The Career of Licinius Mucianus Thomas Francis Caldwell B.A. (Hons) ORCID: 0000-0001-6164-3382 A thesis submitted in total fulfilment of the requirements of the degree of Master of Arts in History December 2015 School of Historical and Philosophical Studies University of Melbourne Supervisor: Professor Joy Damousi Produced on Archival Quality Paper 1 Abstract This thesis constitutes a close examination of the political career of an ancient Roman historical figure from the first century AD – the general, statesman and writer Gaius Licinius Mucianus. The study utilizes a chronological structure to elucidate the origins and cursus honorum of Mucianus before 69 AD, his role in the planning and execution of the Flavian uprising in 69 AD as well as his subsequent political career in the Roman Senate – as both de facto temporary head of state in early 70 AD and as suffect consul in 70 and 72 AD. In addition to establishing a chronology of Mucianus’ life and career, this thesis also examines several specific facets of Mucianus’ career, including his relationship with Titus and Vespasian, both prior to, during and following the ‘Year of the Four Emperors’, the nature of Mucianus’ own political ambitions and the extent to which Mucianus’ ambitions were ultimately fulfilled by the Emperor Vespasian. The primary methodology which will be used in the course of this thesis will be a close examination of primary source material. The sources which will be utilised in this thesis can broadly be divided into two categories – literary and archaeological. Belonging to the former category are five central historical works from antiquity – the Historia Romana of Cassius Dio, the Historiae and Annales of the senator and historian Publius Cornelius Tacitus, the Bellum Judaicum, composed by the 1st-century Romano-Jewish historian Flavius Josephus, and Pliny the Elder’s Naturalis Historia. These works will, in turn, be supplemented by further accounts derived from later commentators as well as other contemporaries – including Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus’ De Vita Caesarum, the Epitome Historiarum of Ioannes Zonaras, the Epistulae of the Younger Pliny and the Stratagemata of Sextus Julius Frontinus. The latter category – archaeological sources, includes a substantial corpus of material evidence derived from military and civil 2 structures as well as Roman coinage, papyri and inscriptions – preserved in expansive collections such as the Corpus Inscriptionum Latinarum and Inscriptiones Latinae Selectae, compilations such as Mattingly and Sydenham’s ‘Roman Imperial Coinage’ as well as more explicitly pertinent works such as Homer Newton’s 1901 dissertation ‘The Epigraphical Evidence for the Reigns of Vespasian and Titus’ and McCrum and Woodhead’s ‘Select Documents of the Principates of the Flavian emperors including the year of revolution AD 68-69’. 3 Declaration This is to certify that: i. the thesis comprises only my original work towards the masters ii. due acknowledgement has been made in the text to all other material used, iii. the thesis is 53,721 words in length, exclusive of tables, maps, footnotes, bibliographies and appendices as approved by the Research Higher Degrees Committee _______________________________________ 4 Contents List of Figures Page 7 Abbreviations Page 8 Introduction Page 13 Chapter One: Licinius Mucianus in the Ancient Sources Page 27 1.2 The Fragments of Mucianus in Pliny the Elder’s Naturalis Historia Page 27 1.3 Tacitus Page 49 1.4 Cassius Dio Page 57 1.5 Flavius Josephus Page 61 Chapter Two: The Origins and Early Life of Licinius Mucianus Page 71 2.2 The Geographical and Social Origins of Licinius Mucianus Page 71 2.3 Early Career and Exile Under the Emperor Claudius Page 78 2.4 Domitius Corbulo and Licinius Mucianus Page 85 2.5 Mucianus’ Governorship of Lycia-Pamphylia Page 88 2.6 Mucianus’ Consulship of 64 AD Page 94 2.7 Mucianus’ Syrian Command Page 96 Chapter Three: Titus and Mucianus – the Instigator and the Mediator Page 109 3.2 Vespasian’s ‘Secret Hopes’ and the Relationship Between Titus and Mucianus Page 110 3.3 Titus’ Trip to Rome in 68 AD Page 114 5 3.4 The Consilium Amicorum at Corinth and the Decision for War Page 118 3.5 Mucianus and the Organisation of the Eastern Legions Page 121 3.6 The Meeting at Mount Carmel Page 134 3.7 The Declarations for Vespasian in the East Page 144 3.8 The Meeting at Berytus Page 149 3.9 The Flavian Strategy and the March of Mucianus Page 152 3.10 Mucianus in Moesia Page 177 Chapter Four: Mucianus in Rome Page 188 4.2 The State of Rome and Vespasian’s Confirmation Page 191 4.3 Mucianus’ Arrival in Rome Page 202 4.4 Mucianus and the Praetorians Page 209 4.5 Mucianus and Antonius Primus Page 213 4.6 Mucianus and the Provincial ‘Usurpers’ Page 219 4.7 Mucianus and the Senate Page 227 4.8 Mucianus and Domitian Page 233 4.9 Vespasian, Titus and Mucianus Page 238 4.10 Mucianus’ Career After 70 AD Page 248 4.11 Rationalising Mucianus’ Support for the Flavian Cause Page 260 Conclusion Page 278 Bibliography Page 284 