Kos. The Militaty Role of Macedonia ... Moesian Limes

7/29/2019 Kos. The Militaty Role of Macedonia ... Moesian Limes

1/20


2/20

f:lon the nortb (anong whon the nost d.angerous were the Darclani-ans and. Scorclieci)ras well as fron the east (Uy aifferent Shra-cian peoples) and also fron tribes that livecl further awayrtheDaciaae aud Baqtarnaera6i-'lffrequeirtrIy in combinecl attacksl.llhe invading power of these peoplqs was nainly crushed. by tbelast quarter of the firat century B.C.A few of the incursionroadsrnostly the valLey of Axius ancl Strynonrurere doubtlessuncler Ronaa nilitary cootrolrespecially places of excelleatstrategical position ]ike Stobi aatl Philippi.Relations oith the Thracians becane strained. und.er C.Anto-nius Eybrid.a whro fought in Dard.ania anil Tbracia and. was d.efea-ted by the Bastarnaeland. especially uad.er L.Calpu:rnius PisoCaegoniaus (57=55 B.C.) when the Dentheletae,Beqsi anct othertribes invatled aacl plunderecl Maced.onia.Ibls is significant asthe Dentbeletae are kaown to have been since early Republicantines allies of Bone (oae aspect of Roman strateg:y h,acl alwaysbeea to seek aities among hostile tribes).0n this occasionrasCicero (ia Pisones 74.84) wbo spent some tine in exile (58-r?B.C. ) thererreporterevea Thessalonike was menaced,2.

t.In the nidcl.le of the Laet ceatur5r B.C.a new expansivepower cane to othe fore:Burebieta batl united aII tbe Daco-GetictribesrsubJugatec[ others (several [hracian t:ribes and formeralIies Scor-d.i.sci)rjoined. to his state the Greek cities of, theBlack Sea as wellralnost annihilatect sone of tbe neigbbourihgpeoples (goi anal llaurisci)rand. thus threafenetl Italy itselfin the long run].At tbis time (49 B.c. ) the civil war betweenCaesar anct Ponii,ey broke outrd.uring which BurebiEta supporteclthe latter wif,h auxiliary contingentsras did. scveral othereastern dynas{is (of the thracians the Sapai and Astal),Pompeyeven received' Burebistats representative Acornion in HeraclelaL,yncesti"+roop far fron the heacl.guarters at Bemboearwhere h,is9 legions were stationedrone of'wbich consisted. entirely ofyeterans who had been settlecl i-n Crete anil MacecloniarwhiLeothbrs were fi.on the east5.Oo th" other pide Caesar land.eclrith / legions (and later Antony with 4 nore) at Palaeste aear278


3/20


4/20

Ee was supported by the Parthini and. both fhracian tribesthat had. previously sid.ed. vrith Pompeyrbut he fought agaiastthe Bessi17.the novements of the triunviral arny were linited. almostentirely to the Via'fid:i:a'flaz22 ldgions came und.er Antony andOctavian.Amphipolis was used as their base to secure the food.supplylS.Cagsius brought llrBrutus B legions;half of his rvereeither raised. fron l,iaced.onian provincial-s or conscripted. from

amoag Romans resid.ent in Greeceror Ponpeian veterans who hadremainecl j.a the country after Pharsalu"l9.fhuir entire armysurrend.ered. after the d.efeatras well as the garrisons in for-tifications which extend.ed. as far as the coastrand, those mem-bers from auong the nobj-Iity who took refuge on Thasus2o.Bothlead.ers of the SapairRhascuporis and. his brother Rhascus,eventually came over to the triumvi-raI sid.e2I.After the victory Antony remained in the eastern tralf ofthe empire.ilimself having gone to Asia Einor he left his lega.-te L.llarcius Censorinus in the Balkan peninsula which bad. Iike-wise falIen .to his lot22.Sone legioas were obviously left inthe provinceras Censorinus later (in )9 B.C.) celebrated atriumph ex i,iacedonia2}.th" Pact of Rrund.isium brought a signi-f icant change: the clividing line passetl through Scod.ra in Da1-natiarso that l,laced.onia remained 1n Antonyts partrwhi-Ie IlIy-ricumrimportant for securi.ng the frontiers of Italyrfell tooctavia,i,s share24 uot wi-thout Apollonia and Dyrrhachiun whichfron this tine on belongecl to Macectooi"25.Although after ag!e-

