05-24-2014, 01:07 PM
The idea of Quintus Sittius Caecilianus as a Numidian, got me looking around Numidia, of which I knew nothing and still know very little. The association with Sittius resulted in me looking around Constantine, Algeria as a potential origin for this Quintus. From Constantine I just had to have a look at the jaw dropping site that is Tiddis,Castellum Tidditanorum.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constantine,_Algeria
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiddis
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Publius_Sittius
Tiddis has the mausoleum of Quintus Lollius Urbicus, and he (little known to me, as is most stuff I find on this exploration) was govenor of both Germania and Britannia coincidentally both the sites of the where we find the 1st Cohort of Aqui. Although I understand the cohort was in Germania Superior and Urbicus was in Germania Inferior.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quintus_Lollius_Urbicus
Could it be that the 1st Cohort Aqui had a habit, at least for a period, of drawing some troops, or officers from Berber families? and could Urbicus have had a hand in this?
This is might to extent be reinforced (big leap) by the Birley ref which has "a Sittius" commanding the Varduli, a northern Iberian group pretty much in the recruiting area for the Aquitanians. The inscription is from Thibilis, another dependent town of Constantine.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Varduli
http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thibilis
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constantine,_Algeria
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiddis
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Publius_Sittius
Tiddis has the mausoleum of Quintus Lollius Urbicus, and he (little known to me, as is most stuff I find on this exploration) was govenor of both Germania and Britannia coincidentally both the sites of the where we find the 1st Cohort of Aqui. Although I understand the cohort was in Germania Superior and Urbicus was in Germania Inferior.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quintus_Lollius_Urbicus
Could it be that the 1st Cohort Aqui had a habit, at least for a period, of drawing some troops, or officers from Berber families? and could Urbicus have had a hand in this?
This is might to extent be reinforced (big leap) by the Birley ref which has "a Sittius" commanding the Varduli, a northern Iberian group pretty much in the recruiting area for the Aquitanians. The inscription is from Thibilis, another dependent town of Constantine.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Varduli
http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thibilis