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The Chronology of the Revolt of Pescennius Niger
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 24 September 2012
Extract
During the past six years the problem of the chronology of Niger's revolt in Syria has been studied in detail in three separate works. My own appeared in the United States in 1915, a book by Platnauer in England in 1918, and a work by Hasebroek in Germany in 1921. Due to poor means of communication during the war, Platnauer did not see my study, and Hasebroek saw neither Platnauer's nor mine. Since the appearance of his book Platnauer has also published a short paper in The Journal of Roman Studies, taking issue emphatically with my views. This paper, too, escaped Hasebroek's attention. The three studies independently produced are not in harmony. They agree very well on the beginning of the revolt, but differ concerning its course, and concerning the date of its end. Since my own view does not now coincide with either of the other two, but has been modified by both of them, it has seemed worth while to examine them carefully, to study again the available evidence, and, with what new evidence can be brought to bear, to suggest a solution of the problem.
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- Copyright © G. A. Harrer 1920. Exclusive Licence to Publish: The Society for the Promotion of Roman Studies
References
page 155 note 1 Harrer, G. A., Studies in the History of the Roman Province of Syria, Princeton University Press, 1915Google Scholar. (It is cited as Syria in this article.) Platnauer, Maurice, The Life and Reign of the Emperor Lucius Septimius Severus, Oxford University Press, 1918Google Scholar. Hasebroek, Johannes, Untersuchungen zur Geschichte des Kaisers Septimius Severus, Heidelberg, 1921Google Scholar.
page 155 note 2 Platnauer, Maurice, On the Defeat of C. Pescennius Niger at Issus, in vol. viii (1918), pp. 146–153Google Scholar.
page 155 note 3 Platnauer's book pp. 78 ff. and 91; his paper p. 146.
page 155 note 4 Hasebroek pp. 20, 52, 56, 58, 61.
page 155 note 5 Syria pp. 42 and 78 ff. All three studies are in substantial agreement in placing the beginning of Niger's revolt in April, 193, during the rule of Didius Julianus. Syria pp. 83 and 84; Platnauer's book p. 61; Hasebroek pp. 20 and 21.
page 156 note 1 Platnauer's paper pp. 152 and 153.
page 156 note 2 Hasebroek p. 18.
page 156 note 3 Tacitus, , Historiae ii, 81 and 83Google Scholar; iii, 46; iv, II and 38. Jones, H. Stuart, The Roman Empire p. 94.Google Scholar
page 156 note 4 There is some inconsistency between Platnauer's paper and his book (p. 80) where he states that if Niger had ‘begun his march on Rome when Septimius began his, he should have reached the borders of Italy some time during Septimius's thirty days in Rome.’ According to this suggestion Niger could have marched some 1,600 miles in 110 days, from April 13 to July 31, the latest possible date for Severus's departure from Rome, at an average of 14 miles a day. Again in his book (p. 105) Platnauer states that Severus marched back from Nisibis to Vindonissa, in 196, between July 1 and December 1, a rate of at least 12 miles a day for about 150 days. In his paper he does not correct or refer to these statements.
page 156 note 5 Platnauer's paper p. 152; book pp. 85 and 86.
page 157 note 1 Scriptores Historiae Augustae, Vita Severi 8 and 9.
page 157 note 2 Dio Cassius lxxv, 6 and 7.
page 157 note 3 Herodian iii, 2.
page 157 note 4 Domaszewski, , Die Rangordnung des römischen Heeres p. 179Google Scholar; Cheesman, , The Auxilia of the Roman Army p. 145Google Scholar ff.; Platnauer's book pp. 62 and 79.
page 157 note 5 C.I.L. ii, 4114; Pauly-Wissowa iii, 2691; Dio Cassius lxxv, 6.
page 157 note 6 C.I.L. vi, 1408; Vita Severi 8, 13; Stout, Governors of Moesia p. 33. It is possible that an inscription (C.I.L. iii, 10, 398) Fortunae Aug. sacrum, set up by city officials of Aquincum, Pannonia Inferior, on September 11, 193, refers to the battle of Perinthus.
page 157 note 7 C.I.L. vi, 1450.
page 157 note 8 Platnauer's book p. 71.
