tribuni militum

[Yehya]

Hi

How old would a typical tribuni militum be when he started serving and how long did they hold this post? I am thinking perhaps under Titus in Judea, X legion?

joel

[Nathan Ross]

It depends what sort of tribune he was. Each legion had five equestrian (angusticlavii) tribunes and one 'senatorial' (laticlavius) tribune. The laticlavius was usually a young man in his late teens intending to run for a career in the senate. Either he was the son of a senator, or had otherwise been granted the latus clavus by the emperor, and would already have served in one of the junior magistracies in Rome (the vigintivirate). The tribunate would be held between leaving the vigintivirate at about 18 and running for Quaestor at around 24. The oldest known senatorial tribune (according to DB Campbell) was aged 21.

The angusticlavii were quite different. As career soldiers of the equestrian order, they would already have served a term as praefect of an auxiliary cohort before joining the legion (these being the first two positions in the tres militiae). Each of these terms probably lasted 2-3 years. There doesn't seem to have been a set age for an equestrian to take up his first position as cohort praefect - like most military posts, they were awarded at the behest of the emperor and usually secured by patronage - but as most appointees seem to have already served as (for example) decemvir of a provincial city (minimum age 25) or flamen of one of imperial cults, it is probable that most were in their late twenties or early thirties before they commenced their military careers. 2-3 years, at least, after commissioning as a cohort praefect, the equestrian officer could pass on the legion tribunate. Eric Birley, however, believed the average age of a cohort praefect at first commission to be 38, and the average age of a military tribune as 42: he was basing this on evidence from inscriptions, which recorded the age at death.

We do know, however, that equestrians could be directly commissioned as centurions as young as 18. Since a centurion ex ordo eques and a cohort praefect appear to have been approximately equal in rank and status, it's possible that some cohort praefects were appointed that early as well. 2-3 years of auxiliary command could deliver the younger appointee as legion tribune at the age of only 20-21, although this would perhaps be rather rare.

Laticlavius tribunes would therefore be aged 18-21, but angusticlavii tribunes could perhaps be anything between 20 and 50.

A more in-depth thread about military tribunes, with expansions of the above info, is here: Military Tribunes and their Significance

- Nathan

[popularis]

What Nathan said [1]

The length of service question is tricky. While some inscriptions include the length of service (e.g. trib. mil. III), most don't in the early empire. So we assume, I think rightly, that "trib. mil." with no numbering might indicate a longer period than one year. Personally, I think that 2-3 years is a bit too short per post on average, as it means that the equestrian "junior officer career" would have lasted less than a decade. It's also important that the 2-3 years estimate comes from, IIRC, detailed analysis of career patterns in the Eastern legions. Helpful for you, I know, but career patterns in the West were probably different. However, in the early Empire it seems that most Eastern officers held only the military tribunate and no other junior officer position. This is generally seen as an act of confirming their status as equestrians and as members of the broader Roman elite (i.e. beyond their own towns), rather than as a springboard to higher office.

In the early Empire at least (and Titus is after the period I've studied in detail), I'm not sure that Birely's suggestion that equestrian-ranked military tribunes were in their thirties is right. For the Augustan era, for example, two thirds of non-senatorial junior officers - military tribunes and prefects - appear to have held their first post before any municipal position, which suggests that they were less than 30 at the time. It's very difficult, in any case, to use a stated age of death from an imperial inscription to draw general demographic conclusions: it's not normal for the age to be put on the inscription, and so we have to wonder why the dedicators chose to do so.

The distinction between these two age ranges (Birley's late 30s vs men in their 20s) is important. Men in their late thirties are, as above, generally seen as holding the military tribunate as an act of confirming their status as equestrians. If they were younger men, then it's more likely that they would have had ambitions of future promotion. It's not that unusual to find men with equestrian junior officer careers who end up as senators, after all.

blue skies

Tom

[1] Just realised that could be read wrong. What I was trying to say was, "I agree with what Nathan said"!

[D B Campbell]

The oldest known senatorial tribune (according to DB Campbell) was aged 21.

Oh, really? hock: I guess I must've been thinking of Gnaeus Plotius Maximinus of CIL III, 6755, who died (after holding two legionary tribunates) at the age of "21 years 9 months and three days". He was probably still engaged in his second tribunate, which he perhaps timed to expire in time for him to become quaestor at the age of 24.

[MARCvSVIBIvSMAvRINvS]

shouldnt it be... Tribuni Militi ? or militati ? dunno, just thought it would be different..

M.VIB.M.

