The Enigmatic Sospes Author(s): Ronald Syme Reviewed work(s): Source: The Journal of Roman Studies, Vol.

67 (1977), pp. 38-49 Published by: Society for the Promotion of Roman Studies Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/299917 . Accessed: 19/09/2012 14:14
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THE ENIGMATIC SOSPES

By RONALD SYME

Inscriptions foundat PisidianAntioch disclosethe careers of several senators.They afford variousinstruction, theprimespecimen being'] P.f.Stel.Sospes'. The stonewas anditwillbe a suitable tribute the discovered ifonereproduces to epigraphists byHamilton, and exemplary Sterrett.' copymadeby thecareful P*F-STEL*SOS TI * FETIALI *LEG *AVG PRO *PR*PROVINC GAL * LVC * PISID *PHRYG * ISAVR PAPHLAG *PONTI GALA PONTI * POLEMONIANI ARM * LEG *LEG *XIII *GEM DONAT DON MILITARIB EXPEDIT *SVEBIC -ET*SARM COR *MVR *COR *VALL *COR AVR*HAST * PVR * TRIB *VE XILL * TRIB -CVRAT *COLO NIOR ET MVNICIPIOR PRAE FRVM * DAND * EX *S *C * PRAETOR AED *CVRVL *Q *CRET *ET *C TRIB *LEG * XXIII *PRIMIGEN IIIVIR*A*A*A*FF* THIASVS * LIB The document in the touches notmeredatesand detail largefields ofimperial history, record of a singlesenator.Hence abundant debate,and it goes on. Economy and clarity counsel a direct to thetext. The lasttwopostsheldby Sospesoffer approach someprospect
of precision.
i. First, thecommand ofXIII Gemina,a legionstationed in Pannoniauntilit wentaway forTrajan's wars,staying in Dacia after the conquest. Sospes received the decorations to a legateof praetorian '. The appropriate rank,' expedit(ione) Suebic(a) et Sarm(atica) whomadetheawardis notnamed. Who but Domitian? emperor Earlyin theyear92 an incursion of the Sarmatae Jazyges one of the Pandestroyed nonianlegions(XXI Rapax). The Suebi, the Germansof Bohemiaand Moravia,were drawn shown five from in,as is likewise byanother inscription. Detachments legions fought in a ' bellumSuebicum itemSarmaticum.' That is, drafted from thetwoMoesianarmies.2 Domitianhimself wentto Pannonia, wageda war,and after an absenceof eightmonths to Rome in January returned of 93. The poet Martialhas copiousreferences, and the is clear.3Mommsen of chronology and Dessau assigned Sospes' command to thecampaign Domitian.4Nor was hesitation who dealt conceived or expressed by a number of writers withthe DanubianWars.5
I J. R. S. Sterrett, An Epigraphical in Asia yourney Minor (x888), 125, no. 98; then CIL III. 68i8 = ILS 1017. The first two lines of the photograph of a squeeze are reproduced in 7RS xv (I925), pl.

' in RE viii A, 603 f.; LXXXIII (I948), I26, also ' 93/4 and 'either 92 or 93 ' occurs in A. M6csy, Pannonia
and Upper Moesia (I974), 85. An aberration. 4 Mommsen, Hermes iII (I869), II5 = Ges. Schr. IV, 447; Dessau,ILS IOI7 and PIR', S 567. E. Kostlin, Die "S. Gsell, op. Cit., 227; Domitians(Diss. Tiibingen, I9IO), 20 .; Donaukriege S-B RE xii, I716; C. Patsch,Wiener E. Ritterling, 217, Abh. I, 40; R. Syme, in CAHxi (1936), 177, in

93 was advocated by R. Hanslik, Wiener Studien

XXXVI. 2 ILS

cf. E. Ritterling, RE xii, I444; 2719, R. Syme, J7RS xviii (I928), 47 f. Note also the 'bellum Germa. et Sarmatic.' of CIL XI. 5992: the ' 'priores principes who decorated this centurion, once only,are a euphemismfor Domitian. 8 For the full evidence, S. Gsell, Essai sur le regnede l'empereur Domitien(I894), 224 f. The year

Papers(I971), Danubian

I09,

and elsewhere.

THE ENIGMATIC SOSPES

39

The full name and precise identityof the legate engaged littleattention. Everything laterwithA. Junius spoke fora Caesennius. The unusual cognomenrecurstwo generations Pastor L. Caesennius Sospes, the ordinariusof I63. It was thereforefelicitouswhen not so long ago on a diploma issued to the L. Caesennius Sospes turnedup as consul suffect armyin Thrace. He stands as the colleague of C. Clodius Nummus in II4, on JulyI9.6 That revelationhad a double consequence (identitybeing assumed with the legate of XIII Gemina). It at once abolished a pair of divergentdatingsof Sospes' careerthat had 7 At the same time,however,a freshperplexity. been advocated onlya fewyearspreviously. yearsfor legatein 92, why did he have to wait morethan twenty If this man was a legionary a consulship? The objection has point and weight. Yet it may evaporate on closer inspection. Anythingcan happen in the life of a Roman senator. The consulate of L. Caesennius Sospes, so it will emerge, was a product of time and chance, even perhaps of caprice. Parallels offer forretardation-and a reason is not farto seek.
II. The next and last post, in Galatia. Its natureis not at all clear. Prolegomena,however summary,cannot be avoided. For action in Armenia, or for the threatof action, Rome required an army in Cappadocia. At the beginningof Nero's reign a consular command was set up, which included Galatia. Domitius Corbulo held it,then Caesennius Paetus (for a briefspell, and to no good result),then Corbulo again. In the winterof 66/7the command lapsed, Corbulo being recalled and the legions taken away to deal with the rebellion in Judaea. Vespasian restoredthe command,and ArmeniaMinor quicklyaccrued.8 The garrison the fallof Jerusalem comprisedtwo legions. XII Fulminatahad been sentto Melitene after (in the autumn of 70); and XVI Flavia was stationedat Satala, in Armenia Minor.9 The firstgovernor of Cappadocia-Galatia has escaped notice. Perhaps M. Ulpius Traianus (suff.70) who held Syria from73/4 until 78.10 In the sequel ten are on direct c. 72) to M. JuniusHomullus (suff.I02).11 fromCn. Pompeius Collega (suff. attestation, Homullus findsmentionas governor of Cappadocia when Trajan appeared on the scene earlyin I14: his son was sent on a missionto the rulerof Armenia.12That countrybeing and Galatia reverted most of the hinterland, annexed,the Cappadocian commandforfeited zone (Cappadocia and Armenia to the rankof a praetorianprovince. Left withthe frontier Minor), L. Catilius Severus (suff.i io) held Armenia Maior until it was abandoned three years later.13 As for Galatia, the firstgovernorafterthe severance is probably the Ignotus of an The next is the polyonymous']nius Gallus', likewise at Antioch.14 acephalous inscription withthe governorL. Cossonius Gallus and with Gallus, at Antioch: clearlyto be identified in I2o and in I22 consul suffect in i i9.15 Then comes A. Larcius Macedo, on attestation (suff.? 123).16 In the period of its existenceas a consular province,Cappadocia-Galatia embraced a " Noted in Hermes LXXXV (I957), 493 - Roman Papers (1977), 351 f. The diploma still lurks unpublished in the Museum at Sofia. I See below, Epilogue. "After the deposition of Aristobulus (PIR2, A 1024) in 72-or perhaps in 71. 9 For Satala see now T. B. Mitford, JRS LIV a chance that an Ignotus intervenes between Patruinus and Julius Candidus, who may not have been appointed until 89. 12 Dio LXVIII. 19. I. Governor after being praetor and on the straight legate of a legion,therefore path to the consulate. 15ILS 1038 (Antioch); L. Cossonius Gallus is revealed by AE 1928, IOI (Iconium). Identity is doubted in PIR2, C 154I-and denied forGallus, the of I I9, in E 71. See, however,Historia xiv suffectus (I965), 345 - Danubian Papers (1971), 229; XVIII 78I. In CIL VI. 32374 (I969), 359 = RP (1977), the consul suffectcan stand as 'C]o[ssoni]o Gallo'. Accepted by W. Eck, Senatoren von Vespasian bis Hadrian(1970), I85. 16 PIR2, L 98. It is there suggested that Larcius Macedo mightbe identical with the Ignotus of ILS 1039.

