Durham E-Theses The primipilares of the Roman army Dobson, B. How to cite: Dobson, B. (1955) The primipilares of the Roman army, Durham theses, Durham University. Available at Durham E-Theses Online: http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/8434/ Use policy The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, without prior permission or charge, for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-prot purposes provided that: • a full bibliographic reference is made to the original source • a link is made to the metadata record in Durham E-Theses • the full-text is not changed in any way The full-text must not be sold in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders. Please consult the full Durham E-Theses policy for further details. Academic Support Oce, Durham University, University Oce, Old Elvet, Durham DH1 3HP e-mail: [email protected] Tel: +44 0191 334 6107 http://etheses.dur.ac.uk THE PRIMIPILARES OF THE ROMAN ARMY Thesis submitted in candidacy for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in August, 1955- B. DOBSON of HATFIELD COLLEGE, DURHAM. The copyright of this thesis rests with the author. No quotation from it should be published without his prior written consent and information derived from it should be acknowledged. TABLE OF COITTENTS VOLUME I INTRODUCTION 1 I'TSTORICAL BIBLIOGRAPHY 4 THE REPUBLICAN PREvJPILATE 22 THE AUC-USTAK PRIIKIPILATE 27 THE DEVELOPING PRLMPILATE 42 THE LATE PRE ilPILATE 69 THE ORIC-IEES OF PRIi.ILFILARES 39 TIS PREOPILARIS AED TIDE LEGIOKS AS SOLDIER AMD CEOTURIOE 112 THE PRII.IPILARIS AND THE ROUE COLORTS AS SOLDIER AND CEITUPION 124 TKE FRZ-IPILARIS AND THE EQUESTRIAN ORDER 145 THE PRL'.IUSPILUS AED THE FRILilPILARIS 161 TIDS PREFECTS OF THE CAliP AND OF THE LEGIONS 173 THE ROLE TRIBUNATES 202 PRIIIUSPILUS ITERUII 224 THE PRII.IIPILARIS PROCURATOR 234 TIIE SOCIAL STANDING OF T1TE FRILIPILARIS 286 THE PRL..IPILARIS IK THE ;»UrICIPALITIES 299 COBCLUSION • 309 APPENDICES THE FRIJ.JPILARIS AND THE CASTRA FEREGRINA 317 THE PRF IPILARIS AND THE FLEET 520 THE PRIl.iPILARIS AND THE PROTECTORES 321 THECEKARIUS 323 PRD;CEPS HIAETORII . 326 OFFICIAL PRILOJSPILUS DEDICATIONS 329 DOI:IS DONATUS 335 VOLUME II PROSOPOGRAPKi OF PRLuIPILARES 1 SUPELEJENT TO PROSOPOGRAPHY 591 SELECT BIBLIOGRAPHY 4-07 NOTES 411 INDEX OF ROLE TRIBUNES 424 INDEX OF C0GU0I1INA 430 INTRODUCTION The function of the introduction to a work of this nature would seem to be a definition of the subject and an explanation of the reasons for its selection, a review of the present state of the material and the work done on it, and an explanation of the form that the thesis has taken. The term prlmipilaris is of course derived from the word primuspilus, the chief centurion of the Roman legion, commander of the first century of the first cohort. After holding this post men were known as prlmipilares and under the Empire they wex-e employed in a wide variety of further posts, notably as prefects of the camp to the legions, tribunes of the cohorts at Rome, commanders of tne Egyptian legions and later of others, and as procurators. These facts are of course generally known, but the last full study of the primipllares was by J. Karbe in lbbO (1). This was a useful study, but by no means exhaustive. It was overshadowed by A. von Domaszewski1s great book on the Roman Array (id), which appeared in /90$. This has profoundly influenced all subsequent thought on the primipilares, with the result that certain of his conclusions, though false, have been unchallenged. It was the work of,M. Durry on the praetorian cohorts whicn provided the immediate stimulus for a re-examin- ation of the primlpftlares. He put forward there 13) a view of the prlmipilares wnich seemed to Mr. Birley mistaken, and he made an initial investigation of the Durry thesis in a paper 2. reprinted in his omnibus volume (4;. Clearly however what was necessary to prove or disprove the views or M. Durry was a full examination of the primipilares, and so he introduced me to the subjecu at the end of my rirat degree course. The results of what examination appear in this thesis. I have not sought to examine every aspect of the primipilares, but have conventrated on their geograpnical origins, the corps from which they were recruited, and the pattern of their careers. The review of the present state of our knowledge about the primipilares follows in the next chapter, so I need not touch on it here. As far as the construction of my own work is concerned, it falls into two broad divisions, the general discussion of the primipllares, and the prosopography of primipilares. The rirst begins with a survey of the historical development of the primipllate. It is seen as a military post without a future in the Republic, and then it is shown how