ement with Sextus Ponpeius shortly after Brunclisiumrho should.have got the Peloponneserthis was never realized ancl it alwaysrenraiaed. in AntonXts sphe:re of influenc"291fig.l).In ,g B,C'Aatrwho spent this winter in Atbens, sent part of the l{aced.oniaaarny against the Dardanians ancl part of it agaiust the Parthi-ni (a1J.egedly to punish then for'having supported Brutus)run-der C.Asinius Polliorwho extenilect his campaign as far as'IIIy-ricunrd.oubtless in cooperation with Octavianrthen fightingagainst Delnatae?T.Tin" remaind.er of the arny was orderecl tostay in Epirus.This was Antony's only activity in the province.280 ,ii

.lr

,:j,,iX


5/20


6/20


7/20


8/20

ls yearrand. favoured. onry the Ioya1 oclrysaerunder uhose supen-vision he pracecl the renowned. sanctuary of Dionysosrsituatedpreviously in the region of the Bessi.rn coming to aid his for_nei arry Rolesrhe subd.ued. severar Getic tribesrd.efeated. eventhose r'rho took refuge in the fanous cave Oirisrand_ conquered.the fortified suronghord Ggaug]og1 where,Roman stand.ard.s,captu-red d.uring Eybrid.ats unsuccessifut caropiigtrrvrere kept.Arthoughthese military.. enga8ements have not been localized with certa-intyrthey are generarly thought to have taken place in theaorthera Dobrutlja arong the lower Danube45.oo the way back.hedivicled. his army:part of it he dj-rected against the rebel-liousItloesirand. with the rest of the troops und.er bis connand hefought with the Moesian Artacii46rand. other peoples who had. asyet never been subd.uecl by the Rooans:Here Dio finishes bisaccount. (trig.2).His text is cleag and coasistentrtherefore at reas.t a partof rnodern misconceptions on the basis of it and in comparlngother sourcesrrlfincts no justification whatsoever.They are clealtwith ersewhere.on July-^+rzZ B.c.crassus celebrated. a triunpher Thraecia et Geteis47.r.n" question r+as raised. by tr.papazogruwhy the Bastarnae and Moesi were not includetl in the offieial

statement.tr'orrone shourcl. noterrrivy clesignates the war as beingfougbt adversus Basternas et l.loesosrancl that it figures asb"11o, I'iou"i"orffior the Moesi tbe sorution wasproposed. by the author herself:in antiquity this was much rnoreof a geographicar aotion than ethnicar or poriticalrso theycould have been probabry concearecl uniler the naroe of Geti49.It seems to roe that the Bastarnae d.it not req':ire a separatenention eitherras they were incrutted. und.er: rex fhraeciaryBalue-ly:d.efeated ou the Thracian temitory.sinilarry censorinuscelebtrated. a triunph ,[email protected] isrhe d.efeatotl anenemy who hacl iavadecl the provincial territory.lrhracia.wagreckoned. to be uad.er Maced.onian supervisionrand consequeatlyin many way6 arread.y d.epend.ent on the enpire.rhis agrees wel-Lrith the formuratioa of zoaarasrtha! cragsus was sentt tis r)/Hqtttov(a,r, uol Ju ri, 0(u7t rd ril r7t, tEI,t{&. (Lo.jl.p.4}5 Dincl. ).}lhea the regions were coaoeraed. whioh stiu beronged. to barba-284


