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Who was Decidius Saxa?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 September 2012

Ronald Syme
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Extract

The world of learning owes debts many and varied to Sir Henry Stuart Jones: it is the Camden Professor and historian of Rome that Oxford knows best. In Roman history, wherever knowledge may be deepened and however horizons may be widened, the transformation of the Roman State and the transition from Republic to Principate must ever claim the centre of interest. For this reason a paper concerning one of Caesar's partisans, a military man from Spain, may be offered as a tribute from the School of Literae Humaniores—and from one of the three Colleges with which Sir Henry's life in Oxford has been identified.

Type
Research Article
Information
The Journal of Roman Studies , Volume 27 , Issue 1: Papers Presented to Sir Henry Stuart Jones , 1937 , pp. 127 - 137
Copyright
Copyright ©Ronald Syme 1937. Exclusive Licence to Publish: The Society for the Promotion of Roman Studies

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References

1 Sallust, BC 37.

2 Hill, H., ‘Sulla's New Senators in 81 B.C.’, CQ xxvi (1932), 170 ffCrossRefGoogle Scholar. L. Fufidius is described by Orosius (5, 21, 3) as a ‘primipilaris’: on him cf. further Sallust, Hist. 1, 55Google Scholar Maur.; Plutarch, Sulla 31; Sertorius 12.

3 Dio, 42, 51, 5: τοὺς δἐ ἱππέας τοῦ τέλους τούς τε ὲκατοντάρχους καὶ τοὺς ὺπομείονας. If by τὸ τέλος here Dio means only the equites of the eighteen centuries, the equites Romani equo publico, it might be argued that other knights, not of this category, may wrongly be included by Dio under the ‘centurions and lesser folk.’

4 Dio, 43, 47, 3: καὶ προσέτι παμπληθεῖς μὲν ἐν τὴν γερουσίαν, μηδὲν διακρίνων μήτ᾿ εἴ τις στρατιώτης μήτ᾿ εἴ τις ἀπελευθέρου παῖς ἦν, ἐσέγραψεν.

5 Tac., Ann. 11, 24Google Scholar.

6 Cf. Willems, P., Le sénat de la république romaine i, 187 ff.Google Scholar, 561. The censors of 50 B.C. expelled such men and earned a reputation for severity; Dio, 40, 63, 4; Horace, Sat. 1, 6, 20 fGoogle Scholar.

7 Tac., Ann. 13, 27Google Scholar: ‘et plurimis equitum, plerisque senatoribus non aliunde originem trahi.’

8 Cicero, De div. 2, 23Google Scholar.

9 Dio, 48, 22, 3: ἔν τε γὰς τῷ μισθοϕορικῷ ἐστράτευτο. πολλοὶ γὰρ καὶ τῶν τοιούτων εἰς τὸ βουλευτήριον, ὥστερ εἴρηταί μοι, κατελελέχατο. CIL x, 3758, an aedile of that name at Acerrae; Cicero, ad. Att. 14, 10, 2Google Scholar.

10 ad. Att. 14, 10, 2.

11 P-W, s.v. ‘C. Fuficius Fango,’ 200.

12 Caesar, BC 3, 53Google Scholar, etc.

13 For Tebanus, cf. ILS 973 (Amiternum). For the ‘Pelasgian’ word ‘teba’ in the Sabine country (Varro, RR 3, 1, 6Google Scholar), cf. W. Schulze, Zur Gesch. lateinischer Eigennamen, 531; E. Norden, Alt-Germanien (1934), 107.

14 Madvig, J. N., Verfassung u. Verwaltung des r. Staates ii, 505 f.Google Scholar, 510 f. Of the three cases adduced by Kübler (P-W, s.v. ‘Equites Romani,’ 292) only one will do, L. Fufidius. Cf. M. Gelzer, Die Nobilität der röm. Republik, 2; Hill, H., CQ xxvi (1932), 170Google Scholar.

15 Valerius Maximus, 7, 8, 6. Perhaps identical with the T. Marius Siculus (CIL xi, 6058), who was tr. mil. leg. xii; cf. A. Stein, Der röm. Ritterstand, 160 f.

16 52, 25, 6.