13 ILS
14 ILS

1041. 1039.

doubts, B. Kreiler, Die StatthalterKleinasiens unter den Flaviern (Diss. Milnchen, 1975), 35 f. Il For the list,R. K. Sherk, The Legates of Galatia fromAugustusto Diocletian (I95I), 39 f.; W. Eck, Senatoren von Vespasian bis Hadrian (1970), 239. There is a gap between A. Caesennius Gallus (probably 80-3) and Ti. Julius Candidus Marius Celsus (suff. 86). P. Valerius Patruinus (suff. 82) is suggested by B. Kreiler, op. cit., 88 f.; Chiron attestedin November of 88 (CIL
IV (1974),
451

(1974), I60 f. 10 As conjecturedin Tacitus(1958), 3'. See further G. W. Bowersock, J7RS LXIII (I 973), 134 f. For

f. He wenton to Syria,wherehe is
XVI.

35). There is

40

RONALD SYME

wide area, takingin a congeriesof minor territories.In fact,no fewerthan eightofthem, thoughthe enumerationis not uniformon the inscriptions. The governor would need an assistant. Inscriptions revealthreepraetorian legateswho cover, so it appears, the years 78-84. In rank and functionthey are comparable to the iuridiciin Tarraconensis and in Britain, and that term need not be disallowed for the Cappadocian complex. to be held afterthe For Ti. Julius Celsus Polemaeanus (suff.92), the post is the first praetorship.'7 Likewise for L. Julius Proculeianus.18 The third, A. Julius Quadratus (suff. 94), had previousemployment, but of a minorgrade: one year as a proconsul's legate in Bithynia-Pontus, two yearsin Asia.19 Celsus, it will be observed,went on to command a legion duringthe reign of Titus. That fact is sharplyrelevantto the case of Caesennius Sospes, employedin Galatia after being legateof XIII Gemina. Sospes looks likesomething betterthan a iuridicus. To proceed. The document carries a pair of items that have caused much trouble. of a province: First,Sospes is styled' leg. Aug. pro pr.' If correct, thatdenotesthe governor the iuridicus is only 'leg. Aug.'.20 Second, Cappadocia is absent fromthe list of the territories. It leads offwith Galatia. What then is to be done? Cappadocia, it mightbe assumed, was leftout by accident, takes Sospes for a whereas the titulatureof the governoris correct. Thereforeone theory praetorianlegate governing the whole of the consularprovince.21On a similarassumption, a carefuland succinctstatement has Sospes a praetorian legatein Cappadocia-Galatia, c. 95, succeeding a consular who died in office(i.e. Antistius Rusticus).2 At the same time, however,an alternative explanationwas added: 'it is possible that the provincewas split fora shortwhile afterRusticus' death into its two main componentparts.'
iii.

The alternative is to be preferred, forseveralreasons. It deservesto be prosecutedand exploited,with close scrutiny of the ' componentparts ' of the Cappadocian complex. On the inscriptionsthat registerthe careers of governorsand iuridici Cappadocia stands at the head, followedby Galatia. There are enough of them, withoutthe plethora honouringA. Julius Quadratus.23 Now the dedicationin honour of Sospes was set up by his freedmanThiasus. This person in loyal assiduityenumeratedeight subsidiaryregions under the authority of his patron. No other document comes anywherenear that total.24 It strainsbelief that great Cappadocia, the head and frontof the consular province,was omittedby Thiasus throughsheer inadvertence. That province,it follows,was divided, albeit fora shortintervalof time. Antiochexhibitsthe cursus of L. AntistiusRusticus (suff. go), also his edict denouncing food hoardersand profiteers in a season of dearth.25Famine all too oftenengendersdisease or the pestilence. A poem of Martial condoles with Nigrina,who broughtback to Italy the urn containingthe ashes of her husband: ' Cappadocum saevis Antistius occidit oris/ Rusticus.' 26 The poem comes in Martial's ninthbook. rTheseventhwas published in December of to his victorious Domitian's return fromPannonia (vii. 6). Book viii refers 92. It anticipates presence (e.g. viii, I I). It was not published before94, forit carriesa dated item,namely
iv. 8971. 18AE I964, 4 (Comana of Cappadocia). The inscription happens to show no post between quaestor and praetor. He is thereforedescribed as 'certe patricius' in PIR2, J 489a. Not likely. 19I LS 88I9, cf. the numerous inscriptionslisted in PIR2, J 507. The only exception is furnishedby threemilestonesof Caesennius Gallus, which in fact were set up in Galatian territory (ILS 263; 268; CIL iII. 14i8448). 20 W. M. Ramsay, however, assumed him a iuridicus, YRS xiv (1 924), 1I92); and by inadvertence he was included with Julius Quadratus and Julius Celsus in Tacitus (1I958), 68, n. 5. 21 Thus D. Magie, Roman Rule in Asia Minor
(1950), 1437. 17 ILS
22 B. Levick, Roman Colonies in Southern Asia Minor (I967), 230. 23Add now AE I968, 145 (Saepinum): the cursus of the legate M. Hirrius Fronto Neratius Pansa c. 75), showing' pro]vinciaeCa[.' Furthermore, (suff. the whole complex is sometimesstyled 'the Cappadocian province' (e.g. ILS 88I9). 24 Only ILS 1017 includes Pontus Galaticus; and Isauria is elsewhere registered only on Pergamon VIII. 3, no. 2I, the inscription of C. JuliusQuadratus Bassus (suff.IO5), governorfrom Io8 to i i i. 25 AE I925, I26. 26 Martial IX. 30. I f. In 9I the 'impia Cappadocum tellus' had carried off Camonius Rufus of Bononia, aged twenty(vi. 85).