[D B Campbell]

shouldnt it be... Tribuni Militi ? or militati ? dunno, just thought it would be different.

militum isn't an adjective, so it doesn't need to agree with the noun. It literally means tribune "of the soldiers", so you either have one tribunus "of the soldiers" or several tribuni "of the soldiers". It's militum both times.

You're maybe thinking of tribunus laticlavius, where laticlavius is an adjective, so several of them would be tribuni laticlavii. (Same with tribunus angusticlavius.)

[MARCvSVIBIvSMAvRINvS]

Thank you Duncan !!

Will start my Latin language course for non classical students soon...



M.VIB.M.

[D B Campbell]

I am thinking perhaps under Titus in Judea, X legion?

Just as a supplementary remark: I think I'm right in saying that we don't know any of the tribunes who served with Titus. (Later tribunes of X Fretensis are, of course, known by name from inscriptions.)

[popularis]

I am thinking perhaps under Titus in Judea, X legion?

Just as a supplementary remark: I think I'm right in saying that we don't know any of the tribunes who served with Titus. (Later tribunes of X Fretensis are, of course, known by name from inscriptions.)

If anyone's interested in checking (I don't have the relevant library access at the moment), PME VI has two possible candidates, both known from Greek inscriptions (don't have the refs though):

Tib. Claudius Tib. f. Quirina Priscus (PME I, V, C203), praefectus cohortis and military tribune in Leg X Fretensis, career noted as pre AD67.
(- - -) Nicanor (PME II, IV, V, N29) military tribune in the ?Neronian/Vespasianic era in Iudea.

blue skies

Tom

[Nathan Ross]

Personally, I think that 2-3 years is a bit too short per post on average, as it means that the equestrian "junior officer career" would have lasted less than a decade.

But do we know that posts were held consecutively? Assuming that appointments were quite hard to come by, it would have been a lucky man who could move directly from one post to the next. Could there not have been gaps in between each post, thus extending the 'military' career by several more years?

It's also important that the 2-3 years estimate comes from, IIRC, detailed analysis of career patterns in the Eastern legions... but career patterns in the West were probably different.

Interesting! Why would they be different, and in what ways?

The oldest known senatorial tribune (according to DB Campbell) was aged 21.

Oh, really? hock: I guess I must've been thinking of Gnaeus Plotius Maximinus...

Duncan - I was referring to your note in the other thread I linked above! But thanks for the additional information.

I think I'm right in saying that we don't know any of the tribunes who served with Titus.

Another point worth making on this subject - the legate of the Tenth Fretensis during the siege and capture of Jerusalem was aged only 28-30! He won the corona muralis and hasta pura during the final assault, but appears to have had no previous military experience. All of our presumed rules have their exceptions... :o

- Nathan

[D B Campbell]

Tib. Claudius Tib. f. Quirina Priscus (PME I, V, C203), praefectus cohortis and military tribune in Leg X Fretensis, career noted as pre AD67.

Agreed. His father, also Ti. Claudius, probably got the citizenship from Nero, making the career Vespasianic. (Slightly circular reasoning, though -- if he was older, he could be Domitianic!)

(- - -) Nicanor (PME II, IV, V, N29) military tribune in the ?Neronian/Vespasianic era in Iudea.

Presumably on the basis of Josephus, Jewish War 3.346, where the Roman chiliarch Nicanor is known to Josephus, so he was perhaps a unit commander in the run up to the hostilities (in which case he wouldn't have been a tribune of X Fretensis).

Another point worth making on this subject - the legate of the Tenth Fretensis during the siege and capture of Jerusalem was aged only 28-30!

The usual age for a legionary legate (~30).

[Nathan Ross]

The usual age for a legionary legate (~30).

I'd thought most legion legates were ex-praetors, and so usually in their early thirties. Larcius Lepidus Sulpicianus came to the command of X Fretensis directly from being quaestor of Crete and Cyrenaica - he could even have been younger than 28.

It's very difficult, in any case, to use a stated age of death from an imperial inscription to draw general demographic conclusions: it's not normal for the age to be put on the inscription, and so we have to wonder why the dedicators chose to do so.

Just out of interest, I had a look through some ages at death given on inscriptions for tribunes and praefects. Could it be that the dedicatee was not necessarily serving in a military capacity at the time of death unless directly stated? So for example CIL III 15188,2 ("Aelius Carus, military tribune of legion XXX Ulpia, in Lower Germany, who lived 53 years") and CIL VI 03524 ("Marcus Julius Venustus, military tribune of legion VII Claudia PF, [who] lived 53 years"), might not have actually been tribunes in their fifties. Might this be connected with Tom's note about 'confirming their status as equestrians'?

