| Legio IIII Scythica |
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XLV Legio IIII Scythica. Columns 1556-1564. Tr. Uwe Bahr.
1. Foundation of the legion and its surname 2. The legion in Moesia 3. Considerations about the transfer to Syria 4. The legion in Syria 5. List of legates, tribunes and centurions; origins of soldiers [1556] 1. The legion belongs to those that Augustus took up into his standing army (Dio LV 23, 3); there is nothing known about its origin so far. Furthermore, currently there are no references as to which zodiac sign was used as one of its standards. The original province, to which it was originally assigned, may be doubtful. The assumption of Grotefend and Pfitzner, that it was initially assigned to Syria in the beginning, is questionable. It seems more probable that it was assigned to the Macedonian army from the outset. The legion seems to have already acquired its surname Scythica by the time of Augustus (CIL X 680); which can have been acquired only by successful fights against tribes from the lower [1557]
Danube. The country north of the Danube was not the only area inhabited by tribes that were named by the collective name of the Scythae. The area between the river and the sea had been penetrated by Scythians (Plin. III 149: in Moesia live ... Pontoque contermini Scythae), so that this area, the today's Dobrudia, was called (Greek) michrà Schuthía (Strab. VII 4, 5 p. 311. 5, 12 p. 318; also compare the province Scythia of the Diocletian realm organization). Possibly IIII Scythica was the legion which was transported around the year 12 CE under guidance of its legate Vitellius, down the Danube by ship, in order to protect the threatened places of this area (Aegissos) and the Greek cities at the Pontus (Ovid. ex Ponto IV 7, 19 - 28, compare with von Domaszewski N. Heidelb. ). But there was already an opportunity to acquire the surname Scythica when Marcus Licinius Crassus conquered the countries of the Balkans (29 - 27 B.C.), for this legion was fighting under his command. At that time the Bastarnians, main opponents of Crassus at the beginning of his campaigns, were not considered separate from the Scythians (Dio LI 23, 3: (Greek) Bastárnai dè Schûthaí te and 24, 4: (Greek) pân tò Schuthichòn fûlon with reference to the Bastarnians; compare Augustus in Mon. Anc. V 51: Bastarnae Scythaequae and Tac. ann. II 65: bellum adversus Bastarnas Scythasquae). 2. IIII Scythica is first testified as in occupation in Moesia by inscriptions in 33 CE, when this area was organized as a province, replacing the previous Macedonian military command, by Tiberius in the beginning of his government. The new province was inserted into a provincial complex covering the whole Balkan Peninsula, subordinated to Poppaeus Sabinus. Inscriptions dug into the cliffs of the Danube narrows at the Iron Gate (CIL III 1698 add. p. 1024 and No. 13813b; a further copy Année épigr. 1910 No. 176) testify to the execution of a road connection along this Danube section by IIII Scythica and V Macedonica. Obviously the same two legions already formed the occupation force of Moesia in 23 CE (Tac. ann. IV 5) and had already fought under Caecina Severus, who was operating with 5 legions in the army of Tiberius during the large Illyrian rebellion (Vell. II 112, compare above with note page 1235). Also later, during the governments of Caligula and Claudius, IIII Scythica still remained in Moesia. The governor L. Martius Macer, who administered the province as Praetor approximately around 41 - 43 CE, at the beginning of the Claudian era and briefly before the dissolution of the large Balkans command, had V Macedonica and IIII Scythica under his command (CIL XI 1835 leg. Ti. Claudi