page 158 note 1 Vita Severi 5, 3. With this Dio Cassius is in agreement, lxxiv, 15.
page 158 note 2 Op. cit. 8, 12.
page 158 note 3 Herodian ii, 14.
page 158 note 4 Syria p. 85.
page 158 note 5 Herodian ii, 14 and 15; iii, 2. As suggested above, Severus may have arrived in Asia Minor with the force ordered to meet him in Thrace.
page 158 note 6 Berliner griechische Urkunden i, 199, line 20 ff.
page 158 note 7 Syria pp. 79 and 81.
page 158 note 8 Hasebroek p. 58; Syria pp. 79 and 80.
page 159 note 1 It may be worth while noting also that in the body of the papyrus a date, July–August, 195, is mentioned, though this is not the date of the papyrus.
page 159 note 2 B.g.U. i, 326, col. 2, l. 12; Syria p. 79. Hasebroek, pp. 58 and 59, reasonably suggests, on the basis of B.g.U. ii, 362, February 13 as the exact time when Egypt recognised Severus.
page 159 note 3 Platnauer's paper p. 149; Grenfell, , Greek Papyri ii, p. 95Google Scholar, no. 60. This papyrus is the same as, or an ancient duplicate of, Brit. Mus. Gk. Pap. iii, 704, though Platnauer cites them as different.
page 159 note 4 Their alternative explanation, that the year 194 was the annus vagus, in which Phamenoth began in January, evidently is not correct, for in the papyrus of Severus, mentioned above, 9 Kal. Mart. is the Roman date given as the equivalent of Μεχειρ κζ' 5, and both refer to February 21 of a regular year.
page 159 note 5 Brit. Mus. Gk. Pap. ii, 345; Platnauer's paper p. 149; Syria p. 84, note 61, incorrectly referred to this as no. 351, as Platnauer has noticed.
page 159 note 6 Syria p. 85, note 61.
page 159 note 7 Oxy. Papyri iv, 719 and 801.
page 160 note 1 Platnauer's book p. 62, note 1; paper p. 150.
page 160 note 2 Hasebroek pp. 155 and 156.
page 160 note 3 Syria p. 84, note 61 and references.
page 160 note 4 Hasebroek p. 123.
page 160 note 5 Syria pp. 79, 80, 83, 84; Hasebroek pp. 58 and 59.
page 160 note 6 Platnauer's paper pp. 150 and 151.
page 160 note 7 L'Année Épig. 1908, 146Google Scholar, taken from Archeografo Triestino iv (1908), p. 289 ff. in which it was originally published. The day, given as A.D. Kal. Febr., may possibly be not January 31, for no numeral is used; but it must be between January 14 and February 1, if, as the editors suggest, the lack of the numeral may indicate that A.D. is superfluous.
page 161 note 1 Dessau, , Inscriptiones Latinae Selectae no. 2007, 2010, 2097.Google Scholar
page 161 note 2 Hasebroek, p. 58, is in agreement with this dating.
page 161 note 3 Platnauer's book p. 87.
page 161 note 4 Hasebroek p. 58.
page 161 note 5 Dio Cassius lxxv, 6; Herodian iii, 2; Vita Severi 8 and 9.
page 162 note 1 C.I.L. iii, 6580.
page 162 note 2 Syria p. 84. It may be noted that Sabinus is not known as governor of Egypt after April 21, 194. He was succeeded by Ulpius Primianus, who is found in office in Severus' third year, that is, August 29, 194–195. It is then possible that Severus removed Sabinus as soon as he could arrange it; but since Sabinus was surely in office over a year, his removal might have been due to the fact that he had served a term of average length. For the list of governors of Egypt see Lesquier, J., L'Armée romaine d'Egypte, Cairo, 1918, p. 515Google Scholar.
page 162 note 3 Digest l, 15, 1.
page 162 note 4 Herodian iii, 3, 3 ff.
page 162 note 5 Syria p. 84.
page 162 note 6 Platnauer's book p. 32.
page 162 note 7 Hasebroek p. 61.
page 162 note 8 Platnauer's book p. 91. His paper adds nothing on this point.
page 162 note 9 Syria p. 78, note 1, and p. 85.
page 162 note 10 Fasti Consulares Imperii Romani p. 109.
page 162 note 11 Syria p.80.