THE ENIGMATIC SOSPES

4I

the consulate of the elder son of Silius Italicus (viii. 66): L. Silius Decianus assumed the fasces with T. Pomponius Bassus forcolleague on i September of the year 94. The poem payingtributeto the widow of AntistiusRusticusin the nextbook (Ix. 30) is consonantwith his decease in 93 or in 94. Perhaps the latteryear. v. If a consular quits his post or his life,a problemarises forthe government-and a topic of genuine concernforeruditeenquiryin later ages. Various parallels offer instruction. Tiberius Caesar keptthe governors of Syriaand of Tarraconensisat Rome, fora decade. In Syria a legionarylegate was put in charge,the same person for quite a long time, so it happens to be known.27 The situationin Tarraconensis was complex and peculiar. The the north-west, under a single commander(the camp lay a littleto the south of Asturica), while the legate of the third faced the Cantabrian mountains. The remaininglegate had administrative tasks in the more civilized parts of the province. During the decenniumin question a ' praetorprovinciae' is attested,namelyL. Piso, who was assassinated by a native in theyear 25.29 Clearlya governorof praetorianrank.30 Furthermore, commander of the two legions, be it assumed. It would be awkward or anomalous to make him subordinateto the civilianlegate. The lattermightbe a person of small consequence, not yet having commanded a legion-and Piso was a nobilis.31 Next, a season of civil war. In the course of 69 Trebellius Maximus ran away, and Tarraconensiswas the commandersof the threelegions in Britaindivided the authority.32 also vacated by its consular,and therewere no legions therein 70.33 Further,in that year Syria was leftwith only one legion for garrison,IV Scythica. The legate, Cn. Pompeius Collega, took charge of the province,until a consular arrived.34 Finally,the politicalemergency under Nerva, after the adoption of Trajan (in October of 97). Two heterogeneousitems combine with advantage. First, the attitude of the consular in Syria had given rise to disturbingrumours.35Second, Larcius Priscus, after being quaestor in Asia, is discoveredas legate of IV Scythica,bearingthe titleof governor of Syria.36 was not The consular had died, had departed-or had been removed. Death in office infrequent. In the space of some fifty years (c. 34 to 84) at least four of the governors is not the explanation, perished in that insalubriouscountry.37This time mere mortality since the governorwas not succeeded by one of the threelegionarylegates in the province. The nature of the crisis and the identityof the consular is an entertaining problem. M. Cornelius Nigrinus (suff.83) now comes out as the potent candidate,legate of Moesia and then of Moesia Inferiorduringthe Dacian War of Domitian (86-9), and subsequently legate of Syria.38 to which Sospes acceded the office vi. An attemptcan be made to defineand circumscribe after the decease of AntistiusRusticus. Since Sospes had commandeda legion in Pannonia, rank. Nor would it be suitableto set the it is notlikelythathe passed on to a post ofinferior commanderson the easternfrontier. iuridicus in authority over eitheror both ofthe legionary
27 Seneca, Epp. 12, 8: ' Pacuvius, qui Syriam usu suam fecit.' Attested already in i9 as legate of VI Ferrata (Ann. II. 79. 2). 28 Strabo III, p. i66 f. 29 Ann. IV. 45. I. 30As argued in JRS XLVI (1956), 20 f. = Ten Studies in Tacitus (I970), 56 f. II. 2423: 31 Thus C. Caetronius Miccio (CIL Bracara), as restoredand interpreted by G. Alf6ldy, Fasti Hispanienses (I969), 67 f. His next post was the command of II Augusta. That scholar puts L. Piso in the same category(ibid. 67). 32 Tacitus, Hist. II. 6o. 33 Hence perhaps a brief tenure by a praetorian legate. That is Fulvus (AE 1952, i22), identifiedas T. Aurelius Fulvus (cos. II 85): previouslylegate of III Gallica in the East and in Moesia. For this conjecture,YRS XLVIII (1958), 8 = RP (I977), 389.

consular had three legions and three legati.28

Two ofthelegions werebrigaded together in

34Josephus,BJ VII. 58, mentioningL. Caesennius Paetus (cos. 6I). 35Pliny, Epp. ix. 13. I. 3 ILS 1055. At the same time C. JuliusProculus, havingbeen' q. Augustorum', turnsup anomalously as laticlavius of IV Scythica (ILS 1040): clearly acting commander. For this reconstruction see Tacitus (i958), i6; 631 f. "7And perhaps one, or two, more. L. Caesennius Paetus (cos. 6i) is not heard of after72; and Marius Celsus (suff.69), attested in 73 (ILS 8903), cannot have had a long tenure. 38G. Alf6ldyand H. Halfmann, ChironIn (I973), inscriptionfrom a fragmentary 331 f., interpreting Liria in Tarraconensis (AE 1973, 283). There is a chance, however, that Nigrinus was governorfor a brieftenurefrom89 to 90/I.

