The “Alexandru Ioan Cuza’’ University, Iasi the Faculty of History
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THE “ALEXANDRU IOAN CUZA’’ UNIVERSITY, IASI THE FACULTY OF HISTORY PhD THESIS SCIENTIFIC ADVISOR, PROF. UNIV. DR. LUCREŢIU MIHĂILESCU-BÎRLIBA PhD CANDIDATE, ANGHEL (marr.) ANDRĂŞOAE MARIANA 2012 THE POPULATION OF THE ROMAN CENTRES ON THE SCYTHIAN LIMES (1ST – 3RD CENTURIES A.D) SUMMARY Key words: onomastic, Romans, Thracians, cognomina, nomina, limes, Roman citizens, veterans, pilgrims, liberti. CONTENTS INTRODUCTION ............................................................ 6 CHAPTER I ..................................................................... 9 THE ADMINISTRATIVE ORGANISATION ................ 9 I.1. Rural structures (canabae, vici, vicicanabarum) .... 9 I.2. Urban structures ................................................... 10 CHAPTER II .................................................................. 11 CIVILIANS AND SOLDIERS IN THE ROMAN SETTLEMENTS ON THE SCYTHIAN LIMES .......... 11 II.1. General considerations ........................................ 11 II.2. Halmyris .............................................................. 12 II.3. Salsovia ............................................................... 12 II.4. Aegyssus ............................................................. 13 II.5. Noviodunum ....................................................... 13 II.6. Arrubium ............................................................. 14 II.7. Troesmis .............................................................. 14 II.8.Cius ...................................................................... 15 II.9.Carsium ................................................................ 16 II.10.Capidava ............................................................ 16 II.11. Axiopolis ........................................................... 17 II.12 Sacidava ............................................................. 17 II.13 Durostorum ........................................................ 17 CHAPTER III ................................................................. 19 THE ONOMASTIC OF THE ROMAN SETTLEMENTS ON THE SCYTHIAN LIMES ....................................... 19 III.1. General considerations ...................................... 19 III.2. Roman names attested on the Scythian limes .... 19 III.2.1. The structure of the names .......................... 19 III.2.2. Nomina ........................................................ 20 III.2.3. Cognomina .................................................. 21 III.2.4. Peculiarities in transmitting the names ....... 22 III.3. Greek names ....................................................... 22 III.4. Thracian names .................................................. 22 III.2.5. Names of various origins ................................. 23 FINAL CONSIDERATIONS ........................................ 23 BIBLIOGRAPHY .......................................................... 25 INTRODUCTION Our thesis entitled “The Population of the Roman Centres on the Scythian Limes (1st – 3rd centuries A.D.)” comes as an addition to the already existing onomastic studies regarding the territory of Moesia Inferior and joins the similar preoccupations with other areas of the Empire. Over the last years, the increase in the documentary sources has enhanced the research regarding Moesia Inferior. With reference to this, we mention the contributions of V. Cojocaru1, Al. Barnea2, Roxana Curcă și Nelu Zugravu3, L. Mihăilescu-Bîrliba4 which contain important data about the onomastics, the structure and the demographic dynamics of the province. Despite all the progress that has been made, the research on the population is still limited whereas a complete onomasticon is absent. Our endeavor starts from these facts which determine its objectives and available means. I have found it necessary to limit the research on time (1st – 3rd centuries 1 Cojocaru 1995. 2 Barnea 1998, 2002. 3 Curcă, Zugravu 2005. 4 Mihăilescu-Bîrliba, Piftor 2005; Mihăilescu-Bîrliba 2009, 2011. 6 A.D) and space (the Roman settlements on the limes , from Halmyris to Durostorum), resting entirely upon the analysis of the epigraphic sources to better illustrate the prosopographic situation and the demographic facts in the area. The analysis of the population in the Roman settlements on the Scythian limes made it necessary for us to divide the thesis into three chapters. The first chapter is dedicated to the administrative organization of the rural and urban structures on the limes taking into account the geographic layout, the establishment and the role of the pre – Roman habitation that status of each settlement and the mention of the military units stationed in/near them as well as a general delimitation of the territorial