Caes[ar(is) Aug. Germ. pro] pr. provinc(iae) Moesiae leg(ionis) IV Scy[ticae et leg(ionis)] V Maced(onicae) . . . . ). Whether the inscription fragment from Athens (CIA III 630), where seems to be mentioned a [(Greek) .) presbeutès (or cheilíarchos) legeônos] D èn Musía, refers to IIII Scythica, is doubtful; and rather may be thought of IIII Flavia. Up to now, no remainders from monuments of the legion’s stay in Moesia are known in the province itself, with exception of the aforementioned rock inscriptions. During this time [1558] the following served as Military tribunes in the legion: T. Clodius Pro[culus ?] under Augustus (CIL X 680), Mamius Murrius Umber (Ephem. epigr. VIII p. 415 No. 144) and Q. Veranius Q. f. at about the year 34 CE (Cagnat IGR III 703); the later emperor Vespasian must have carried out his first war service (Suet. Vespas. 2) around 27 CE in IIII Scythica (or V Macedonica), perhaps he participated in thrashing the rebellion of the Thracians, which had broken out in 26 / 27 CE (Tac. ann. IV 46 ff.). An unknown primuspilus (CIL X 1711) served likewise still under the rule of Tiberius or Caligula in this legion; just as perhaps so did the Centurio Pomponius Aquila (Année épigr. 1915 No. 115), as well as veterans from Mediolanum (CIL V 5595 and 5828), who were dismissed from the legion in this time. Records at the permanent camp of the legion in Moesia refers also the promotion of the veteran L. Campanius Verecundus to signifer and further to centurio of coh. I Cisipadensium (CIL V 8185). A cohors that still later belonged to the Moesian army (as is well known, promotions from old legionary soldiers to non-commissioned officers of the auxilia took place only within the same Provincial exercitus). In addition the Centurio Etuvius Capreolus from Vienna, who served 35 years with IIII Scythica (Dessau 9090) and rose from the ranks to Centurionate, and was conscripted at the latest, in the time of Tiberius. 3. Due to a corrupt or misunderstood indication of Tacitus, a transfer of IIII Scythica to the Rhine has been assumed in many cases to have occurred at the beginning of the reign of Claudius to reinforce the oriental army in the first years of Nero adiectaque ex Germania legio cum equitibus alariis. ... (Tac. ann. XIII 35). The suggestion that this legion was detached to Syria can only be IIII Scythica may be now after longer hesitation possibly be XII Fulminata or III Gallica instead (see Filow Legionen der Provinz Mösien 8 Anmerkung 6 - 11), and is accepted generally. But to suggest the previous dispatching of the legion to the Rhine army (upper or lower Rhine ?) in connection with the war in Britannia is to be regarded as virtually excluded, if one regards the entire military-political conditions and customs, as has been stated in detail by Filow, 9 and 19. Since in view of the uniform representation a simple handwritten corruption is hardly to be assumed, an extensive mistake or a misunderstanding therefore must be the reason for the words of Tacitus ex Germania. If Tacitus could believed capable of such, might be assumed that he meant in his source with Germania being not the country, but a little known location, such as a permanent camp of the legion, if such details in his source can be expected to be accurate at all. A place of this name, lying in the 5th century on the border between Upper Moesia and Thrace (-Greek- èch Germnías, è Thrachôn te chaì Illuriôn metaxù cheìtai, Procop. bell. Vand. I 11, 21) and Jirecek (Arch.