42

RONALD SYME

Now the inscriptionomits Cappadocia. Not by oversight,as some have believed. the Thereforea divisionofthe province. The measureadopted by Trajan in I I4 segregated frontier zone. That is, Cappadocia and Armenia Minor, along withthe legions in garrison Armeniawas given at Melitene and Satala. The solutionwas rational,and it subsistedafter So far so good. A further item now comes in, not always allowed for in the many discussionswhich the documenthas provoked. The list of the regionsgovernedby Sospes with ' Arm. ': thatis, ArmeniaMinor. ApartfromGalatia, eightare registered, terminates or iuridicus.39 of a governor The freedman of Sospes was morethan on any otherinscription zealous. Perhaps over-zealous-and in error when including Armenia Minor. It goes logicallywith Cappadocia. On that assumption, the two legionary legates divided authority: compare what is correctwhen accordingSospes the happened in Britainin 69. However, the inscription title of 'leg. Aug. pro pr.' and when omittingCappadocia. If it is correctin this instance sight. That is to say, the also, a solution could be produced, albeit most peculiar at first frontier armywas divided. Sospes, the legate of Galatia, kept all the miscellaneousterritories,includingArmeniaMinor and the legion at Satala, while the legate commandingXII Fulminata at Melitene acted as governorof Cappadocia. would make no sense in terms of geographyor of military policy. That arrangement term,was added by mistakeat It mightbe saferto assume that ' Arm.,' in any case a faulty the end of the list. However it be, a divisionof Cappadocia-Galatia occurred,it arose from it was not designedto last forlong. One reason forthe choice of a praetorian an emergency, mightbe sought in a shortageof suitable consulars, despite a recentsurge of promotions in go). Dalmatia, it may be observed,was assigned a praetoriangovernorin (eleven suffecti And there is a further factor: a sequence of unhealthyseasons at Rome, or even a pestilence.41The pale horse of the Apocalypse was rangingthroughthe lands. In the course of 95 T. Pomponius Bassus assumed the governorshipof the reunited duringthe last fourmonthsof 94. The emperorand province. He had been consul suffect of his counsellorsmayhave been waitingforthisman to qualify. The previousemployments Pomponius Bassus would be worth knowing: presumably the command of a legion, followedby one of the eightpraetorianprovincesin the portionof Caesar. of Galatia thus acquires a meaning and a date, with a duration Vii. Sospes' governorship of perhaps not much more than a year,terminating earlyin 95. It lends support (not that supportwas needed) forthe date of the legionarycommand. Briefremarksmay now go to his career. the select and The beginningaugured well. Sospes was one of the tresviri monetales, from a consular family. stylishpost in the vigintivirate.It normallyconnotes extraction was no high distinction-but Sospes was also a fetialis. Membership of that confraternity it may well have come to him in earlyyears. dandi. The praetorship frumenti may be put about 88. Sospes then became praefectus Somethingof a surprise. This minorpost is not a sign of brightprospectsin the advancementof a senator,and it is seldom foundin the careersof men who achieve eminencein war or peace. For example, it is a paradox that L. Catilius Severus (suff.II0, COS. II I20), who to held thatpost, should have reached the chargeof the aerarium Saturni,whichled straight the consulship.42An advantageousmarriagecontractedabout the year 107 is the plausible explanation,linkinghim to a potent dynasticgroup: he is described as the 'proavus' of the emperorMarcus Aurelius. That termssolicitsand baffles interpretation.43
39above, p. 40 n. 24.

up in II7.

92 or 93.40

38.

40 ViZ.

95), cf.CIL xvi. Rufus(suff. Q. Pomponius

41As deduced from Dio LXVII iX. 6, cf. Tacitus 69. (i958), 42 ILS I04I. 43 cf. hesitantremarksof Groag, PIR2, C 558. If Catilius married the widow of Cn. Domitius Tullus

(II suff.98), who is mentioned in Pliny, Epp. viii. I8. 8, he would become the stepfatherof Domitia Lucilla (D i8z), the grandmotherof Marcus. For 95 = RP that conjecture, Historia xvii (I968), 683. A previous conjecture suggested that (I977), Catilius might have become a 'substitute grandfather' to Marcus by marryingLucilla herself,cf. Tacitus (1958), 793.

THE ENIGMATIC SOSPES

43

of' coloniae Next,a curator etmunicipia '. This is a fact ofgreat value: theearliest of such officials on record, and uniqueforthetimeoftheFlavianemperors. Therehas been a strange disinclination amongscholars to admitthe innovation earlier thanthe reignof Trajan. Hencesundry efforts to disallow theplainandpatent dating ofCaesennius Sospes.44 laurels in Pannonia and thegovernorship After of Galatia,Sospes couldlook military forward confidence withrational to a consulship in 97 or 98. Fortune turned against, with Domitian assassinated in September of96 andTrajanadopted byNervaeleven months later. from thelistfor97, or debarred in thesequel. Others Sospeswas dropped in thecompany of his coevalshad better Thus the eloquentnovushomoCornelius luck,or protection. Tacitus,praetor in 88-and already xv virsacris faciundis.45 Loyal serviceto Domitianin the recent yearswas no impediment, as is shownby TrajanandbyPliny, intheir different fashions. The Caesennii, however, werein a bad way, beingconnected withthe dynasty now abolished.A Caesennius Paetusmarried a Flavia Sabina.46That is, the consulof 6i, it is generally of T. Flavius held, and a daughter Sabinus(suff. to thehighdignity in that ?44). Sabinuswaspraefectus urbi,acceding so year, it appears.47 morethanonce. Paetusis the first The matchbrought known conspicuous benefit, consulofhisfamily-but also consul a distinction without sincetheyear ordinarius, parallel in 62,to takeup theCappadocian 49,48 He went out quickly, buthisinvasion command, of and a shameful to the Parthians.49 Armenia endedin disaster capitulation None the less, Caesennius Paetuswasableto comeup againearly inthereign ofVespasian.As governor of in 72.50 outtheannexation of Commagene Syriahe carried or meresurvival Courtfavour can rehabilitate a veteran and younger men politician, from or a mishap. It maytakesometime. In theyearI05 a certain recover indiscretion himself forward LiciniusNepos,whilepraetor, thrust withuntimely zeal, and he did not abate his activities the year after, the unfriendly label of ' emendator earning thereby of the highassembly senatus'. It is Pliny'shabitto treatfellowmembers withbland His recurrent comments on thebehaviour ofNepos therefore indulgence. callfornoticehomo and appearominous.5" A novus or merit lacking specialfavour mayreachtheconsulafter turns shipa dozenyears beingpraetor.LiciniusNepos in fact up as consulsuffectin I27.52

is thecase of C. Bruttius Praesens and variously iI8 or i I9). instructive, Better, (suff. As military he earnedmilitary decorations on theDanube in 89. Butretardation tribune occurred once ifnottwicein his career.AbouttheyearI07 Plinyurgedhimto renounce to publiclife.54 Thereis no further theease ofretirement and return traceofPraesens until as legateconducting hislegionin deepsnowacrossthe thewinter of I I4, whenhe emerges was now aboutforty-five. Certain of his coevalshad been Armenian Taurus.55Praesens ofyears. ex-consuls fora number ofPlinydeclares, adhered to thedoctrines ofEpicurus. His as thelanguage Praesens, withHadrian. And in factseveral subsequent showhimhighin favour of honours friends in the armedprovinces untilthetimeofthe Hadrianfailed to find consular employment of L. CaesenniusSospes in II4 may accordwiththis War.56The consulship Parthian pattern. a surmise.WhenTrajan in prideand majesty else attracts marched into Something It lay close to Rhandeia, where Armenia, the first place he occupiedwas Arsamosata.57
44cf. below, Epilogue. 45 One of the superior priesthoods often accrued about the time of a man's consulship. 46ILS 995, cf. PIR2, F 440. 47As argued now by M. Griffin,Seneca. A to Philosopher in Politics (1976), 230; 456 (reverting Borghesi,against Stein in PIR2, F 352). 48 The yearof Q. Veranius and Pompeius Longinus Gallus. 49 Paetus arrived in 62, not in 6x (as argued by Groag in PIR2, C 173). " Josephus,BJ vii. 22o. He reached Syria late in
70

"I Pliny, Epp.

