Centurions and Horsemen of Legio II Traiana

Author(s): M. P. Speidel
Source: Aegyptus, Anno 66, No. 1/2 (gennaio-dicembre 1986), pp. 163-168
Published by: Vita e Pensiero – Pubblicazioni dell’Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore
Stable URL: https://www.jstor.org/stable/41216679
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Centurions and Horsemen of Legio II Traiana

Egypt is not only the richest of all provinces in sources for the
Roman army, its army is also the best researched. Nevertheless, its
wealth of sources is far from fully put to use. The following are only
some small steps into a wide field where much may yet be learned
about the working of the Roman army.

1« Two centurions and the orthographus legionis.

(P.Hibeh II, 276)

A Latin letter from Ankyropolis in Middle Egypt reads as follows :

Iulius Repositus Cl(audio) Germano suo

salutem.

Et praese(n)s te domine frater rogave-

ram coram Ammonium orťhogra-
phum leg(ionis) n(ostrae) amicum n(ostrum) karissi[mum. . . J

On the verso is the address:

Claudio Germano
a Iulio Reposito
соЩеда).
Claudius Germanus and Iulius Repositus are both also found as
centurions of Legio II Traiana on the huge marble base set up in
AD 157 at Nikopolis in honor of Antoninus Pius. There they are

(1) P.Hibeh II, 276 = CPL 260. The name Claudio on the address was
first read by J. F. Gilliam, Notes on Latin Texts from Egypt, in « Le monde
grec, Hommage à Claire Préaux» edd. J. Bingen - G.Cambier-G. Nachtergael,
Brussels 1975, 766-774 (= J. F. Gikliam, Roman Army Papers, Amsterdam 1986,
= Mayors II 363-371), see Berichtigungsliste 3, 1958, p. 85.

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 164 M. P. SPEIDEL

listed as the first two centuri

of the legion's third cohort. (2)
in both texts raises their iden
rare name of Repositus. The l
around 157, which bears out, and narrows down, the first editor's
dating of the papyrus by the handwriting " to the late second or
early third century ". (3)
The rank of the two men shows that J. F. Gilliam was right in
saying the term collega "here seems to imply a sense of shared rank
and position ". (4) This is born out also by a gravestone from Upper
Germany with the inscription Caecilio Septimini, 7 (centurioni) legho-
rns) XXII Pr(imigeniae) P(iae) F(idelis), Aurelius Servatus, 7(centu-
rio) collega et amicus. (5) With the same rank already given, the word
collega must here mean " of the same unit ". The term collega as used
in the Roman army thus implies not only the same rank but also
the same unit (or task).
No parallels are known where Roman soldiers call their units
" ours ". Line five of the above letter has therefore been read leggati)
(nostri), and since there were no legates in Egypt, the letter was thought
to have been brought to the country from elsewhere. (7) Yet since
both writer and addressee were centurions of the Egyptian legion,
a legate cannot have been meant unless the legion as a whole had
gone abroad and was campaining under a legate. The legion may
indeed have taken part in Lucius Verus' Parthian War (160-165) and

(2) AE 1969-70, 633, see also M. G. Angelí Bertinelli, I centurioni della

* Legio II Traiana ' in Studi in onore di Arnaldo Biscardi, 4, 1983, 143-199.
For their titles see M. P. Speidel, The Centurions9 Titles, " Epigraphische
Studien " 13, 1983, pp. 43-61.
(3) E. G. Tubner, P.Hibeh II, 276.
(4) Ibid.
(5) CIL XIII, 11835; see also the parallel CIL III, 265.
(6) Cfr. Dessau, index, 932 collega: miles militi eiusdem numeri et gradus.
Por collega in the Egyptian army see P.Oxy. IV, 735 (= Fink, RMR 81),
II, 14; O.Flor. 3, with the discussion by R. R. Bagnall, Documents from the
Roman Army in Upper Egypt, Durham N.C. 1976, 24; P.Mich. 466 studied
by M. P. Speidel Roman Army Studies I, Amsterdam 1984, (henceforth RAS I),
233ff. (also ibid. 6; 26; 421); idem, Catafractarii Clibanarii and the Rise of the
Later Roman Mailed Cavalry, " Epigraphica Anatolica " 4, 1984, pp. 151-156;
P.Oxy. 10, 1253, 17.
(7) Gilliam, ibid.