page 163 note 1 Herodian iii, 3, 6 ff.
page 163 note 2 See above, and Herodian iii, 3, 3 ff.
page 163 note 3 The two inscriptions studied above, one of Rome and one of Egypt; also a new one from Spain, L'Année Epig. 1919, 88.
page 163 note 4 Hasebroek p. 62. That Issus was fought in 194 at some time is evident from the course of events. Hasebroek, p. 154, cites coins of Niger as Cos. ii, which must be dated in 194. It may also be noted that Cornelius Anullinus, who commanded for Severus at Issus, was Severus's proconsul of Africa in 193. C.I.L. viii, 1170; Dio Cassius lxxv. 7.
page 163 note 5 C. C. Mierow's edition of Jordanes pp. 32 and 74.
page 163 note 6 For dates and references see Hasebroek pp. 104, 111, and 127.
page 164 note 1 Dio Cassius lxxv, 12 and 14.
page 164 note 2 Hasebroek p. 80.
page 164 note 3 Hasebroek pp. 86 and 87.
page 164 note 4 Dio Cassius lxxv, 8; Herodian iii, 4.
page 164 note 5 Hasebroek p. 87.
page 164 note 6 Digest xxiii, 1, 14; xxvi, 7, 1. Quintilian i, 1, 14.
page 164 note 7 Heidelberg. Sitzungsberichte (1918), 13, 96.Google Scholar
page 164 note 8 Hasebroek p. 61.
page 164 note 9 Eutropius viii, 19, 1.
page 165 note 1 Hasebroek p. 40; Platnauer's book p. 65. Herodian's statement (iii, 15, 3) that Severus ruled 18 years is correct, if the count is according to the years of his Tribunicia Potestas. The Vita Nigri (5, 1) gives the same number as Herodian. The Vita Severi (19, 1) states that Severus died in the eighteenth year of his rule, which is correct if full years are counted from June 1, 193. Dio Cassius (lxxvii, 15 and 17) has it that he died on February 4, and ruled 17 years, 8 months, and 3 days. Victor, Aurelius (De Caesaribus xx, 27Google Scholar, and Epitome xx, 1) is in agreement with the Vita Severi. Plainly none of these calculations were made with reference to Niger's death.
page 165 note 2 Numismatische Zeitschrift (1909), pp. 22 and 23.Google Scholar
page 165 note 3 Herodian iii, 3, 6.
page 166 note 1 Platnauer's book p. 89 and note.
page 166 note 2 Encyclopaedia Britannica 11th edition, vol. 2, p. 758, cols. 1 and 2.Google Scholar
page 166 note 3 Herodian iii, 4, 1 and 2.
page 166 note 4 Kubitschek, in his paper mentioned above, gives two coins of Aegeae in Cilicia, not far from Issus, and dated in the year Nov. 1, 193–194.
page 166 note 5 Syria p. 78; Platnauer's paper pp. 146 and 147.
page 166 note 6 Thomsen, P., Die römischen Meilensteine der Provinzen Syria, Arabia und Palaestina, Leipzig, 1917, p. 90 and references, and map facing p. 102.Google Scholar
page 166 note 7 Platnauer's paper p. 148.
page 167 note 1 Syria pp. 79 and 81.
page 167 note 2 Platnauer's paper pp. 147 and 148.
page 167 note 3 Hasebroek p. 69.
page 167 note 4 Thomsen op. cit. nos. 12 and 41; p. 90 and references.
page 167 note 5 Jalabert, and Mouterde, , Mélanges de la Faculté Orientale iv (1910), p. 216Google Scholar.
page 167 note 6 Syria p. 87. As shown in the first part of this paper the name Pius was assumed before September 17, 195.
page 167 note 7 C.I.L. xi, 2301 = Dessau 416. A similar inscription, dedicated, as is that of Nepet, to Severus Optimo fortissimo principi, from Cuicul in Numidia, is published in L'Année Épig. 1917–1918, 70. Unfortunately the Trib. Pot. numeral is gone from the stone.
page 168 note 1 C.I.L. xiii, 1753.
page 168 note 2 C.I.L. xiii, 1752 and 1754.
page 168 note 3 Platnauer's book p. 111.
page 168 note 4 Hasebroek p. 104.