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The Career of Sex. Julius Frontinus

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 February 2009

J. B. Ward Perkins
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Extract

It is a well-known fact that of the three governors of Britain who were responsible for the Flavian advance of the northern frontier two had had previous military experience in the area in which they were now called upon to operate. Petilius Cerialis was in command of the IXth legion during the critical times of Boudicca's revolt (Tac. Ann. XIV. 32). And although in that capacity he succeeded in losing the larger part of his forces, his subsequent appointment by Vespasian to the command of the army despatched to reconquer the Rhine frontier from the revolted Civilis suggests that his military record was more distinguished than Tacitus would imply. Agricola has still better claims to be considered as a British specialist. In 61 as tribunus militum he was serving with distinction on the staff of Suetonius Paulinus in N. Wales (Tac. Agr. 5), and in 70 he was sent as legatus legionis to the XXth legion at Chester, in which capacity he served under Cerialis during the initial stages of the northward advance (Tac. Agr. 8). Of Julius Frontinus, the successor of Cerialis and predecessor of Agricola, we are less well informed; and it is the purpose of this note to show that in all probability he too had had previous military experience in Britain.

Type
Research Article
Information
The Classical Quarterly , Volume 31 , Issue 2 , April 1937 , pp. 102 - 105
Copyright
Copyright © The Classical Association 1937

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References

page 102 note 1 A certain …) ON (… was cos. suff. in July 74, CIL. I p. 59=VI 2016. But this can hardly have been Julius Frontinus, for Cerialis was already cos. II on May 21st 74, CIL. III p. 852 dipl. 9, and his successor must have been on the way to Britain if not already in the province. The consulship of Frontinus falls therefore in 73. It is not impossible that he should have held this purely qualifying honour in absentia, but the point is not here material.

page 102 note 2 The authenticity of this book of the Strategemata has been challenged (see Schanz-Hosius, , R-Lit.-Gesch. II (1935) 797 fGoogle Scholar. for the most recent review of the problem). There is not yet agreement on this point, and in the present note the orthodox attribution (supported by Kappelmacher, P.-W. s.v. Sex. Julius Frontinus) is accepted. It must however be stressed that the validity of this note depends entirely upon the authorship of the passage in Strategemata IV, and any conclusions derived therefrom can only be accepted with reserve.

page 102 note 3 Auspiciis Imperatoris Caesaris Domitiani Augusti Gemanici bello, quod Julius Civilis in Gallia moverat, Lingonum opulentissima civitas. quae ad Civilem desciverat, cum adveniente exercitu Caesaris populationem timeret, quod contra expectationem inviolata nihil ex rebus suis amiserat, ad obsequium redacta septuaginta milia armatorum tradidit mini.

page 102 note 4 Kappelmacher in Pauly-Wissowa, Real-Encyklopädie, s.v. Sex. Julius Frontinus.

page 102 note 5 CIL. XIII. 8624. I.O.M. I) UNONI (MINER)VAE PRO(SAL.S)EXTI IUL. (FRO)NTINI.

page 103 note 1 Ritterling, E., ‘Sex. Julius Frontinus am unteren Rhein?’, BJ. CXXXIII, 1928, 48–50Google Scholar; id., Fasti des r. Deutschland unter den Prinzipat, 57 f.

page 103 note 2 Syme, R., JRS. XXIV, 1934, 97Google Scholar, points out that Ritterling's suggestion would allow Frontinus barely a year's tenure of his German command, and that although he might more plausibly have held it between 78 and 82, the hypothesis of a legionary legateship in 71–2 affords an equally satisfactory explanation of the inscription. It is a little surprising, it must be admitted, to find this inscription at Vetera, for the IInd Adj. was quartered elsewhere at Batavodurum late in 70 A.D. (Tac, . Hist. V. 20Google Scholar). But the difficulty is hardly serious.

page 103 note 3 Ritterling, P.-W. s.v. Legio, cols. 1652 and 1694.

page 104 note 1 This reconstruction of events has the interesting corollary that it suggests the control, nominal, if not actual, of the two legions II and XIII by the young Domitian, who advanced by the same route as far as Lyon, (Hist. IV. 86)Google Scholar and may well have had the command of this force until its junction with Cerialis at Trèves (cf. the words of Frontinus, auspiciis Domitiani). In view of the alleged treasonable overtures of Domitian to Cerialis (Tac. loc. cit.) the point is of some importance. I owe this suggestion to Mr. R. Syme, to whom, as also to Mr. C. W. M. Cox, I am much indebted for advice and criticism in the preparation of this note.

page 104 note 2 Ritterling's hypothesis (P.-W., s.v. Legio, cols. 1438–9) that it was formed from the sailors of the Ravennate fleet who had deserted to Vespasian early in the civil war (Hist. III. 36, 40) is surely on all grounds more acceptable than that of Mommsen who believed them to be a reconstitution of the Vitellian, ‘e classicis legio’ (Hist. III. 57)Google Scholar. The question is here immaterial, for in either case a fresh legatus was an obvious necessity.

page 104 note 3 CIL. III. 4013, XI. 571; Dess. 1005. He had previously served as trib. mil. in VI Victrix and had commanded IV under Caesennius Paetus in Armenia.

page 105 note 1 Dess. 8969 and 5955; CIL. IX. 4194; Cagnat, , L'Armèe romaine d'A frique p. 287Google Scholar; , C. R.Acad. Inscr. 1894 P. 46Google Scholar.