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 CENTURIONS AND HORSEMEN OF LEGIO П TRAIANA 165

in Marcus Aurelius' Marcomannic War (168-180), (8) but it would be

a strange coincidence if the letter were written just then, and if it
afterwards found its way to Egypt. Moreover, it seems natural for
two centurions to talk of " their " unit, and the lack of documents
showing this, merely betrays our lack of sources about what was
written among colleagues. Ammonius thus was not orthographus le-
ggati) but orthographus leg(ionis). Hence, parallel to the librarius le-
gionis, (9) an orthographus legionis should thus be added to our list
of legionary ranks, all the more since an ор&оура<р[ос] is also found
in a legionary context at Dura-Europos in Syria (10).

2. The standard bearer of the legionary horsemen«

{BGU II, 600)

A legal document from the Fayum, perhaps from about AD 140,

is signed by the following seven witnesses: (11)

MápTupeç*

Mápx(oç) Tou^pávboç OpóvTíov Gt][LZ<x.[(pópoç p 'P]oi><pou.

Aoúx(toç)IIeTpcí>vtoç OòaXepia[v]òç [сгт^еосфо рос р 'Iou]Xíou Sep-rçvou.

(8) J. Lesquier, L'armée romaine ďÉgypte d'Auguste à Dioctétien, Cairo

1918, 69 cites the wrong sources for such a participation (CIL III 6813 is Tra-
janic, see Dessau 1038; CIL III 14137 does not show the title Germanica,
according to E. Breccia, Catalogue général des antiquités égyptiennes du Musée
d'Alexandrie, Iscrizioni greche e latine, Cairo 1932, 161), cfr. E. Ritterling,
" Legio ", RE XII, 1924, 1211-1829, esp. 1488f; B. Dobson, Die Primipilares,
Köln 1978, 264; Angeli Bertinelli, Centurioni 149.
(9) RAS I, 200.
(10) M. I. Rostovtzeff etc., The Excavations at Dura-Europos, Seventh
and Eighth Season, New Haven 1939, 118. The orthographus is missing in A. v.
Domaszewski, Die Rangordnung des römischen Heeres, 2nd. ed. by В. Dobson,
Köln 1967, but see Gilliam, Notes, and, above all, L. Robert, Inscriptions
de l'antiquité et du bas-empire à Corinthe, " Revue des Études Grecques " 79,
1966, 733-770, esp. p. 754.
(11) BGU II, 600. For the dating suggestion see P. M. Meyer, Das Heer-
wesen der Ptolemäer und Römer in Ägypten, Leipzig 1900, 126, note 477: Gaius
Iulius Arrianus, signifer, may be the same man as the ex-imaginifer of BGU
610 (AD 140), for signifer as a generic term could also mean imaginifer, see
RAS I, 73.

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 166 M. P. SPEIDEL

Гаьо(с) 'IoúÀ[b]oç 'Appiocvòç

Лоих(ьос) 'Avtcovloç Socfoup
OoÎXTOpOç.
Гоао(с) [Ло]и>аос Fé^sXXoç Ó7mcov p OôaXepiavou.
П[ои]7гХ(ьос) TspsvTtoç . [.]e. . .[.]Í7í7c(ei)ç) p tyjç ocòttjç.
Sé^aToç "AppLç IIo[jL7rY]'¿avoc Itc7c(£tl>ç) p ПрохХои.

