Original scientific paper
https://doi.org/10.33254/piaz.41.1.2
The Roman army in the northwestern part of the Province of Dalmatia
Ivan Matijević
orcid.org/0000-0002-9417-4698
; Department of History, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in Split, Split, Croatia
Abstract
From Senia, as the most important sea port in the northwestern part of Dalmatia, one road went to Avendo and Arupium via Vratnik, after which it continued southeast into the interior of Lika, and one branch turned towards Siscia. The road was important in the Late Principate because it was overseen by beneficiarii consularis on behalf of the provincial administration: one was epigraphically confirmed in Avendo, and the other in the municipium Arupium. In Arupium, the altar was dedicated to Silvanus Silvester by Iulius Verus, a duplicarius and beneficiarius from the Legio XIIII Gemina from the Late Principate era. This is only the second known epigraphic confirmation of the belonging of the governor’s beneficiarii to the pay grade of duplicarius. Verus’ unit is one of those Danube legions that often sent their soldiers, especially beneficiarii, to serve in the governor’s office of the province of Dalmatia. To the north in Josipdol and to the east in Golubić, beneficiarii also operated in stationes, but the presence of legionary centurions and ordinary legionnaires is also confirmed epigraphically. It is likely that the war against the Quadi and Marcomanni at the beginning of the reign of Marcus Aurelius, the formation of the Praetentura Italiae et Alpium, and the establishment of the province of Liburnia in connection with it, caused the placement of smaller military garrisons at key communication points to the north. With the end of this danger and after Liburnia ceased to exist as a province, the army continued to stay at these points, probably even after the end of the 3rd century.
Keywords
inscription; beneficiarius; legion; Arupium; Dalmatia
Hrčak ID:
320694
URI
Publication date:
16.9.2024.
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