(ibid. 59).

IV. 29;

v. 4;

9;

12;

VI. 5.

Identity is doubted by Sherwin-White in his in PIR2, L 220. 29, denied But the son of a novus homo (praetor in I05) is not likelyto have reached the consulate as early as 127. 53 AE 1950, 66 (Mactar); IRT 545. "4Pliny,Epp. VII. 3. 65 Arrian,fr. 85 (Roos). Cf. Historia xviii (i969), 352 = RP (I 977), 774. 6 Tacitus (1958), 243. 57 Dio LxvIII. I 9. 2, with the readingof Gutschmid and Boissevain: to be accepted in the face of strong doubts expressed by Magie, Roman Rule in Asia Minor (I950), I464 f

on Epp. IV. commentary

52

44

RONALD SYME

Caesennius Paetus establishedhis base in 6z-and where,overcomeby the Parthianattack, he made the capitulation.58 to recurrence or paradox in the destinyof men The Romans were alertto anniversaries, and nations. Awardingthefascesto a Caesennius in the yearwhen he invaded Armenia,the Imperatorbroughtup the past, in the design to enhance and parade his own glory. That consulship was not unalloyed bliss for L. Caesennius Sospes. viii. A young son or kinsman commonlyserves in the army commanded by a consular tribune.59Not, it is as a military legate; and a son of Caesennius Paetus is on attestation visiting the scene of about Paetus. He is with Corbulo the year after, true,in the narration L. Junius the disaster(Corbulo had takenoverthe threelegionsof Paetus). This is patently in 79. Caesennius Paetus, consulordinarius Those who augmentthe discussion about the inscriptionof Sospes have neglectedto notice another son of Paetus. He was only a child, not earning a separate entryin the passed over (thatwas pardonable) when warfare of names and facts,and generally repertoria and strategy in Armeniaare under scholarlydebate. Benefit can still accrue from reading the texts. When things began to go wrong, called Arsamosata; and aftera time the Paetus deposited his wife and son in a fortress '.60 Parthianslaid siege to that place, the ' castellumquo inbellis aetas defendebatur An easy assumptionis to hand. The small boy preservedfromdire peril was assigned in prose a conspicuouscognomen. The word ' sospes ' is elevatedand poetical,not frequent writers. Not in Cicero, not in Tacitus, but suitablyemployedby Pliny in devout reference to prayersforthe safetyof the emperor.6' The boy was aged about four at the time (since praetorc. 88, legionarylegate in 92). by the choice of a An event in the life of a man or a familymay be visiblycommemorated with cognomen. There was a certainQ. Servaeus, broughtto ruin throughhis friendship Ioz), looks like a Seianus.62 The cognomen ' Innocens ', adheringto his descendant(suff. posthumous defence and protest.63Again, Suetonius Laetus should make one wonder, tribune at the Battle of Bedriacum.64 Perhaps born himselfin the joyful year of military Caligula's accession,he called his son ' Tranquillus '. The word conveysprofoundpeace.65 To posit 70 as the birthyear of the biographerwill not disturb.66 rare. Apartfromthe two senatorialCaesennii As cognomen' Sospes ' is preternaturally only two specimens are on register. The one, so it happens, in Lycaonia, which belonged to the provinceof the Flavian senator; the otheris Clodius Sospis, a soldier in the Vigiles under Septimius Severus.67 But' Sospitianus' should be added. It findshappy lodgement with L. Caesennius Sospitianus, member of the corporationof LX haruspices.i8 Etruria therefore beckons. Of Caesennii on inscriptionsat Rome, only one shows a tribe.69 It is ' Stellatina', gens; and thepatria of the ancientand powerful indicatingTarquinii. That cityis patently 70 Furthermore, to a speech of Cicero two Caesennii gain entrance the family tomb is extant. Caesennia, ' summo loco in Etruria,viz. the twice-married concerningholders of property nata ', and P. Caesennius, a fatman who excitesderision: ' non tam auctoritate gravisquam

58 Rhandeia is supplied by Dio LXII. 21. I. The name is unique. For the site, Kiessling,RE IA, 227 f. 59 Ann. xv. 28. 2. 60 Ann.xv. IO. 3; I3. I. 61 Pliny,Pan. 67. 5: ' egit cum dis ipso te auctore, Caesar, res publica ut te sospitem incolumemque praestarent.' 62 Ann. VI. 7. 2. 63 Only one otherspecimenoccurs,viz. L. Casperius Innocens (CIL XIV. 2337), cf. I. Kajanto, The Latin Cognomina(I965), 252. 64 Suetonius, Otho Io. I.

For an attemptto put his birthas early as 6i or 67. 67 CIL III. 6793 (territory of Lystra); VI. I057. 7, 1. 49. Cf. I. Kajanto,op. cit.(n. 63), 232.
XVIII (I975), 62, see B.Baldwin, Acta Classica
68 66

res tranquillae ' (Ann. I. 3. 7), the sole occurrenceof the word in Tacitus.

65

Lucretius I.

3I;

Lucan I.

I7I.

Observe' domi

See Historia xiii (I964), II3 = RP (I977), f., where the Antonian partisan Caesennius Lento is discussed, also a Caesennius proscribed for his wealth (Appian, BC iv. II 5), the latter absent from RE. For the familytomb, M. Torelli, Studi Etruschixxxvi (I968), 469.
70 590

CIL VI. zi6z. 69 CIL VI. I3937.