At least three of the witnesses are horsemen, yet they belong to

a centuria and thus must be legionaries. Moreover, since the men
do not specify it, they will all have belonged to the same unit, more
specifically legio II Traiana, the only legion in Egypt at the time. (12)
To the recently published list of 112 centurions of the legion five
more should thus be added: Proculus, Rufus, [Iu]lius Serenus, Vale-
rianus, and Victor. (13)
L.Antonius Saturnilus is called eq(ues) vexill(arius), which the first
editor read as eq{ues) vexill(ationis), (14) whereupon Saturnilus was
thought to belong to an independent mobile unit, a vexillatio such
as they emerged during the later third century. (15) It seems far
better, though, to read eques vexillarius, a variant title for vexillarius
equitum, (16) the standard bearer of the legionary horse, a rank known
from a number of sources. (17)
In a recently found inscription from Bostra, the base of legio III
Cyrenaica in Arabia, a comparable vexillarius equitum is mentioned.
He, too, was taken as belonging, perhaps, to a vexillation of horse-

(12) Thus Ritterling, Legio, 1488, but not Lesquier, Armée, in his pro-
sopographical entries.
(13) Angeli Bertinelli, Centurioni. The author does not overlook them,
but leaves them out per cautela (p. 176) against Ritterling, Legio 1491-2.
(14) Fr. Krebs, BGU II, 600, but Domaszewski, Rangordnung, 58, and
Ritterling, Legio 1488 read it right.
(15) R. Saxer, Untersuchungen zu den Vexillationen des römischen Kai-
serheeres von Augustus bis Diokletian, Köln 1967, nr. 298; see also N. Criniti,
Sulle forze armate romane d'Egitto, « Aegyptus » 69, 1979, 190-261, esp. 214.
(16) See RIU III 869, Genio t(urmae) et Epon(a)e reg(inae) Iul(ius) Victor,
eq(ues) vexi(llarius) coh(ortis) (milliariae) n(ovae) S(everianae) Gordian(ae)
8(urorum) etc.; for such titles see RAS I, 112 and 407.
(17) CIL VIII, 16549 = Dessau 2330 = ILAlg. 3117; AE 1957, 341;
AE 1969-70, 583; IGLS 9173; see also CIL III, 4061 = Dessau 2330, and
CIL XIII, 6948; P. Cornell inv. I, 34 to be edited by A. Hanson; for a discus-
sion of the rank see RAS I, 179.

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 CENTURIONS AND HORSEMEN OF LEGIO II TRAIANA 167

men. (18) The inscription reads D(is) M(anibus), C(aii) Baebi Va-
lentis, vex(illarii) eq(uitum). Mil(itavit) ann(is) XII, vixit an(nis) XXX.
Here, too, as in the Fayum document, the vexillarius equitum is more
likely the standard bearer of the legionary horse. (19)
One of the functions of the legionary horsemen was to serve as
the commander's guard. (20) But there were other functions as well:
an altar from Lower Moesia shows a standard bearer of the legionary
horse, in charge of an outpost in the province. (21) The legal docu-
ment from the Fayum thus may have been drawn up in the Fayum
itself and need not necessarily come from legionary headquarters at
Alexandria.(22)

3. A legionary horseman as messenger*

(O.SJceat 11)

Claudius Germanus, one of the centurions dealt with above, may

also have been the sender of the much discussed Ostracon Skeat 11,
the text of which may perhaps be restored as follows: (23)

(18) IGLS 9173.

(19) For the équités legionis see D. Breeze, The Organization of the Legion:
The First Cohort and the Equités Legionis, " JRS " 59, 1969, 50-55. For équités
legionis in Egypt see also P.Mich. Ill, 164 = Fink, RMR 20; P.Gen.Lat. I
= Fink, RMR 58 and the discussion by A. v. Premerstein, Zur Buchführung
einer ägyptischen Legionsabteilung, " Klio " 3, 1903, 1-46, esp. 26f.
(20) Domaszewski, Rangordnung, 39; 47: Stabswache.
(21) AE 1957, 341, Dianae Reginae, Aurel(ius) Titus vexill(arius) eq(uitum)
legiionis) I Ital(icae) Gordianae Aug(ustae) [ag{ens)~¡ reg(ione) Mont(anense) cum
suis ex voto pos(uit) v.s.l.m., cfr. M. Speidel, Regionarii in Lower Moesia,
« ZPE » 57, 1984, 185-188. During that time another vexillarius equitum legionis
must have been appointed to carry the flag of the legionary horse at their
base in Novae.