-epigr. Mitt. X 1886, [1559] 71 f.), assumed to be in Saparevsko Banja, east of Dupnica, south of Serdica (Skopje), could have been possibly a suitable base of a troop; at that time, when it was responsible to be able to intervene with the force of arms, being in proximity in Thrace since 46 CE. An alternate possibility for it would be that the place might be found a little more east than assumed by Jirecek, close to the line Serdica - Philoppopolis, from where the main entrance to Thrace could be controlled. As was done later from the well-known Succi pass (Ammian. XXI 10, 2. XXII 2, 2. XXVI 10, 4 among other things; compare with Jirecek 89). The temporary stationing of a Moesian legion so far south in the interior, if really testified, would not seem to be too remarkable, because the river border was covered by two legions (V Macedonica and VIII Augusta) - likewise Schultze (De leg. XIII gem. 1887, 37) seeks to explain the impossible ex Germania by a mistake of Tacitus: the source taken as a basis had spoken only about a legion IIII as been shifted to Syria and thereby the author had erroneously thought of the legion of this number (IIII Macedonica), that actually stood in Germania at that time, and instead of the number he used the garrison province. 4. Whichever way the corruption of the indications of the writer may have developed, the absolute fact is that legion IIII Scythica was shifted directly from Moesia and not by a detour over Germania. This measure will have been taken some years before 58 CE, as is pretended by the recapitulatory report about the incidents in the Orient (ann. XIII 35), indeed approximately in the years 56 - 57 CE. In the Orient the legion was subordinated to the governor of Syria, Ummidius Quadratus, as it does not appear with the legions commanded by Corbulo in the next years (III, VI, X; see above to note page 1255). Thus the relationship to the departure of IIII Scythica in the inscription of the Moesian governor Plautius Aelianus, who speaks about the reduction of his army, quamvis parte(m) magna(m) exercitus in Armeniam misisset (CIL XIV 3608), is virtually impossible (despite the opposing remarks by Filow, Legions of Moesia 21) - see below with Legion V Macedonica. It remains doubtful if IIII Scythica was one of the two legions sent to Armenia by Corbulo, who combined all 5 legions of the Orient under his command after the death of Quadratus in 60 CE, in order to protect the Roman client King Tigranes and which were futilely besieged e in Tigranocerta by the king of Parthia (Tac. ann. XV 3, 4). Only in 62 CE, on the division of the armed forces between Corbulo and Caesennius Paetus, was IIII Scythica subordinated to the latter (Tac. ann. XV 6) and under its guidance it took part with its legate Funisulanus Vettonianus in the invasion of Armenia, which ended with the disgraceful contract at the river Arsanias and led to the evacuation of the country (Tac. ann. XV 7 - 17). Soon after this Corbulo sent the thereby numerically and morally weakened [1560] legion to Syria (Tac. ann. XV 26, Dio LXII 22, 4: - Greek - toús te stratiótas toùs sùn aùtô [to Paetus] genoménous âllosé poi pémpsas). Also after the fall of Corbulo in 66 CE the legion remained in the province and participated with a vexillation of 2000 men in the unfortunate expedition of Cestius Gallus against Jerusalem (Joseph. bell. Iud. II 18, 9). When the other legions of the Syrian army had been pulled away from the province, partly by the Jewish war (X Fretensis and XII Fulminata in the years 67 and 69 CE), partly by unrests at the lower Danube (winter 67 / 68 CE: III Gallica), partly by the civil war (summer 69 CE: VI Ferrata), IIII Scythica for some months formed the only occupation legion in Syria; therefore its legate Pompeius Collega temporarily oversaw the business of the province governor (Joseph. bell. Iud. VII 3, 4), himself being represented in legionary command by the legion ‘s tribunus laticlavius, (Avillius??) Firmus (CIL XI 1834). From that time IIII Scythica permanently remained in the province Syria (listing of legions from the time of Pius CIL VI 3492, list of Cassius Dio LV 23, 3 under Alexander: - Greek - tétartou Schuthichòn èn Suría): since its division under Severus in the northern part of Syria Coele (Dio LXXIX 7, 1). The place of its winter camp is not well known; but the majority of its monuments found in the province originate from the northern part. There also the measure of Severus leads to its permanent camp, not too far from the provincial capital Antiochia, referring to the fact that in all well-known cases, in which the substitution of the provincial governor made itself necessary, this became delegated to the commander of IIII Scythica; e.g. to Iulius Severus during the Jewish war under Hadrian (Cagnat IGR III 174, 175), to A. Larcius Priscus perhaps in the year 162 CE (CIL VIII 17891, Année épigr. 1908 No. 237). In addition it is correct that unusually numerous tribuni laticlavii are provable in the legion, evidently coming from senatorial families intimate by relationship or close friendly relations to the high ranking Syrian governor (see Ritterling, Österreichische Jahreshefte X 309, 18; see below the list of the legionary tribunes). The proximity of the shining capital of the east made it particularly worthwhile to fulfill the military service time in a legion as close as possible to the provincial capital for distinguished young people. The assumption, that the permanent camp of IIII Scythica had been situated at Zeugma from the end of the 1. century (von Domaszewski, Abhandlung zur römischen Religion 198, 1) can very probably be applicable; otherwise Cyrrhus would have encamped nearer to the capital, which could also be imagined for this time until the elevation of Trajan, where there had been the permanent quarters of X Fretensis in the time of Tiberius (Tac. ann. II 57; see below legion X Fretensis). The legion’s meager monuments from Syria mention several times larger works implemented by a vexillation. In the time of Antoninus under the governor Sulpicius Iulianus, it constructed around the year 149 CE, together with a vexillation of XVI Flavia, a channel at Seleucia Pieriae, the port place of the capital Antiochia (Année épigr. 1903 No. 252 = Dessau [1561] 9115); obviously also the rock inscription (Cagnat IGR III 1605) - Greek – Epì Kaisíou Príschou échatontárchou legeônos tetártès. Ôthen àrché refers to the execution of the work. Another vexillatio of the legion was active in the quarries of Enesch at the Euphrates, as is shown by the inscriptions Année épigr. 1908 No. 25 – 28. Gravestones of individual soldiers are found at Samosata (CIL III 6048) and Beroea (CIL III 6049 - 6705). Detached Centurios of the legion are mentioned on monuments in Aradus (III 186 add. p. 972. Cagnat IGR III 1017), in Canatha (IGR III 1230 at the time of Commodus), in Rimet- Hazim (IGR III 1242), all three obviously from the time before Septimus Severus, since the discovery sites lie within the province Syria Phoenice and / or Arabia, where Centurios of the north Syrian legions would no longer officially have come after the separation of the southern areas. The legion seems to have been little involved in martial incidents outside the eastern parts of the empire. Up to now, its traces are completely missing in the provinces of the west, which could refer to its intervention in the wars along the Danube or on the Rhine. In Trajan’s Parthian war one its tribunes, Statilius Maximus, earned for himself dona militaria (CIL III 10336). For the campaigns under Marcus and Lucius Verus a similar certification of its activity is missing. Under Commodus, soon after the