01-23-2016, 10:35 PM
That seems an unusual interpretation! The full text appears to read:
Sex(to) Cornelio / Sex(ti) f(ilio) Arn(ensi) Dextro / proc(uratori) Asiae iuridico Ale/xandreae proc(uratori) Neaspo/leos et Mausolei praef(ecto) / classis Syr(iacae) donis milita/rib(us) donato a divo Hadri/ano ob bellum Iudaicum / hasta pura et vexillo / praef(ecto) alae I Aug(ustae) gem(inae) co/lonorum trib(uno) leg(ionis) VIII Aug(ustae) / praef(ecto) coh(ortis) V Raetorum / praef(ecto) fabrum III patrono / coloniae
Ala I Augusta Gemina Colonorum was based in Cappadocia during Hadrian's reign, so participation in the war in Judea might be possible, but not immediately likely. The mention of the dona comes directly after the fleet prefecture, though, in a list of other offices, so seems more appropriately to refer to it.
I've found a number of other works that refer to Dexter and his possible participation in the war, without any particularly sound conclusions: was he commanding a fleet of boats on the Dead Sea, intended to cut the rebel communications with the Arabian shore? Was there actually a naval battle off the Judean coast? No particular evidence is given either way, although Bar Kokhba's area of control does not seem to have extended to the coast, so the second seems unlikely.
There is another tantalising scrap of inscriptional stuff, however, from Rome. The very fragmentary CIL 06, 1565 seems to mention a bello Iudae(ico?)... qua Liburni ( c)lassis ornatu... orae mari[timae]... Some suggestion of naval input, maybe?
I did wonder about the 22 marines from Misenum who ended up serving in X Fretensis, but another reading of the papyrus text reveals that they were transferred around AD130, before the revolt began!
Sex(to) Cornelio / Sex(ti) f(ilio) Arn(ensi) Dextro / proc(uratori) Asiae iuridico Ale/xandreae proc(uratori) Neaspo/leos et Mausolei praef(ecto) / classis Syr(iacae) donis milita/rib(us) donato a divo Hadri/ano ob bellum Iudaicum / hasta pura et vexillo / praef(ecto) alae I Aug(ustae) gem(inae) co/lonorum trib(uno) leg(ionis) VIII Aug(ustae) / praef(ecto) coh(ortis) V Raetorum / praef(ecto) fabrum III patrono / coloniae
Ala I Augusta Gemina Colonorum was based in Cappadocia during Hadrian's reign, so participation in the war in Judea might be possible, but not immediately likely. The mention of the dona comes directly after the fleet prefecture, though, in a list of other offices, so seems more appropriately to refer to it.
I've found a number of other works that refer to Dexter and his possible participation in the war, without any particularly sound conclusions: was he commanding a fleet of boats on the Dead Sea, intended to cut the rebel communications with the Arabian shore? Was there actually a naval battle off the Judean coast? No particular evidence is given either way, although Bar Kokhba's area of control does not seem to have extended to the coast, so the second seems unlikely.
There is another tantalising scrap of inscriptional stuff, however, from Rome. The very fragmentary CIL 06, 1565 seems to mention a bello Iudae(ico?)... qua Liburni ( c)lassis ornatu... orae mari[timae]... Some suggestion of naval input, maybe?
I did wonder about the 22 marines from Misenum who ended up serving in X Fretensis, but another reading of the papyrus text reveals that they were transferred around AD130, before the revolt began!
Nathan Ross