(22) The same seems to be the case with P.Gen.Lat. I and the legionary
horsemen mentioned there, see Premerstein, loc. cit.
(23) H. С. YouTiE, Scriptiunculae I, Amsterdam 1973, 224f. and 232f.
(with a photograph) = SB VI, 9118; J. F. Gilliam, Ostr. Skeat 11, " ТАРА "
83, 1952, 51-55 (= Army Papers 109-113); S. Daris, Documenti per la storia
deir esercito romano in Egitto, Milano 1964, 5 (reviewed by Gilliam, " AJP "
83, 1967, 99-101); R. S. Bagnall, The Roman Garrison of Latopolis, " BASP "
12, 1975, 135-144, esp. n. 15. For the meaning of ànóXoaov = send back (di-
mitte ex cursu), see S. Daris, Su alcuni ostraca militari, « Aegyptus » 43, 1963,
264-268; J. F. Gilliam, Three Ostraca from Latopolis, "BASP" 13, 1976,
55-61 (= Army Papers 379-385) п. 18.

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 168 M. P. SPEIDEL

KXocúStoç Fep[ji[avòç ]
хоиросторь 7upeatS[íou .]
'ArcoXuaov 'Ioí)Xt[ov ]
[Í7i]7usa y (xevTupíocç) Пр[охХои]
[ß(evs)<p(t>uapbov) è]7uápxou .]

4. Ostr:

The handwriting seems to date the ostracon to the latter half of

the second century, and since horsemen enrolled in centuriae were
legionary, Iuli[us] should belong to legio II Traiana, Egypt's legion
at the time. Date and unit thus strengthen the case for Claudius
Germanus of the ostracon being the same man as the well-known
centurion of the legion discussed above. (24)
At the beginning of line б two letters are required before е-лгархои,
and since the text shows no word divisions, an abbreviation is likely
there. B(ene)f(iciarius) praefecti would make sense, whether the pre-
fect was the commander of the legion or the military commander
of the Eastern Desert (praefectus praesidiorum et montis Ber ónices). (25)
A 'IoúXioç EôTCÓXefxoç [ßevecjixtapboc is known from another group
of ostraca, likewise bought at Luxor, (26) which shows that the duties
of beneficiarii brought them to the Upper Egyptian outposts.(27)
The legionary horseman Iulius of O.Skeat 11 thus may have served
as a messenger in the rank of a beneficiarius praefecti, which would
be a strikingly efficient use made of horse guards.(28)
University of Hawaii M. P. Speidel

(24) Gilliam, Ostr. Skeat. If Claudius Germanus is indeed the legionary

centurion and the date of the ostracon thereby fixed to about AD 157, then
Iulius' own centurion was either Aelius or Tullius Proculus (AE 1969-70, 633).
(25) CIL IX, 3083, cfr. Devijver, PME S 46, t; Lesquier, Armée 417-432;
Bagnall, Documents, 33.
(26) Bagnall, Garrison, 140ff. ; Gilliam, Three Ostraca, however, restores
[8ouTcX]txiapico rather than [ßevecpjuaapicp. For these " Edfu " ostraca see
W. Clarysse, A Roman Army Unit near Thebes, Atti del XVII congresso in-
ternazionale di papirologia, III, Napoli 1984, 1021-1026. Some of the Ostraca
Skeat, however, were brought from the Fayum; W. Clarysse kindly writes
me that the Skeat ostraca, bought in 1933, are not likely to belong to the same
" archive " as the " Edfu " ostraca, found only a few years ago.
(27) The two Iulii beneficiarii could, but need not, be the same man.
(28) Equités legionis in the rank of beneficiarii are not yet known elsewhere,
but they seem to have served as messengers, see RAS I, 175.

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