17 Phil. 1, 20: ‘itaque viri fortissimi atque honestissimi, qui ordines duxerunt, res et iudicant et iudicaverunt.’

18 42, 51, 5.

19 Cicero, de off. 2, 29Google Scholar.

20 Cf. Gelzer, Die Nobilität der röm. Republik, 10.

21 So Carcopino, (Histoire romaine ii, 2, 933Google Scholar), citing the case of Fuficius Fango.

22 CIL x, 3758; cf. Münzer in P-W, s.v. ‘C. Fuficius Fango,’ 200. As the name is so uncommon, the aedile at Acerrae, if not this man, is surely at the least a close relation.

23 Cicero, Phil. 1, 20Google Scholar; cf. 13, 3.

24 L. Friedländer, Sittengeschichte i10, 107; E. Meyer, Caesars Monarchie u. das Principat des Pompejus 2, 463 f., ‘zahlreiche Ausländer, namentlich Spanier und Gallier, die eben erst, nach der Unterwerfung durch Caesar, das Bürgerrecht erhalten hatten und daher kaum Lateinisch konnten’; A. Stein, Der röm. Ritterstand, 208, ‘halbbarbarische Gallier und Keltiberer,’ cf. 209, n. 1. See by contrast the crisp comments of Adcock, CAH ix, 729 fGoogle Scholar.

25 In Pisonem, fr. 9=Asconius 2 (Clark, p. 2f.).

26 In Pisonem, fr. 11=Asconius 4 (Clark, p. 5). Cf. In Pisonem, 26, 62, ‘Mediolanensi praecone, avo tuo.’

27 In Pisonem, fr. 10=Asconius 3 (Clark, p.4).

28 Cum senatui gratias egit, 15; in Pisonem, 53, ‘bracatae cognationis dedecus.’

29 Tac., Ann. 11, 23Google Scholar.

30 Cicero, Phil. 3, 13Google Scholar.

31 Caesar, BG 1, 19, 47Google Scholar and 53; 7, 65.

32 Justin, 43, 5, 11f.

33 Mela, 2, 74; cf. Pliny, NH 3, 31Google Scholar.

34 Bell. Afr. 28: ‘duo Titii Hispani adulescentes, tribuni legionis v, quorum patrem Caesar in senatum legerat.’ His Spanish origin is accepted by Willems (Le sénat i, 596), Gelzer (Die Nobilität, 11) and Carcopino, (Histoire romaine ii, 2, 933Google Scholar).

35 On him cf. especially Velleius 2, 51, 3, ‘ex privato consularis’—though some have thought that this phrase really applies to the uncle.

36 Phil. 8, 9 and 26; 10, 22; 11, 12 and 37; 12, 20; 13, 2 and 27; 14, 10.

37 Dio, 47, 35, 2; 48, 24, 3; 48, 25, 2: Appian, BC 4, 87Google Scholar: Velleius, 2, 78, 1: Livy, Per. 127, etc.

38 E. Meyer, Caesars Monarchie 2, 463 f. (quoted above), and 483; A. Stein, Der röm. Ritterstand, 209, ‘ein eben erst mit dem Bürgerrecht beschenkter Keltiberer war z. B. L. Decidius Saxa, den Caesar gleich zum Volkstribunen für das J. 44 designierte.’ Also Ribbeck, P., Senatores Romani qui fuerint Idibus Martiis A.U.C. 710 (Diss. Berlin 1899), 33Google Scholar; G. Niccolini, I fasti dei tribuni della plebe (934). 354.

39 F. Münzer, P-W, s.v. ‘L. Decidius Saxa,’ 2271, ‘darauf von Caesar mit nach Rom genommen, mit dem römischen Bürgerrecht beschenkt und für das nächste Jahr zum Volkstribun ernannt.’

40 Caesar, BC 1, 66Google Scholar.

41 Cf. the duty entrusted to Considius, P. (BG 1, 21Google Scholar), probably a centurion of long experience.

42 Compare the distribution of names in ‘-idius,’ ‘-iedius’ and ‘-edius,’ demonstrated by Schulten (‘Italische Namen u. Stämme,’ Klio ii and iii). The name Decidius is well-attested in Campania— ILS 6038, 6363d, 6393; CIL x, 360, 4090, 8124.