year 180 CE, the legion was commanded by the later emperor Septimius Severus (Hist. aug. Sev. 3, 6), see below list of the legates. But during his elevation in 193 CE, the legion nevertheless seized the party of its up to then provincial governor Pescennius Niger, when he competed for the title with Severus. In the year 219 CE it was provoked by its legate, Gellius Maximus, to revolt against Elagabalus, which was quickly struck down, just as was a second attempt to rebellion undertaken by it (Dio LXXIX 7, 1). The legion seems not have been stricken with the punishment of dissolution at that time, as far as one can recognize; however datable certifications over it from the following time are completely failing. But apart from general considerations, the fact of further existence also during later 3. and 4. century is proved by indication of the Notitia Dignitata for the first half of the 5. century, Not. or. XXXIII 23: praefectus legionis quartae Scythicae, Oresa, thereafter it still lay in its old province Syria, but apparently had changed its permanent camp; probably with the reorganization of the Orient by Diocletian. 5 Legati Aug. leg.:- L. Funisulanus L. f. Ani. Vettonianus, CIL III 4013, in the year 62 CE, Tac. ann. XV 7; compare Prosopogr. II p. 99 n. 396. - Gellius Maximus, in the year 219 CE, Dio LXXIX 7, 1, - greek – úpostratègôn èn tè Suría tè étéra toû tetártou toû Schuthichoû teíchous.- Ti. Iulius Ti. f. Cor. Celsus Polemaeanus, legate under Titus and Domitian, about 80 – 82 CE, Österreichische Jahreshefte VII 1904, Beiblatt p. 56. Année épigr. 1905 No.120 and 121. Ritterling Österreichische Jahreshefte X 1907 p. 299 f. [1562] - C. Iulius C. f. Scapula, about the year 135 CE, CIG 4022, 4023. Prosopogr. II p. 212 n. 361. - A. Larcius A. f. Quir. Priscus, as quaestor in Asia second in command of the legion, perhaps in the year 162 CE, CIL VIII 17891. Année épigr. 1908 No. 237. Ritterling Rhein. Mus. LIX 188f. - [L. Martius L. f. Pom. Macer is as sub-governor from Moesia between the years 41 and 43 CE not really legate, CIL XI 1835.] - (Cn. Pompeius) Collega, as legate represented at the end of 69 to 70 CE the absent governor of Syria (Joseph. bell. Iud. VII 3, 4). Since IIII Scythica at that time was the only legion staying behind in Syria (see above p. 1560), he can have only commanded this. - (M. Quintius) Atticus III 12250. - L. Septimius P. f. Quir. Severus: Hist. aug. Sev. 3, 6 legioni IIII Scythicae dein praepositus est circa Massiliam about the year 180 CE. There is doubtlessly a corruption in the indication of the locality; the attempt of Premerstein, Klio XII 171 and Österreichische Jahreshefte XVI 268, 64, to defend the delivery, has failed. The fact that the legion, like pre and afterwards, had its camp in Syria also when Severus was its commander, results from Hist. aug. Sev. 9, 4: Antiochensibus iratior fuit (Severus as emperor) quod et administrantem se in orientem riserant and Herodian. II 10, 8, who lets Severus say in a speech to his Pannonian legions in the year 193 CE: - Greek - tó te èméteron ônoma púthointo (oí Súroi) oùch âgnoston oùd âsèmon par aùtoîs úpárchon, èx ôn ègemoneúsantes ècheîse diochèsamen. - Ti. (Iulius ?) Severus, about the year 132 CE during the Jewish rebellion and as legate representative of the Syrian governor: - Greek - ègemóna legiônos tetártès Schuthichès chaì dioichèsanta tà èn Suría prágmata, ènícha Poublíchios Márchellos dià tèn chinèsin tèn Ioudaîchèn àpobebèchei àpò Surías CIG 4031. 4032 = IGR III 173. 174. - Q. Voconius . . . . Saxa Fidus, under Antoninus Pius about the year 141 CE, IGR III 173. 