Aurelius Gallius, tribune of VII Claudia, was certainly a serving officer at the time of his death, aged 40 (CIL XI 00705) - killed in 'the thracian war'.

Quintus Valerius (CIL III 06612, from Egypt), died aged 38 and had served 17 years. This would mean he began his military career at 21, but no other posts are mentioned. Could he have really been a tribune for all that time?

I also found a couple of 'younger' praefects, beginning their military careers around 20 or perhaps before: Tiberius Claudius Antoninus, praefect of Coh V Ulpia Petreorum, who lived 21 years, 6 months and 2 days (CIL XIV 00162), and Lucius Ausidius, military praefect of coh XI (??), who lived 20 years, 10 months and 7 days (CIL XI 04786). Presumably both of these men died in service.

- Nathan

[D B Campbell]

The usual age for a legionary legate (~30).

I'd thought most legion legates were ex-praetors, and so usually in their early thirties. Larcius Lepidus Sulpicianus came to the command of X Fretensis directly from being quaestor of Crete and Cyrenaica - he could even have been younger than 28.

You are quite right, Nathan -- I jumped the gun on this one. I don't think Sulpicianus necessarily came directly from his posting in Crete-Cyrenaica, but -- you are correct -- he is likely to have been younger.

However, he was clearly a stop-gap to hold the command in between the departure of Trajan senior (to secure Baetica for Vespasian) and the appointment of Sex. Vettulenus Cerialis as the first praetorian governor of Judaea. The fact that Sulpicianus handed over to another intermediate stop-gap (a certain Terentius Rufus) underlines the fact that he wasn't really qualified to hold this command, but was perhaps the only Flavian partisan available at short notice (or was being honored with an irregular promotion -- could he have been a friend of Titus'?). It's difficult to say, as his career seems to have been cut short soon afterwards (ILS 987).

[Nathan Ross]

I don't think Sulpicianus necessarily came directly from his posting in Crete-Cyrenaica

I thought it might be likely, actually - he must have done something to advance himself in the Flavian cause, and holding Crete-Cyrenaica and the important supply routes for Vespasian during 69 might have been just that (he was actually half Cretan himself, so may have had special sway with the populace!).

The fact that Sulpicianus handed over to another intermediate stop-gap (a certain Terentius Rufus) underlines the fact that he wasn't really qualified to hold this command but was perhaps the only Flavian partisan available at short notice

But his corona muralis implies that he was at least involved in the capture of Jerusalem, probably in command of the legion and leading from the front (again unusual, especially since he never appears to have served as a military tribune).

It's difficult to say, as his career seems to have been cut short soon afterwards (ILS 987).

Interestingly, his son Larcius Priscus seems to have had a similar 'extraordinary commission'. He was sent to Syria to be legate of Legio IV Scythica and temporary governor of the province (pro legato consulare), apparently shortly after serving as quaestor of Asia. This might have been connected with the rumoured difficulties in Syria during Nerva's reign.

- Nathan

[D B Campbell]

he must have done something to advance himself in the Flavian cause, and holding Crete-Cyrenaica and the important supply routes for Vespasian during 69 might have been just that ...

True. Or simply declaring for Vespasian at an opportune moment, as Agricola did.

But his corona muralis implies that he was at least involved in the capture of Jerusalem, probably in command of the legion and leading from the front ...

Possibly. But not necessarily. The coronae had lost their literal significance, and were simply awarded in batches to deserving senators; Sulpicianus received two other crowns to make the set, plus hastae and vexilla. There's no guarantee that Sulpicianus personally peformed any meritorious action, beyond backing the Flavian cause -- the legion's actions would have won the award for him (unlike the poor centurions who had to earn their own kudos).

Interestingly, his son Larcius Priscus ... was sent to Syria to be legate of Legio IV Scythica and temporary governor of the province (pro legato consulare), apparently shortly after serving as quaestor of Asia.

Careful. Admittedly, his quaestorian command of IV Scythica (like his father's quaestorian command of X Fretensis) was unusual. (Could the ties of patronage have ensured that the son followed the precedent of the father? If the dating was ca. AD 93/94/95, the governor of Syria, one L. Iavolenus Priscus, may have been a relative who could pull strings.)

But Larcius Priscus wasn't "sent" to be temporary governor of Syria. He was sent to be legate of IV Scythica, the legion which lay closest to Antioch, and whose legate routinely deputised for an absent governor. It was sheer coincidence that required him to act pro legato consulare provinciae Syriae. An interesting case, nonetheless.