Downloaded from THE ENGLISH HISTORICAL REVIEW http://ehr.oxfordjournals.org/ NO. LXIX.—JANUARY 1903 The Roman Legions in Britain, at University of Iowa Libraries/Serials Acquisitions on June 5, 2015 A.D. 43-72 p more recent and important writings upon the Bubject of the JL disposition and advance of the four Roman legions in Britain after the first invasion of Planting in A.D. 43 are both numerous and scattered among various publications.1 It is the purpose of this paper to collect together in one Bketch a risurni of the various theories maintained, and to make definite choice on each occasion between them, giving the reasons for every such choice. At least the fulfilment of the first part of this attempt may prove of Bome service to English students; for upon few subjects is the conflict of views more striking and at the same time the available modern 1 1. Bmil Hubner: (a) Corpus Inter. Lat. vol. vil. Inseriptiones Britannia* Latinae, Berlin, 1873; (6) Gloueettir, das rOmische Glevum, in JahrbUcher des Vertins von AUerthumsfreunden im Bheinlande, lix. 1876, pp. 142-63, Li. 1877, pp. 157-60; (c) Eine rOmische Annexion, in Deutsche Rundschau, xv. 1878, pp. Ml-52; (d) Das rOmische Seer in Britannien, in Btrmet, xvi. 1881, pp. 618-84; (e) BOmische Htrrschaft in Wtsteuropa, Berlin, 1890, i. England, pp. 8-68. 2. A. von Domuxewskl, Britannischt Legionsinsehriften, in Bhemisches Museum filr Philologie, xlviiL 1893, pp. 843-7. 8. Henry Fumeaax, Cornelii Taeiti Annalium lAbri, ii. in trod. oh. 6; The Roman Conquest of Britain under Claudius and Nero, Oxford, 1891, pp. 126-49. 4. F. H&Yerfield, Roman Inscriptions in Britain, in the Archaological Journal, xMi. pp. 229-67, xlix. pp. 176-201, 215-88, L pp. 270-821. 6. T. Mommsen, Ram. Qesch. v. o. 5 [The Provincts of the Roman Empire (English translation), i. p. 170 sq.]. 6. Konrtd Panzer, Du Eroberung Britannitns durch die BOmer bis auf die Statthalterschaft des Agricola, in Historische XJntersuchungen Arnold Schaeftr sum fUnfundrwantigjahrigtrx JubilAum seiner ahademischen Wirksamkeit gewidmtt, Bonn, 1883, pp. 166-77. A long liat of other works is given in ftUrqnardt, BOmische Staattvervxdtung, Fr. tr., ii. 193: these are of little use. Other references will be cited incidentally as they occur. VOL. xvrn.—NO. LXTX. B 2 TEE ROMAN LEGIONS IN BRITAIN, A.D. 43-72 Jan. information more widely dispersed or more remotely buried th&n is the case with this of the Roman legions in Britain. Neither, to my knowledge, has any such synopsis as is contained in the present paper been hitherto published for the1 English student's use. The second part of my task, that of presenting those con- clusions which seem to me (for reasons given) most probable is, of course, considering the nature and amount of our ancient evidence, Downloaded from necessarily both tentative and somewhat rash. It must be remembered that throughout I present my conclusions as for the most part probable only, that is, the most probable in view of the evidence so far available. British archaeology, new finds, and such workers as Mr. Haverfield may present us with new evidence, http://ehr.oxfordjournals.org/ and this may largely modify views which to-day appear most probable. But meantime it may be of some service if we contem- plate clearly and precisely our actual present position, even though the rung of the ladder upon which we find ourselves standing at the end of our survey prove in the future, as we all hope and expect, to be a long way short of the top. For explanatory purposes we give a list of the first Roman at University of Iowa Libraries/Serials Acquisitions on June 5, 2015 governors of Britain, with their most probable dates. The con- troversies as to the dates of Petronius, Trebellius, and Frontinus, as to various praenomens, and as to the personality of Didius Gallus, do not here concern us. Similarly the date A.D. 61 in the table below is that of the Cladis Britannica. Julius Asbach * has shown reasons for preferring the date A.D. 60 for the disaster which seem to me sound.' Roman Governors of Britain. 48-47. Aolus Plautius Silvanua. 47-61. P. Ostorius Scapula. 62-67. A. Didius Gallus. 67-68. Q. Veranius. 69-61. 0. Suetonius Paulinos. 61-68. P. Petronius Turpilianus. 6S-69. M. Trebellius Maximua. 69-71. M. Vettius Bolanus. 71-74. Q. Petillius Cerialis Caesius Bufus. 74-78. Sex. Julius Frontinus. 78-86. On. Julius Agricola. The four Roman legions which took part in the invasion of Britain, with whose fortunes we therefore are here concerned, were Legio II Augusta, IX Hispana, XIV Gemina, and- XX Valeria Victrix. The present conflict of views with regard to the camp or * Analtcta Historica et Epigraphica Latino. Bonn, 1878, pp. 8-16. • For the chronological questions d especially W. Liebenam. Forsclningtn tw Vtncaltungsgeschichtt del rOmitchtn Kaitgrrtichs, Leipzig, 1888, i pp. 81 tq- and the Prosopoqraphia InperU Romani. 