boundaries. Then comes the presentation of the municipal institutions and the local notables for the 3 urban settlements (Noviodunum, Troesmis, Durostorum). The second chapter is dedicated to the structure of the population, trying to identify the judicial and/or social status of the people attested in inscriptions (Roman citizens, veterans, active military people, pilgrims, liberti, slaves) 7 starting from the premise that the name5 and function of a person reflect elements about their status. The veterans are presented as being part of the category of Roman citizens but we have categorized them differently because they have a special status. Similarly, the active military men represent an interfering category6. For each centre we have established the share of the different judicial categories as it is evident from the inscriptions that are available to us. In the third chapter I have analysed the onomastic of the population of the Roman settlements on the Scythian limes, the names present in inscriptions being classified into 4 main categories: Roman names, Greek names (individual names, family names), Thraco – Dacian names (individual names, family names), names of various origin. Focusing our study on the epigraphic sources, we have drawn an anthroponomical catalogue of the people attested in the settlements on the limes of our concern. In doing that, we have taken into account the following 5The Roman citizens are easily identified in inscriptions by the tria nomina and the duo nomina in the 2nd century A.D. (nomen and cognomen) whereas the pilgrims have a single name followed by the father’s name in the genitive. 6The soldiers in the legions have the status of citizens and those in the auxiliary troops that of pilgrims. 8 elements: anthroponim, the origin of the name, the social and/or judicial status, the person’s occupation, dating, the place where the inscription was discovered, bibliographic references. The catalogue includes approximately 776 people of whom 52 have fragmentary names, irrelevant for historic research. Another 14 people are anonymous. That number of names of people is owing to the hazard of discoveries and we are mentioning it merely to offer an idea about the statistic data in the actual stage of the research. CHAPTER I THE ADMINISTRATIVE ORGANISATION I.1. Rural structures (canabae, vici, vici canabarum) The objective of this subchapter is to outline an overall image regarding the judicial – administrative status of the rural structures on the Scythian limes. We notice the development of the civilian settlements (canabae in the vicinity of the camps of the two Moesian legions stationed at Troesmis and Durostorum and vici canabarum in the vicinity of the auxiliary units), most of which being near the old indigenous settlements (civitates). The military camp - castra or castella together with the civilian settlements have sometimes overlapped with the 9 old local structures ( Halmyris, Salsovia, perhaps Aegyssus) or they co-existed forming either the canabae/civitas doublet (Troesmis, Durostorum) or the military vicus/civitas doublet (Noviodunum, Carsium, Axiopolis, Sucidava). There are cases when the old local settlement does not appear to have exceeded the vicus statum (Capidava). I.2. Urban structures The urban development together with the gatherings strictly dependent on the army (canabae, vici canabarum) constitute a specific feature of Roman Dobrogea and a clear proof of a very important civilian colonization. Except of Tropaem Traiani, the other municipia of Roman Dobrogea develop along the Scythian limes: Noviodunum near a statio Classis Flavia Moesica; Troesmis, near legio V Macedonica; Durostorum, near legio XI Claudia. The municipal institutions resemble the general organizational system of Roman cities. The three urban settlements on the limes are important Romanization seed- plot of the local people. 10 CHAPTER II CIVILIANS AND SOLDIERS IN THE ROMAN SETTLEMENTS ON THE SCYTHIAN LIMES II.1. General Considerations In this chapter we have tried, as hard as the existing epigraphic sources allowed us, to establish the judicial and/or social status of the people attested in the Roman settlements on the limes (cives Romani, pilgrims, veterans, active military men, liberti) and to indicate the possible origin of the bearers with the mention that in the 2nd – 3rd centuries A.D. , the origin of the name does not necessarily coincide with the ethnic or territorial origin of the person. The easiest to identify are the Roman citizens, bearers of tria nomina and duo nomina respectively, from the 2nd century A.D. we have encountered difficulty in identifying the pilgrims who bear individual names (Roman, Thracian, Greek) and their family name in the genitive. The epigraphic source does not offer certainty taking into consideration the possible onomastic