).

Newly Published - RIB III

Roman Inscriptions of Britain III

Landed on my desk yesterday, and well worth the wait. The definitive publication of Roman inscriptions discovered in Britain over the last 50+ years. Handsomely produced, with photographs as well as drawings of (virtually) all of the inscriptions, as is now standard practice in such corpora. Discussion is rather more comprehensive than in RIB I with extensive critical apparatus. The longer entries and additional illustration have led to some odd layout decisions with acres of white space leading to illustrations over the page but on the whole the expansive treatment makes RIB I now seem rather compressed (by contrast it dispenses with its first 550 entries in 183 pages).

The only real quibble? No indices (other than place of discovery). With only 550 entries (compared to the 2400 items in RIB I) it wouldn't seem a vast labour (unless of course someone's working on a consolidated index as we speak!).

Expect some further comment on individual entries as I work my way through...

Available now from Oxbow. Although as of today it's still listed as Not Yet Published!

RIB III - coming soon?

Roman Inscriptions of Britain Volume III: Inscriptions on Stone.
Not so nearly here, after all.

July publication became August publication becomes now 'Not yet published'. Shall just have to exercise some patience (it's Oxbow, after all...)

The pre-publication offer survived into August but if you didn't get in there while you had the chance, hard luck.

New Inscriptions from Vindolanda

These discoveries have hit a number of sources.

An altar to Jupiter Dolichenus:

I O M Dolocheno Sulpicius Pudens praef coh IIII Gall V S L M

To Jupiter Best and Greatest of Doliche, Sulpicius Pudens, prefect of the Fourth Cohort of Gauls, fulfilled his vow gladly and deservedly.

As Anthony Birley notes on the Vindolanda website, this must surely be the same Pudens as previous recorded commanding the cohors IIII Gallorum on a further altar RIB 1688 found re-used at some distance from the fort:
I O M COH IIII GALL CVI PRAEST II...GIVS PVDENS PRAEFECT ARAM POSVIT V S M L
This find now providing the correct nomen for the prefect.

The bottom half of a second altar has also been discovered in the shrine apparently dedicated by a prefect of the Second Cohort of Nervians but no further details seem yet to be available.

RIB III - Nearly here

Been waiting for this for a long while! Expected soon...

Roman Inscriptions of Britain Volume III: Inscriptions on Stone

Sign up for a copy while it's cheap(ish). Of course this will mean updating a lot of references (but I shall want to go through all the new entries anyway; my idea of fun.)

Inscriptions database update

A fairly invisible change (at least to most users), but one long overdue. The text file forming the database of inscriptions was derived from a very early version of the full dataset informing my thesis (and subsequent publication). Most of the changes were minor, but often significant nonetheless, some more extensive. These have now all been incorporated into the database accessible through the website. What I haven't done is flag up those where I have proposed variant readings. Next on the list...

Fearsome and Immoderate

I did say I might expand on the title, so by way of trying to get back into more regular posting...

Tacitus, Agricola 7. 'quippe legatis qouque consularibus nimia ac formidolosa erat'
'even governors of consular rank found the legion more than they could manage and were afraid of it' (trans. Mattingly); or alternatively
'This legion had been unmanageable and formidable even to the consular lieutenants' (Harvard 1897)

The context of this requires some elaboration. During the upheavals of AD69 'the year of the four Emperors', the army of Britain had sided with Vitellius. However, internal tensions existed, the precise details of which elude us. Roscius Caelius, the legate of the Twentieth had some long-standing grievance with the governor Trebellius Maximus and disagreements rose almost to the level of general mutiny. Maximus left the province to join Vitellius, while Caelius effectively governed in his absence but it seems the army of Britain remained in the Vittelian camp nonetheless.

The second Battle of Cremona resulted in victory for the Flavian side (and defeat for the British vexillations present) and a new governor and new legates were sent to Britain. To the Twentieth was sent Cn Julius Agricola, subject of a glowing biography by his son-in-law Tacitus. He seems to have had difficulties with his new legion - the Twentieth had shown some reluctance to take the oath of allegiance to the new emperor - which Tacitus characteristically excuses. The Twentieth, we are told, was unmanageable and formidable and its previous commander had been unable to control it.

This description, nimia ac formidolosa, is the only direct description of the character of the legion in surviving sources - although the events of AD6 show the legion in a better light (we'll come back to that). Tied to specific events at a specific time, it is true - it may have been meekly obedient for ever after - but still, I rather like it. Formidolosa is easy enough, 'capable of inspiring fear', so Fearsome; nimia is more difficult 'too much for', 'more than they could manage' are not very snappy. Transgressing correct behaviour is the gist; Immoderate seems to fit the bill. So, Fearsome and Immoderate [(c) me by the way!].