THE ENIGMATIC SOSPES

45

two men called P. Caesennius, of Tarquinii contribute corpore.'71 Finally,the inscriptions also Caesennia P. f.72 The Flavian senator,it will be recalled,is styled'P. f. Stel. Sospes.' An objection at once arises. How then could he be a son of L. Caesennius Paetus, the consul of 6i? Only was polyonymous. That is to say, by originhe one way offers, to conjecturethatthe father was a Publius Caesennius, the praenomen 'Lucius' belongingto some othergentilicium. thereis no need now to have A desperateexpedient,some mightsay. By good fortune, recourse to conjecture,however plausible or expedient. Two wax tablets from Pompeii declare the consul's full name: he is L. Junius Caesennius Paetus.73 This Caesennius, it adoption or inheritance. follows,had acquired the item ' L. Junius' throughtestamentary And perhaps also the ' Paetus ': senatorialJunii Paeti are on later record.74 Therefore Sospes is the son of a P. Caesennius, keepingthe father'spraenomenin his filiation. Compare C. Plinius L. f Caecilius Secundus, a Caecilius adopted by his maternaluncle C. Plinius. recurrenceof the item ' L. Junius'. The Curiosityis whetted by a contemporary probably in the notoriouspolitician Q. Vibius Crispus fromVercellae was consul suffect, year 6i.75 His second consulate has recentlycome to light: I5 March, 74, with the nomenclature' L. JuniusVibius Crispus .76 The link mightbe significant. Caesennius Paetus and his colleague Petronius Turpilianus were chosen to initiate changes of policy, in Armenia and in Britain; and about this time (Seneca's influence waning fast) new counsellors of Nero can be surmisedfromitems that happen not to be disclosed in the narrativeof Tacitus-Flavius Sabinus as Prefectof the City, and suffect consulatesforVibius Crispus (?6i) and for Eprius Marcellus (62). The ordinariiof 62 are a pair of novihomines, But L. VerginiusRufus opens the next of no interest to posterity.77 year, a knight'sson fromMediolanum.78 The consular historiancould have gained various benefitsfroma glance at the fasti the of those years.79Crispus and Marcellus are later on high show and in sharp portrayal, ministerswhom Vespasian honoured and cherished80; and Caesennius Paetus was duly refurbished. L. Caesennius P. f. Sospes is thus rescued and installed as the younger son of L. years separate him fromhis brother,the consul of 79. Caesennius Paetus. About fifteen Either one is the son of Flavia Sabina, perhaps both: Paetus mightalso have marrieda Junia. The elder brothershows the prefix' L. Junius' on wax tablets,but the ' Junius' is at Rome and at Puteoli.8A For all thatcan be knownthe itemmight omittedon inscriptions have stood at the head of the dedicationto Sospes set up at Antioch. in the easternlands, ix. Anothermember of the old Tarquinian familyhad employment like the consuls of 6i and 79, and, if namelyA. Caesennius Gallus. Perhaps a polyonymus, 39). When the rebellionbrokeout in Judaea, so, perhaps linked to A. Didius Gallus (suff. takingas the nucleus of his armythe legion Cestius Gallus the governor of Syriaintervened, XII Fulminata. Its commander,Caesennius Gallus, stayed behind to establish order in from whichhe wentto Caesarea.82 Thus he did not sharethe disastrousretreat Galilee, after so it appears.83 How long he retainedhis command,thereis no sign. The legion Jerusalem,
71Pro Caecina I O; 27. 72 CIL XI. 3415 f.; 7569. Add now the dedication on a bronze altar at Graviscae: ' Isi et Serapi I Caesennia L.f. Prisca I Vitellia Sp. f. Ingenua I Caesennii Prisci I s.p.p.,' Not. Scavi (I97I), 2IO,. viz. Junius Pactus (suff.I27); (?Junius) Paetus (suff.I54); (?D.) JuniusPaetus (suff.I45): PIR2, J of these, it is theresuggested,might 790 f. The first have been a ' D. Junius L. Caesennius Paetus ' and related to L. Caesennius Antoninus(suff.I28). 75 ILS 2927. 76 For 6i, U. Weidemann, Acta Classica xviii (I975), I49 f.; for an earlier date in preference, xxiv (I,975), 343 f. W. Eck,Historia
74
73A

1973,

I4I

f.

78 AE i968, 6 (Fasti Ostienses). Hence his of Tarraconensis (AE I939, 6o) should governorship probably run from74 to 77. 79 Tacitus (1958), 387; 743. In the Annales as extant Vibius Crispus only crops up in annotation on his equestrian brother(xiv. z8. 2). 80 Tacitus, Dial. 8. 3: 'cum quadam reverentia diliguntur'. 81 PIR2, C I74. 82Josephus, By IL 510; 5I3; III. 31. 83 At least on the showing of Josephus.

77viz. P. Marius and L. AfiniusGallus.

46

RONALD SYME

presentat the joined the armyof Titus in 70-but no legate is named among the officers ultimatecouncil of war.84 The ill fame of XII Fulminata was recalled when Titus sent it 85 the fall of the city. away to Melitene after Silence envelops Caesennius Gallus for a long space of time until he turns up as from8o to 83. Four milestones governorof Cappadocia-Galatia, probably holding office under Domitian.86 The yearofhis consulate attesthim,threeset up underTitus, the fourth (perhaps much retarded)is not on record.87 He may have owed his provincialappointment to the especial favourof Titus. Nothing is heard of Gallus in the sequel. In the year 84 a governorof Syria died to JuliusAgricola, (Atilius Rufus), and Domitian, when awardingthe ornamenta triumphalia let fall a hintthat he mightbe in the runningforthatprovince.88As ever,the friendsand counsellors of Caesar had their candidates, with claims of various validity. Merit and experience could not be ruled out. Funisulanus Vettonianus (suff.78) had succeeded AtiliusRufusin Pannonia,wherea diploma attestshim in Septemberof 84; and Vettulenus c. 76) stood in Moesia, since at least 82.89 Civica Cerialis (suff. and highlysuitable. fromCappadocia to Syriawas convenient On one count,promotion namely Caesennius Gallus and his predecessorM. Hirrius Two recentgovernorsoffered, c. 75).90 It would be worthknowingwho got Syria: thatis, the predecessorof Fronto (suff. P. Valerius Patruinus(suff. 82 or 83), who is attestedin 88. L. JuniusCaesennius Paetus had no long survivalafterhe managed the annexationof Commagenein 72. If he had deservedSyria,he deserveda second consulate. That honour fellto no fewerthan fourmen in 74, among them L. JuniusVibius Crispus and T. Clodius in 79 and Eprius Marcellus. The elder son of Paetus, however, became consulordinarius acceded in due course to Asia (?93/4).91 As has been shown, the catastropheof the Flavian House annulled the prospects of Caesennius Sospes. He only reached thefasces in I 14. The next consul is L. Caesennius of Sospes-if Antoninus,suffect in 128. The short intervalaccords with the retardation Sospes, as seems plausible, was his parent.92 in I63 A. JuniusP. f. Fab. Pastor L. Caesennius Sospes.93 Then followsas ordinarius or the assumption of a The nomenclaturesuggestsa genuine adoption, not testamentary, name fromaffinity, or frompersonal gratitude. This man carriesthe ' Fabia', the tribe of Brixia. One recallsthe JuniusPastor whom the youngPliny defendedwithsuccess ' contra of the name can be civitatisatque etiam Caesaris amicos '; and a fragment potentissimos discernedon an inscription of Brixia.94 x. To resume. First of all, scrutiny of the last two praetorianposts held by Sospes yields a concordantresultand dating. Sospes commanded a legion in Pannonia duringDomitian's ' expeditio Suebica et Sarmatica'. That was in 92. He next held the governorshipof Galatia (either with or withoutthe adjunct of Armenia Minor). The appointmenthad a reason,namelythe decease of AntistiusRusticus,the consularlegate of Cappadocia- Galatia; it did not last forlong (?94/5),but it ought to have led to a consulship. child at Arsamosata rises up to confuteany doubters, Second, identity. A forgotten nexus. Sospes is the youngerson of the consul of explain a cognomenand establisha family viz. L. JuniusCaesennius Paetus: he began as is now certified, 6i, whose fullnomenclature a P. Caesennius, for so ' P. f.' in the filiation of Sospes declares. in I14. He is here assumed to Third, L. Caesennius Sospes, revealed as consul suffect of I14 mightbe be the same man. A faintdoubt calls formentionin passing. The suffectus
BJ VI. 237 (the legates of V, X, and XV). 85By vII. I 8 f. 86 PIR2, A I70; R. K. Sherk, op. cit. (n. II), 46 f. The fourthmilestoneshows that he has become XV vir s.f.(CIL iII. I4I84 48). 87 Compare L. Funisulanus Vettonianus who commanded IV Scythica in the army of Caesennius Paetus (Ann. xv. 7. i): not consul until 78. 88 Tacitus, Agr.40. I. 89 CIL XVI. 30 28. 90 For the cursusof M. Hirrius Fronto Neratius Pansa, see the new inscription from Saepinum,
84