174 - . . . cius Ti. f. Cl. Dexter Augu[stanus . . .]us Bellicius Sollers Metiliu[s . . . .]us Rutilianus, probably in the time of Hadrian or Antoninus Pius, CIL III 12116. - [unknown: CIAtt. III 630(?).] Tribuni militum: - C. Arrius . . Quir. Antoninus (laticl.), time of Antoninus Pius and begin of Marcus, V 1875 VIII 7030. - Ti. Claudius Iulianus (laticl.), time of Trajan or Hadrian, Année épigr. 1905 No. 121. - T. Clodius C. f. . . Pro[culus], time of Augustus, CIL X 680. - Cn. Cornelius Ti. f. Fab. Pulcher, time of Trajan / Hadrian, CIG 1186; compare with Prosopogr. I p. 460 No. 1164. - L. Egnatuleius P. f. Gal. Sabinus, CIL VIII 10500. - [P. Avillius ?] Pom. Firmus from Arretium, (laticl.) under Vespasian . . . tr. . . mil. leg. XI 1834. - (T. Flavius Vespasianus about the year 28 CE, Suet. Vesp. 2: tribunatum militum in Thracia [1563] meruit. He can have served only with IIII Scythica or V Macedonica.) - Iulius Antoninus, IGR III 500 II v. 46. - Iulius C. f. Flavianus (laticl.), IGR III 889. - P. Iulius P. f. Quir. Geminius Marcianus (laticl.), time of Antoninus Pius, CIL VIII 7050. - [T]i. Iulius Latinus, VI 3919 = 32931; about middle 1. century CE, compare with Cichorius, Römische Studien 368 f. - L. Iulius L. f. Fab. Marinus Caecilius Simplex (laticl.), under Domitian, IX 4965, IGR III 554. Année épigr. 1899 No. 195; compare with Prosopogr. II p. 200 No. 274. - C. Iulius M. f. Volt. Proculus (laticl.), time of Nerva or Trajan, CIL X 6658. - C. Iulius C. f. Fab. Severus (laticl.), time of Antoninus Pius, CIG 4029. - . . . tilius P. f. Clu. Lol. . .us, time of Claudius and Nero, CIL III 335. - P. Manilius P. f. Gal. Vopiscus Vicinillianus L. Elufrius Verus Iulius Quadratus Bassus (laticl.), time of Trajan, XIV 4242. - L. Marius Perpetuus (laticl.), time of Severus about 200 CE, III 1178. - Mamius Murrius Umber (laticl.), first half 1. century CE, Ephem. ep. VIII 415 No. 144. - C. Oclatius C. f. Pal. Modestus, time of Trajan / Hadrian, CIL IX 1619. - L. Octavius L. f. Cam. Rufus, XI 6167. - P. Opsidius P. f. Rufus, 1. century CE, V 2791. - C. Sempronius M. f. Gal. Fidus, II 4245. - Q. Servilius Q. f. Hor. Pudens (laticl.), time of Marcus, VIII 5334. - C. Sextius C. f. Papir. Martialis, VIII 11813. - [T. Statilius] Maximus (laticl.), end time of Trajan, III 10336. - Q. Veranius Q. f. (laticl.), time of Tiberius, IGR III 703. - Unknown (laticl.), (time of Commodus ?), CIL VI 1553 Praefecti and Praefecti castror.:- P. Aurelius Cassianus, praef., under Caracalla or Elagabalus, CIL 4393 add. Suppl. 11086. Primi ordines:- M. Paccius C. f. Gal. Marcellus, primipilaris, CIL IX 1005. - . . . Unknown, before Claudius, X 1711. - C. Petronius C. f. Secundus Brond[esinus ?] (centurio) leg. IIII Scyth. princeps Iulii Saturnini leg. Aug. pr. pr., IGR III 1230. Centuriones: - C. Appuleius C. f. Ani. Firmus, IX 4058. - Caesius Priscus, CIG 4460 = IGR III 1005, perhaps equal with Caesius Priscus CIL XI 5695, time of Pius. - Q. Etuvius Sex. f. Vol. Capreolus domo Vienna, first half 1. century CE, Dessau 9090. - . . . . . Iulianus, IGR III 1242. - C. Iulius Celeris, CIL III 1044. - Iulius Crescens, VI 3603. - C. Iulius Valerianus, VIII 2627. - C. Ligustinius C. f. Clu. Disertus, XI 5960. - C. Petronius C. f. Secundus Brond[esinus ?], IGR III 1230. - C. Pomponius M. f. Lem. Aquila, Année épigr. 1915 No. 115. [1564] - . . . . . Probus . . . . , Année épigr. 1908 No. 18. - M. Septimius M. f. Fab. Magnus, CIL III 186 add. p. 972, IGR III 1017. - [A. Varius L. f. Cla. Varro (unsure if from IIII Scythica), first half of 1. century CE, CIL IX 4123.] - M. Verginius Bassus, VI 403. - M. Ulpius Proculeianus, Année épigr. 1908 No. 26. - Unknown, CIL XI 1059, VIII 1859. Origins of soldiers: - Italia: Mediolanium, two brothers (CIL V 5595; perhaps also V 5828), Saena ? (XI 1806). Gallia Narbonensis: Vienna, Dessau 9090. |