Appendix I: Lycia and Pamphylia Under Nero Page 320 Appendix II: Josephus’ Dating of Vespasian’s Elevation Page 324 Appendix III: The Location of Mucianus’ Base Camp in Moesia Page 328 6 List of Figures Figure 1: List of Geographical References by Fragment. Derived from Peter, H.W.G., Historicorum Romanorum reliquiae, vol. 2 (Leipzig: Teubner, 1870), 101-107. and Münzer, F., Beiträge zur Quellenkritik der Naturgeschichte des Plinius (Berlin: Weidmann, 1897), 392-5.). Reproduced in Williamson, G., “Mucianus and a Touch of the Miraculous: Pilgrimage and Tourism in Roman Asia Minor,” in J. Elsner, I. Rutherford (eds.), Pilgrimage in Graeco-Roman & Early Christian Antiquity: Seeing the Gods (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005), 230. Figure 2: Papyrus document detailing acclamations of 1 July 69 AD. (P. Fouad, 8 = MW, 41 = CPJ, 2.418a.) Credit for image: “Papyrus bearing praise of Vespasian (P. Fouad 8),” Bibliotheca Alexandrina Antiquities Museum, accessed November 2, 2013, http://antiquities.bibalex.org/Collection/Detail.aspx?lang=en&a=578. Figure 3: Career of Tiberius Julius Alexander. (MW, 329 = P. Hibeh, 215.) Credit for image: “Photographic Archive of Papyri in the Cairo Museum: Career of Tiberius Julius Alexander,” Centre for the Study of Ancient Documents, accessed June 1, 2014, http://ipap.csad.ox.ac.uk/4DLink4/4DACTION/IPAPwebquery?vPub=P.Hib.&vVol=2&vNum= 215. 7 Abbreviations AE Cagnat, R. et al. (eds.) L'Année épigraphique (Paris: Presses Universitaires de France, 1888-). ANRW Haase, Wolfgang, Temporini, Hildegard (eds.), Aufstieg und Niedergang der römischen Welt (New York: Walter de Gruyter, 1972-). BMC Poole, R.S. et al. (eds.), A Catalogue of Greek Coins in the British Museum, 29 Vols. (London: British Museum, 1873-1927). BMCRE Mattingly, H., Carson, R.A.G. (eds.), Coins of the Roman Empire in the British Museum, 6 Vols. (London: British Museum, 1923- 1963). CIL Mommsen, T. et al. (eds.), Corpus Inscriptionum Latinarum (Berlin: Berlin-Brandenburgische Akademie der Wissenschaften, 1863-). 8 CIS Academie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres Francais, Corpus Inscriptionum ab Academia Inscriptionum et Litterarum Humaniorum conditum atque Digestum (Corpus Inscriptionum Semiticarum), 4 vols. (Parisiis: E Reipublicae Typographeo, 1881- 1962). CPJ Tcherikover, V., Fuks, A. (eds.), Corpus Papyorum Judaicarum, 3 vols. (Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1957-1964). Eckhel Eckhel, J., Doctrina Numorum Veterum, 8 vols. (Vindobonae: Sumptibus Josephi Vincentii Degen, 1792-1798). HAE Caro, R. et al. (ed.), Hispania Antiqua Epigraphica, (Madrid: Instituto de Arqueología y Prehistoria, 1950-). IG Kirchhoff, A. et al. (eds.), Inscriptiones Graecae (Berlin: Walter de Gruyter, 1873-). 9 IGLS Jalabert, L. et al. (eds.), Inscriptions grecques et latines de la Syrie (Paris: Geuthner, 1929-1986). IGR Cagnat, R.L. et al. (eds.), Inscriptiones Graecae ad res Romanas pertinentes, 4 vols. (Paris: E.. Leroux, 1911-1927). ILS Dessau, H. (ed.), Inscriptiones Latinae Selectae, 3 vols. (Berlin: Weidmannos, 1892-1916, repr. 1954-1955). Mionnet Mionnet, T.E., Description de Médailles antiques grecques et romaines, 15 vols. (Paris: Impr. De Testu, 1807-1837). MW McCrum, M., Woodhead, A.G. (eds.), Select Documents of the Principates of the Flavian Emperors including the year of revolution, A.D. 68-96 (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1961). OGIS Dittenberger, W. (ed.), Orientis graecae inscriptiones selectae, 2 vols. (Leipzig: Lipsiae S. Hirzel, 1903-1905). 10 P. Fouad Bataille, A. et al. (eds.) Les Papyrus Fouad I, Publications de la Société Fouad I de papyrologie: Textes et documents (Le Caire: l'Institut français d'archéologie orientale, 1939). P. Hibeh Turner, E.G. et al (eds.), The Hibeh Papyri, 2 vols. (London: Egypt Exploration Fund, 1906-1955). PIR1 Klebs, H. et al. (eds.), Prosopographia Imperii Romani, 3 vols. (Berlin: Reimerum, 1897-8). PIR2 Groag, E. et al. (eds.), Prosopographia Imperii Romani, 2nd ed. (Berlin: Walter de Gruyter, 1933-). RE Pauly, A.F. et al. (eds.), Paulys Realencyclopädie der classischen Altertumswissenschaft, 83 vols. (Stuttgart: Metzler, 1894-1980). REA Université (Bordeaux) Faculté des Lettres et Sciences Humaines, Annales de la Faculté des lettres de Bordeaux. 4. sér, 59.-92. année. (Revue des études anciennes) (Paris: Societé d'Edition "Les belles lettres", 1937-1970). 11 RPC Burnett, A., et al. (eds.), Roman Provincial Coinage (United Kingdom: British Museum Press, 1998), 2 vols. SEG Hondius, J. et al. (eds.) Supplementum Epigraphicum Graecum (Amsterdam, Leiden: Gieben, Brill, 1923-). 12 Introduction On July 1 of the year 69 AD, Vespasian was proclaimed Emperor at Alexandria. Several days afterwards, the legions of Syria under the command of Gaius Licinius Mucianus (cos suff. 64, II 70, III 72) followed suit.1 The outcome of the civil war of 69 was that Vespasian was accepted as princeps across the Roman Empire and established a dynasty that would last until the end of the first-century AD.