1903 THE ROMAN LEOIONS IN BRITAIN, AJ). 43-72 8 headquarters of each at different times after 43 A.D. may first be presented in a tabular form. Proposed Camps of the Legions. Legion IL Legion IX. Legion XTV. Legion XX. Downloaded from HrBjriB: 1. Glevum (Glou- 1. CaUeva (Sil- Camulodunum 1. ? Durocorno- cester), C. A.D. 60 chester), under (Colchester}, from vium (Ciren- 2. Isca (Coerleon), Plautius A.D. 48 to its re- cester), c. A.D. 60 under Ostorius 2. ?Batae (Lei- call in A.D. 70 till moved to (C. /. L. vii.) or cester) not Viroeonium 2. Deva, founded under Frontinus 8. Lindam (Lin- • (Wroieter) by Suetonius http://ehr.oxfordjournals.org/ [Das rBm. Heer coin), A.D. 70 or but not legion- tn Britannien) ? under Nero ary headquar- 4. Eburacum ters until' the (York), from end of the first AgricoU to Ha- century drian MOITHBEN: Isca, immediately Lindnm, by A.D. 61 Virocrniam, under Deva, from Os- after AJ>. 43 or at and possibly even Ostoriui until re- torius to Dio- least from Os- under Plantiua call cletian torius onwards Eburacnm, under at University of Iowa Libraries/Serials Acquisitions on June 5, 2015 Cerealis or Agri- cola DoiiAsurwasi: Isca, by A.D. 61 Lindam, by A.D. 61 Deva (Chester), be- Deva, before A.D. 64 fore A.D. 64 not Viroconiom not Camulodonum FUBSZAUX : 1. Glevum, under Lindam, from Yiroconiom, under Deva, under Sue- Plautiua Gallai to past A.D. Ostorius tonius 9. Isca, under Os- 69 torius, A.D. 50 HATKBTULD : Isca, 'at a very 1. DurocomoTium, early date' immediately after not Glevom ! AJ). 48 2. Deva, long be- fore Frontinus PASSES: Glevtim, until after Lindum, by Os- A.D. 61 torins, c A.D. 51 Eburacum, under Cerealis We must now proceed to discuss the history of the four legions each separately, reserving for the end a summary of the whole matter. Throughout we may be allowed to use indifferently the more familiar English as well as the Boman names of the towns. There is practically no doubt as to the identification of Camulo- dunum with Colchester, while the other identifications as given in the table above are certain. 4 THE ROMAN LEGIONS IN BRITAIN, A.D. 43-72 Jan. A. LEGIO II AUGU8TA. The passages in Tacitus refer to war with the Silures in Sooth Wales and a legionary camp in this connexion. Both relate to Ostorius and apply to the year 60: Downloaded from (a) Siluram gens non atrocitate non dementia mutabatur qnin bellum exerceret castrisque legionum premenda foret. {Ann. xii. 82, 4.) (b) Praefectam castroram et legionarias cohortes exstrnendis apud Silares praesidiis relictas circumfnndunt. Ac ni cito nnntiis ex castellis proximis snbventum foret copiarum obaidio occidione oboubuiasent. http://ehr.oxfordjournals.org/ (Ibid. xii. 88, 8-4.) Mommsen supposes this camp to have been Isca and thinks that it was established very soon after the invasion. Hiibner varies some- what in some of his views. As regards Isca, he maintains in Das romische Heer in Britannien that this first became permanent legionary headquarters when the Silures were first conquered, viz. 4 under Frontinus. But earlier in C. I. L. vii. 86 he suggests that at University of Iowa Libraries/Serials Acquisitions on June 5, 2015 Isca may have been one of the camps planted by Ostorius on ' Avon and Severn,' i.e. reading Avonam in the disputed passage, Tac. Ann. xii. 81, 2. But he holds steadily that before the second legion went on to Caerleon it was established first at Gloucester. In Eine rdmi8che Annexion, pp. 284-5, 251, he speaks of Glevum as the only real fortress in South Britain besides Camulodunum until SeveruB made Isca the permanent headquarters of the legion. In Romische Herrschaft in Westeuropa, p. 28, he repeats that Glevum was the camp established by Ostorius against the Silures, unless it had already been built. In thus selecting Gloucester as first camp for the second legion he appeals partly to the numerous Boman coins of Claudius, both original and imitations, found there, partly to the Boman remains there (which, however, cannot be dated and add nothing to the argument), and partly to a famous identification of the ' Boduni ' tribe (mentioned by Dio Cassius, lx. 20, in connexion with Plautius's first march in A.D. 48) with the ' Dobuni,' a tribe known to have dwelt in Gloucestershire.8 Panzer, p. 169, and Furneaux, p. 188, regard Hubner's choice of Gloucester as first headquarters fc r the second legion before it was moved on to Caerleon as probable, if as yet unproved. Mr. Haver- field, however (Archaeological Journal, xlix.