published by M. Torelli in J7RSLVIII (I968), 170 f., Torelli suggested that whence AE I968, 145. Fronto might have been legate of VI Ferrata in 69. W1hichis attractive. But it is not certain, as he assumes (ibid. I74), that Caesennius Gallus was still legate of XII Fulminata. 91 W. Eck, op. cit. (n. II), I44. 92 To be sure, this man mightbe a grandsonof the consul of 79. 931 ILS 1095. 94 Pliny, Epp. I. I8. 3: Not. Scav. 1950, 70.

THE ENIGMATIC SOSPES

47

of an earlymarriage.That notionlacks appeal: it entails consul,the fruit a youthful consulof97 (i.e. Sospes) and a consulof between a potential generation another obtruding iz8 (i.e. Caesennus Antoninus). often brings (epigraphy ordisproved weredenied maybe,evenifidentity that However oftheFlaviansenator and parentage aboutthecareer presented theconclusions surprises), consulate. item to lapsewouldbe theretarded wouldnotbe in anywayimpaired.The only theAnnales, he cameupontheforebears ofsenators who xi. WhileTacituswas composing equivocal,or wereoften entrances in his owntime. Their first rankand repute enjoyed record.No behaviour to firm their worse. The consular was notloathto consign historian reader. forthe contemporary need to insistor annotate.The barenameswereevocative abound.95 Specimens he CorneliusTacitus wentto worknot long after and assumption On one theory of I I3. Trajan'swarsoonimpinged. ofAsiain thesummer from theproconsulate returned sign. one mayobservea negative controversy, in notorious to matters Without reverting alludesto theeastern frontier and in Bookiv thehistorian and armies provinces Reviewing vague-and it eschews is keptstudiously The formulation theroleofthevassalkingdoms. ofArmenia.96 mention it willnotbe (and therhythm), Whatever viewbe heldaboutthedateofcomposition thanthelateyearsof booksearlier theNeronian thatTacituswas writing easyto maintain and politics sharprelevance:Corbuloand Paetus,conquest acquired Trajan. Personalities in a subtleand subversive It is permissible to look forsome reflection or renunciation. to be explicit. writer whohad no call or desire comesout A general about to invadeArmenia affords entertainment. One instance 'se tributaac leges et pro umbraregis Romanumius with a proud pronouncement: is not however, The speaker, That recalls Trajan'sproclamation.98 victis.'97 impositurum onlytheineptPaetus. greatCorbulo, He was careful and their vicissitudes.99 to theCaesennii wouldbe alert The historian at Arsamosata, notoncebuttwice. The morea man thecivilians in thefortress to mention rerum standout the ' ludibria the moresharply past and present, reflects on transactions in the Senate: elicited bya casualpieceofbusiness '.100 Such is thecomment humanarum in a publicactofthanksgiving. to includeClaudius, ofGermanicus, thebrother forgot they 88). Tacitus(praetor Sospeswas theclosecoevalof Cornelius L. Caesennius order. There has been a of a different Xii. Epilogue. Sospes mayimpelto reflections honours in to admit legatein 92, winning reluctance thatSospeswas a legionary persistent into havebeenbrought Suebi and Sarmatae.Variousdevices against campaign Domitian's to thetimeofMarcusAurelius.'01 from thefirst ofVespasian years play,withdatesranging maygo to a pair of recentelucidations. thoseextremes, briefcomment Dismissing as registered reign was evoked, ofHadrian's at thebeginning withSarmatians First, trouble who dweltnearthe But thoseSarmatians are the Rhoxolani, in the Historia Augusta.'02 And noneis on in factensued.103 withthe Rhoxolani mouth ofthe Danube. No warfare

flumen Euphraten, quantum ingenti terrarumsinu ambitur,quattuorlegionibus coercita,accolis Hibero Albanoque et aliis regibus qui magnitudine nostra adversumexternaimperia'. See further proteguntur ' How Tacitus wroteAnnals I-I', de la Publications Faculte de Lettres, Universite de Louvain (I977), forthcoming. 97Ann. xv. 6. 4. 98 Dio LXVIII. 20. 3. 9 Including Caesennius Gallus. But the' Caesennius Maximus' in a long list of persons banished afterPiso's conspiracy(Ann. xv. 71. 5) and registered as PIR2, C 172 is more safely to be regarded as a Caesonius (Martial VII. 44. I): the historianhimself,

95 Tacitus (1958), 301 f.; 478 f. 96 Ann. IV. 5. 2: ' dehinc initio ab Suria usque ad

not a scribe,may have made an error. Martial terms the man an ex-consul (VII. 44. 6). 100Ann. iii. i8. 4. 101 Early Vespasianic, R. K. Sherk, op. cit. (n. ii), go; for the time of Marcus, A. M6csy, op. cit. (n. 3), IO1. It may be recalled that Domaszewski long ago assigned ILS IOI7 to the reignof Antoninus Pius. 102 HA, Hadr. 6. 6, adduced by H. G. Pflaum, Historia ii (1954), 431 f. (at 435). He was followed by J. Dobia4, Omagiu lui C. Daicoviciu (1960), I47 f. Danubian Papers (I971), 109. For briefdisagreement, 103 HA, Hadr. 6. 8: 'cum rege Roxolanorum,qui de imminutissubsidiis querebatur, cognito negotio pacem fecit'.

