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!].

Temple or Altar

A brief note on the last entry. I've been meaning to edit it, but a few additional thoughts occur.

Aedes matri deum et isidi should of course be the Temple of the Mother Godesses and Isis. Julia Tiberina would have had to have been very well connected for the wife of a legionary centurion to have endowed a Temple. Instead I opted for 'altar' as the more normal object of ex voto dedication. However, we do see such as ex voto restituerunt or ex voto refecerunt in respect of temples (still potentially a large expense!).

(Almost) New inscriptions

I add here two inscriptions which have been found or come to light in recent years (but which have yet to make it into the online database). The first was discovered after submission of my thesis, but made it into the publication. The second came to my notice later, courtesy of Andreas Schaub, city archaeologist for Aachen. It was apparently found as long ago as 1974, but never previously shown to an historian or an archeologist and I am not sure if it has even yet been formally published (over to someone with better access to recent editions of L'Annee Epigraphique than myself). [now to be found in AE2006; this entry edited in accordance]

L(uci) Octavi / L(uci fili) Pol(lia) / Martialis / Eporedia /
m(ilitis) leg(ionis) XX
‘Lucius Octavius Martialis, son of Lucius, of the Pollian
voting tribe, from Eporedia, soldier of the Twentieth legion’
Britannia 36 (2005), 476 no. 3 (Gloucester)

numinibus / divor(um) Aug(ustorum) in / [h]onorem domus /
[d]ivinae Iul(ia) Tiberina Q(uinti) Iul(ii) / [.]avi uxo(r)
c(centurionis) l[e]g(ionis) XX Val(eriae) Vic(tricis) ae/
des Matri d[eu]m et Isidi ex voto / de [s(ua) p(ecunia)?] s(oluit) l(ibens) m(erito)
'To the divine spirits of the deified emperors and in honour of the divine house, Julia Tiberina, wife of Quinus Iulius [Fl]avus centurion of the Twentieth Legion Valeria Victrix, [dedicated? set up?] this altar to the Mother godesses and to Isis (out of her own funds), willingly and deservedly fulfilling vow'
AE2006.864 (Aachen in the area of the Bücheltherme Roman baths)
5 [N]avi? The name is less usual. A Q. Iulius Flavus, centurion of leg I Minerva, is known from the Rhine CIL XIII 8172; AE 1930.23