9/20


10/20


11/20


12/20


13/20

tres itr lriaissus and. scup r71 .ru,. rines rine - at this earryperiod. of course not yet in its d.everoped forro - had. beenvery probably shifteal from i.iaced.oaia to Lioesia souewhat earU--er (uut not bef'ore 16 B,c.:the raid, of the gsord.isci and.Deutheretae)rwhea this area uas sufficientry coasolid.ateaTt(pis.1)Ritterling believes that throughout this periotl tbe iiacedoniangagison counted. three legioasTSrsyro" thiaks that in the timebefore the .transnission tJ ;tf" t"toesicia regate there were t*o76,wbile Premerstein reckons with one onryrprus aux.i-Liarnauery5.i'laceclgnica and probabry co4ors 2.Gallorun il?,cedonica.bothstatioaeil somewhere iu tbe rroriherr. part of the province,possibly ia }hilippiTT,Judgia6 by the surnFme on e shourd. acld.arso cobors l.Macedonicg78r"od. qra i"iaced.gaicara hitherto notattesteit alarknowa from the aew inscrj-ption recently found inthessalonike: cattq Bellqvaci f.,/ doqo segusiavo.equiti-,/ alagT. Cor to faciia tbe proviace ,arthough aot quite certaiuris nost probablyAugustan.

As regard.s the nuqber,of the regionsrthree is a likelierconjectureras the enormous tenritory of what was late:r !{oesiaancl 'Ihracerover vrhich lisced,onian troops had. to watc]rrwas thre-atened. by the hostiLe incursioas to the crose'of pannonianrevolt.shis nunber is aLuost certaialy attested und.er 0aeelnaseverus:it is kaown that be and. plauttus sirvanus jointlyclisposecl of 5 ]eg.i"ons (VeU.Z,l.l7.Ird.ed.uced. froo Z.]..LA.+).,Bitterring Judgeg that these regions,that is,the previousMaeeilontan. garnisonrwere Ar.$gvthicarl:I,iase$.onicg (botb of therof,iret attestgd. Es Moesian Leglons in L,D,\r-+ at "buird,ing atow path along tho DaauberD z?Bl.1cf ,sac,ann.4,!) and /.t"laced,o-ulca.Syne agroog about the raEt onerbut profers insteadl of, thefirgt two,ln hto oplnion brought by, plauttus siivanus fromsyrlarB.Alrcuslg andl [.,whlcb RittErrtng asslgns to r].tyri.cuu8?Els ar8umontrnamel.yrthat d.urlng tbe paRnonlan :rEvol-t [ibeniusnetaiaodl caeclnate J.egionE dnd. eont him beck to l,iacedonia,cquar].y ta ctanBorrwlth Prautlusrs onesrress sultabLe f,on Barkan

289


14/20

warrd.oes aot seem convincing'to ne.Epigraphic evideace for places of nilitary inportancecoiles onry fron philippir'rhessaloarke and. anphipolisrarl ofthen significantry situated. on the via xgnati.a. rra Amphipo.lisan sptio of Iesio Xf is attested,

have been severalrperhaps the legion r*asia the province;but Syners supposition iscoaf irmed.. ,in I'laced.oaia migJrtia tnuth statiodednot necessarily

attention shoul-cl be d.rawn to Dr.(..*Iachterrs paper: rzuren Doaau in ;;;";;"i";;5;-;"tfi,wheie would. have beengoverleil by the inperiSl legates and..not by the p"o"t"i,]r",rhis depeud.s lirrgely arso oi tue in[ezpigtttio3 ;i-AE'iiil.n,di:scussecL in botf, . pipgrs. His argumentsl iit[ougir not -coni:[.i"r."e^,seen gost -cbuvinciirg.ruey d.o no[ruowev6rl"ri"= the synoosisgiven'"in the above ituayial o"ii'th;-;iili;fi;.";; H;";3;;"_nors of I'laced.onia. und.er Augustui_is in euestion.i["i-"u8iii'be cooqid.ered. eitho:r as prdcrinsurs in--cianeJ*oi t[J"arui]o-i r*rrr,Ieeali A.urrusti qlo. prae"bore_.