Augustus shaped this institution into one or the valuable contributions he made to the administrative machinery of the Principate. There follows the evolution of the career, and a glance at the primlpilaris of the fouth and fifth centuries. The chapter on the geographical origins of the primipilares ftojfcjfcows, and then the equally important chapters on the corps from which the primipilares were recruited, and in which they served. This leads us naturally to the consideration of what the primipilate itself involved. The next group is of posts the primipiiaris almost exclusively supplied, the 3 prefectures of the camp, the Rome tribunates, and the posts of primiplli iterum. Under the first are considered the prefects of the camp in Egypt. The contribution of the primipllares to the procurators is then assessed, and finally their importance in Imperial and municipal society. The conclusion seeks to summarise all this, and in particular to give a final estimate of the importance of the primipilares. The second part owes its inspiration to H.G. Pflaum's these complementaire, (5;. It gives a complete list of all primipilares of the first three centuries of the Empire. It also gives the few cases of men holding Rome tribunates and prerectures of the camp or ducenarian commands of legions who were not primipilares. Inscriptions and literary references are given whenever it has seemed desirable, particularly to facilit• ate discussion. Much that is dismissed briefly in volume I will be found at length in the prosopography, and the book is planned on the assumption that the reader will treat the two as dependent the one on the other. Appendices are given on a few topics that cannot be ignored, but are not sufficiently important to find a place in the main body of discussion. HISTORICAL BIBLIOGRAPHY Before giving a historical survey of the work on the primipilares a word should he said on the material. This takes the form mainly of inscriptions on stone, a type of evidence which is far greater in bulk than that from literature. The literary references have their own importance, however, for whereas the inscriptions give us the origin and career of the primipilaris, literature tells us what he did. Of the other types of evidence, that from inscriptions is the most likely to increase, and much has been learned from quite recent finds, e.g. the very important new inscription relating to Marcius Turbo which is given under him in the prosopography. As explained in the Introduction, however, it is not the discovery of new material so much as the in some respects inadequate treatment of the subject so far which has led me to make a new study of this subject. I may be forgiven perhaps if I begin my survey with the work of J. Karbe in 1880. (The books mentioned are all fully detailed in the select bibliography, so the titles are only mentioned in the notes to this chapter when a specific reference to a page is made). This inmost modern study of which I am aware that attempts to deal with the primipilate comprehensively. A. Von Domaszewsk* dealt with the subject in the Rangordnung. but only as part of a far greater scheme. Karbe recognised clearly the distinction between primuspilus and primipilaris. while noting that often the terms are used interchangeably (1). He demonstrated clearly the existence of an ordo primipilarium(2.) and that there was both a numerus of primipilares at Rome and primipilares attached to commanders in the field. Rightly he concluded that the primipilaris was an Augustan creation, and he made the fundamental distinction between those who retired after the primipilate, and those who went on to further service. He saw clearly that the tenure of the primipilate was short, and that the commoda so lauded in verse and prose alike included as their most important item the sum of 600,000 sesterces received by the primuspilus on his retirement (3). He noted also the special claims of the emperors on the primipilares. He took the view that the primipilares were not automatically equestrians on the basis of the inscriptions of primipili ex equite Romano and similar, arguments His views on this subject brough.t him into grave difficulties (5). In discussing the primipilares in the municipalities Karbe noted the high posts held and the extreme rarity of magistracies lower than the rank of duovir in primipilaris careers (6). Further he noted how the retired primipilaris was often the prefect or the curator of the emperor in the municipalities. He covered competently the extraordinary posts given to primipilares (7). In discussing Wilmanns on the prefect of the camp he disputed the former's argument that tne prefect of the camp was of equestrian rank, because it conflicted with his own interpret• ation of the primipilaris as plebeian (8).