43 Tac., Ann. 3, 28Google Scholar.

44 Velleius, 2, 51, 3, ‘non † Hispaniae Asiae † natus sed Hispanus.’ Hispaniensis, Lipsius. The distinction between native-born and Spanish Roman appears clearly in Martial's words (12, praef.), ‘ne Roman si ita decreveris, non His paniensem librum mittamus, sed Hispanum.’

45 Cf. esp. Bell. Al. 56, for the census of Roman knights held by Q. Cassius Longinus.

46 39, 17. The man is perhaps the Egnatius who wrote a poem De rerum natura (Macrobius, 6, 52, 12) and so the earliest Spanish Roman poet known by name; cf. Skutsch P-W, s.v. ‘Egnatius’ 1993 f. For poets at Corduba, cf. Cic., pro Archia 26.

47 A. Schulten, P-W, s.v. ‘Gromatici,’ 1889, 1891.

48 Polybius, 6, 4.1, 1.

49 Caesar, BG 2, 17Google Scholar.

50 So Willems, , Le sénat i, 594Google Scholar; Carcopino, , Histoire romaine ii, 2, 933Google Scholar.

51 The career of C. Volusenus Quadratus (Caesar, BG 3, 5Google Scholar; 4, 4, 21 and 23; 6, 41; 8, 23 and 48; BC 3, 60) is suggestive. He cannot have been unique.

52 A. v. Domaszewski, Die Rangordnung des röm. Heeres, 119 ff., is not completely satisfactory on this point.

53 Vegetius, 2, 10.

54 Velleius, 2, 112, 6.

55 Dio, 55, 32, 3.

56 Tac., Ann. 12, 38Google Scholar.

57 Phil. 8, 9 and 26; 10, 22; 11, 12 and 37; 12, 20. See further, below.

58 On the vexed questions concerning this legislation see Drumann - Groebe, Gesch. Roms. i2, 424 f.; Holmes, Rice, The Architect of the Roman Empire i, 16Google Scholar; Denniston, J. D., edn. of Cicero, Phil. i-ii (Oxford, 1926), 94, 161 f.Google Scholar; Levi, M. A., Ottaviano Capoparte i, 95 fGoogle Scholar.

59 The principal evidence is—Dio, 45, 9, 1; Cicero, ad. Fam. II, 2, 3Google Scholar; ad. Att. 15, 2, 2; 16, 3, I; Phil. 5, 7 and 20 f.; 6, 14; 8, 26; 11, 13.

60 At least, according to Drumann-Groebe, Gesch. Roms i2, 83; J. D. Denniston, edn. of Cicero, Phil, i-ii, 94. Groebe suggests that C. Antonius, brother of the consul, was a member, citing ad Att. 15, 9, 2 (which rather tells against it). Groebe, o.c. 83 n., does not admit Saxa, but remarks ‘Decidius Saxa wird Phil. XI, 12, XIV, 10 in einer anderen Beziehung <metator und> decempeda genannt’ (decempeda, sic).

61 Phil. 2, 101.

62 Phil. 11, 13.

63 Phil. 11, 12.

64 Phil. 10, 22.

65 Phil. 8, 26: ‘Cafoni etiam et Saxae cavet, quos centuriones pugnacis et lacertosos inter mimorum et mimarum greges conlocavit.’

66 Phil. 11, 12; 14, 10, quoted above, p. 132.

67 Phil. 10, 22: ‘et sollicitant homines imperitos Saxae et Cafones, ipsi rustici atque agrestes’ etc.; 11, 22 and 37.

68 Phil. 11, 12.

69 Cf. esp. Phil. 13, 26ff. Ribbeck, P., Senatores Romani qui fuerint Idibus Martiis anni A.U.C. 710 (Diss. Berlin, 1899), 46Google Scholar, reckons Cafo among Caesar's new senators. The name is absent from P-W: it is almost certainly Etruscan, cf. Schulze, W., Zur. Gesch. lateinischer Eigennamen, 137, 351Google Scholar.

70 Velleius, 2, 51, 3.

71 Cicero, pro Balbo 51.