,olith the estabrishment of the Danubiaa limes the miritaryrole of i'lacedonia clefinitery came to the cIose.fhroughout thesubsequent centuri-es 'it vras counted among the provinciaeinermePrand the few d.etachnents of the Roman imperial ar,ythat are later attesteal. ia the provinceruere present mainlyto maintaia internal peace.

rE,s.Wffi

ffi

290


15/20

7+5

678

Probrens. regariling tle history of liaced.oaia are geaerarlyd.eart with in any n1!or work oa Roman history.x'oi " surrnl-rized descriptioa with ar1 otber mod.era references see A.If;:f ,f,ex33uia and. upper Moesia,r,oad.oa (tgZD 9 ft _ her;_For HyEFidi,liy.per.lol;Dio ]8.1oi51. z6 5isee EiR;s.i3roug-Lt93rtU" I,Iag-i_strates q!- the Roman'Republi6 ff rmiricia- -"Phil. tssos. rl.Iew York'(1958) 1Eo -:.heieafter Broushtontr'or Piso : Oic. Pis. 87-99 , etc . ; see Broughton, 2oIiF. ffiogIu.sred.njobarkanska prgnena u frecr.rinsko d.obi.siia.iev6 (rd6q1*li >i3 . ;"*:i:i:ii"Effiso $rn*"o;"t"3*i;*:"1*J=f:Sitzungsber. d.er Akaclemie ,phi1. -Eist. , tJien (L912, n. 2I4)59 tt - hereafter Patsch.Papazogln,Z55 .ff ;pFstET+Z tfPatsch,5o.GelzerrPonpeiusrl,liinchen (1949) ZZgisee also his book:Caesar: Politician aad. Ste.tesmaa, CanUiid.ge rl,lass. (1969) iF.E.Ad.cock.chaoters on the civii war in-cri.H rxriambri.ise(rgir)Cic.6ov.41Pis. L?.4o;.I.5a5gLr tViae nilitarest .to be publi-sheal ia the Acta of the ro'-'congrees of Roman tr'rontier st.$.C6karSk.Anama]lrBuI.Univ.Shtet.Eirans l_5r1, (f90f ) 119-12o = AE 1966.419

Y--:".:'*. -L._ )w. ) ,av u. .L-. ,,r. I i D(;It.tllJ- U UI.re.Ll.[Lg.( t I.+Nic.Dan.FGH 16.4I;Schnitthearer., l.4;l7Z i.48Schnitthenner, ibid.. ;Patsch, 51 ff .DLo 4l,25,lgLi.v.per.122:M.Brutus ad.verqus Ihracas paruulpr.ospgrg ren sesiit.Cf .p@It[.,I98 n.2Td.. r57 ff4pp:!p .4:87.ff ;etc. Dio 4l.tt8;ZiPatsch, 5liB.LenkrRI 6 Ar1(1915) 44, (Ehiake)P1ut.Ant. 24. IlPatscuL r5T ffIns. It.XIII 1. 568;Schni'bthennerr12/;Sarikakis rlr8 ff4pr ; pc r 5. 6t+-5 iDio 48. 28. 4 ;ete., cf . Patsch, 54Cic.PhiI;lo.1lrattests that they wete in-Il1yricum.Cf.SchmitthennerrlT;B.SynerClass.Quart.]1 (tgl|) +Z,App.bc. 5,72ill retc. lDio 48.76.5i79.1i1t6. 1; calls j.t'Api*

9

Io11t2L'

l4L5I6t7I8192o2L2?272+2526

Suet. Caes.68.6;sUfffTr Ia = D 2224 rwith conmeata.riesl

20 Limes 291


16/20


17/20


18/20


19/20


20/20

Flg. 5

Documents

Kos. The Militaty Role of Macedonia ... Moesian Limes