48

RONALD SYME

the legion record with the Germans across the middle course of the river. Furthermore, XIII Gemina was no longerin Pannonia. It belonged to the garrisonof Dacia.104 The corollaryof that theorywas to have Sospes governorof Galatia not long after. That will not do either. There is no room forhim. Three legates of Galatia can be called up, to fillthe years from114 to I2z.105 and fragile in both members,even beforethe consularyearof The theory was arbitrary, ensued aftera time. Why not operaL. Caesennius Sospes became known. A restatement tions against the Sarmatae Jazygesin I07/8 when Hadrian (praetor io6) held the newly the HA was now summoned Another passage from erectedprovinceofPannonia Inferior?106 into service. It does not amount to much. To quote it in contextmay be enough: ' Sarmatas compressit,disciplinam militaremtenuit, procuratoreslatius evagantes coercuit' (Hadr. 3.9). What the biography appears to present is a general and improvingtestimonialof governorin this instanceof Pannonia Inferior. virtuesrequisitein an exemplarygovernor, The language failsto disclose a victoriouscampaign such as would conferdecorationson a legionarylegate; and, once again, no hint of Suebi. The passage should perhaps be put to different employ, to illustratethe contrasting strandsperceptiblein the Vita Hadriani. That is, a favourableor neutralpresentationof that person,with items of detractionor scandal put to the creditof Marius Maximus.107 The restatement of Galatia for a second time. Sospes' governorship entailed shifting It was now allocated c. i i i, which on a normal patternof promotionsconcorded with the the divisionof appeal. It demonstrated year of his consulate. That datingcarrieda further the provinceCappadocia-Galatia, well in advance of Trajan's war. forsettling affairs with eagerto seize the earliestpretext Trajan was avid and truculent, the Parthians,as the ' dignitas imperii' enjoined. Signs were therefore sought, of premeditationand also of planning; and some even roped in the special mandate of Pliny, of the cities in Bithyniaand Pontus. appointed to set in orderthe affairs The severance of Galatia from Cappadocia promised somethingbetter, and solid. The notion was taken up, with no hesitations.108Indeed, it has found firmand sober endorsement.109 The advocates of the new doctrine failed to explain in what ways the division of Cappadocia-Galatia contributedto preparationsfor a war of aggression. Other amateur thesis: Cappadocia still mightinterposethe contrary studentsof geographyand strategy needed the hinterland forroads, transport and supplies. JuniusHomullus, it follows,was the last of the consular legates. The annexationof Armeniaabolished the complex. None too soon, some mightmaintain,for the monsterextended fromthe bounds of Pamphylia and Cilicia to the Black Sea and the riverEuphrates. But that is anotherquestion. To conclude. Sospes is rescued a second time,fromposthumoushazards. One reverts to Mommsen and Dessau, thoughnot to take shelterbehind the ' magna nomina '. Sound method (or better,common sense) prescribed immediate approach to the document.110 But the legionarycommand and the praetorianprovince alone held out some chance of precision,not any of the otherposts. For the career of Sospes, scholarswere ready to admit and commend anythingrather thana Domitianicdate. Whythenthe effort and all the contortions?The answeris tranquil, but disturbing. Dogma had formedand propagated. et municipiorum. Acceptable,so it was decreed,under Trajan, First,a curator coloniarum
104 Warfare on the borders of Dacia in I I7/8 happens to be attested by the inscriptionon Julius Quadratus Bassus (Pergamon VII. 3, no. 2I); and thereis the ensuing command of the knightMarcius Turbo, embracingDacia and Pannonia Inferior. Not strictlyrelevant, however, to the interpretation of HA, Hadr. 6. 6 f.-and the date of ILS I0I7 was subsequentlymodifiedby the author of the theory. 106 cf. above, p. 39. For his datingof Sospes Pflaum was under constraint to deny that Gallus (ILS 1038) was Gallus the suffectus of II9, Op. cit. (n. 102), 434.

106 H. G. Pflaum, BonnerHAC I968/9 (1970), I84 f. Endorsed by W. Eck, op. cit. (n. 3), I I. 107 Emperors and Biography(I97I), 1z6 f. 108 R. Hanslik, RE, Supp. x, Io89: 'Tr. trennte, wahrscheinlichauch schon im Hinblick auf seinen im J. Ix o die beiden Gebiete.' geplantenPartherkrieg, 109 Thus, following Pflaum's revised dating, W. Eck, op. cit. (n. 3), io f.; RE, Supp. xIv, 8I. 110 'il vaut H. G. Pflaum, op. cit. (n. o02), 43I: mieux nous reporterau document meme.'

THE ENIGMATIC SOSPES

49

frumenti Second,thepostofpraefectus but dubiousor deniedforthetimeof Domitian.111 by dandi. Likewisesubjectto decree. The post was abolishedby Claudius,restored could be disHow do we know? Facts wereadduced: none of thesepraefecti Nerva.112 between on inscriptions 54 and 96.113 covered offaith led to expressed.1' The persistence Doubts aboutthe dogmawerenotoften gravederelictions.115 evidence tothenature andincidence oftheepigraphic havebeengiven A thought might menofbirth orsuccessin to Trajan. It exhibits careers from Tiberius registering senatorial danditendto be new men,in whichis welcome.The praefecti frumenti highproportion, at thatstage. In fact,Caesennius known of a consulship Sospes is thefirst scantprospect to holdtheoffice. ofa consular member family rankconfirm. Between Some other minor postsofpraetorian 54 and 96 it willnotbe of the Aurelia,the of the Via Appia-or, forthatmatter, easy to conjureup a curator oftheobvious As Goethe in corroboration hadtosaytoEckermann, theLatina.116 Flaminia, es istebenso.' morethanonce,' lieberFreund, Oxford Wolfson College,
e.g., E. Kornemann, RE iv, I807. e.g., E. Kornemann, op. cit., 1780 (following Hirschfeld); M. P. Charlesworthin CAH x (I934), 468; A. Momigliano, Claudius, the Emperorand his (1934), Achievement 50, cf. 107; D. van Berchem, de ble (I939), 72; 77.; H. G. Pflaum, Les distributions op. cit. (n. I02), 441; 449. Also PIR2, J 523 (M. JuliusRomulus). 113See the list appended to Pflaum's paper. 114 Vigorous dissentwas raised by G. E. F. Chilver,
112

ill

AJP LXX
115 ILS

7 f. His interpretation of AE 1925, (I949), 85 (the careerof M. JuliusRomulus) was not noticed by Pflaum in I954, Op. cit. (n. 102), 446 f.
1017

Woodhead, Select Documents of thePrincipatesof the

was omitted by McCrum and

FlavianEmperors (I96I).

116The earliest known curator of the Latina belongs c. 95 (Statius, Silvae Iv. 4. 6o). For the full list, Pflaum, Corolla Memoriae Erich Swoboda Dedicata (I966), i88 f.