09-24-2007, 09:03 AM
Ave, Spedius,
I think, from a first view there are two men related. Maybe the second is the son or nephew of the first, who was created a consul in 72. I can't believe that a career spanning so long is probable. His career would have to be much longer than 26 years and I will tell why.
The man was identified with Trajan's general Longinus, named by the emperor after the First Dacian War (101-102) to command the stratopedon (garrison, not legion, as M.L. Freyburger-Galland, Aspects du vocabulaire politique et institutionnnel de Dion Cassius, Paris, 1997, p. 186 states) left in the conquered territory (Cassius Dio, 68, 9, 7) and captured by the dacian king Decebalus in 105 (Cassius Dio, 68, 120) through a snare. He commited suicide in the same year.
He was identified as Cn Pinarius Aemilius Cicatricula Pompeius Longinus by Ioan Piso, in Fasti provinciae Daciae. Die senatorischen Amtsträger, Bonn, 1993, note 65, 1-3, as far as I know.
And I don't think 32 years as the normal age one senator could assume consulate, even suffectus, can be considered. This happenes when we're talking about patrician senators, or a man favoured by the emperor in order to become his heir (Hadrianus and Antoninus Pius, for example).
Our man is not known to be a patrician (these men had rather a civilian than a military career) and is also not known to be designated Domitian's heir (I think Domitian never gave a serious thought to the problem of succession). For ordinary senators, the minimum age to assume consulship was rather that of the old Lex Villia Annalis -42 years.
The emperors didn't respect very thorough this rule, so most of them became consuls around 40 years, the favoured ones at 36-37. So, I think is correct to assume that in 90 Longinus was around 40 years, and in 105 when he died, was about 55 years old. This makes him to be the approximately by the same age as the emperor, a thing very easy to understand.
Even if we suppose he would somehow assume the consulate at 32 years in 72, in 101, when the Dacian War started, he was too old, around 60. I see no reason why the emperor should have taken an old retired general unless of senators of his own generation. But is more reasonable to think that the man who became a consul in 72 was more than 70 years old (if he was still living) when Trajan went in Dacia.
In the end we can assume we're talking about two different man. One born around 30 C.E. and made a consul in 72 and the other born around 50-53, and created a consul in 90. It's a generation between them so the second could be the son or the nephew of the first. Sorry for my poor English, I have to admit I've concentrated more on the demonstration. I hope I could be of some use and didn't offend you.
Vale,
Primus pilus
I think, from a first view there are two men related. Maybe the second is the son or nephew of the first, who was created a consul in 72. I can't believe that a career spanning so long is probable. His career would have to be much longer than 26 years and I will tell why.
The man was identified with Trajan's general Longinus, named by the emperor after the First Dacian War (101-102) to command the stratopedon (garrison, not legion, as M.L. Freyburger-Galland, Aspects du vocabulaire politique et institutionnnel de Dion Cassius, Paris, 1997, p. 186 states) left in the conquered territory (Cassius Dio, 68, 9, 7) and captured by the dacian king Decebalus in 105 (Cassius Dio, 68, 120) through a snare. He commited suicide in the same year.
He was identified as Cn Pinarius Aemilius Cicatricula Pompeius Longinus by Ioan Piso, in Fasti provinciae Daciae. Die senatorischen Amtsträger, Bonn, 1993, note 65, 1-3, as far as I know.
And I don't think 32 years as the normal age one senator could assume consulate, even suffectus, can be considered. This happenes when we're talking about patrician senators, or a man favoured by the emperor in order to become his heir (Hadrianus and Antoninus Pius, for example).
Our man is not known to be a patrician (these men had rather a civilian than a military career) and is also not known to be designated Domitian's heir (I think Domitian never gave a serious thought to the problem of succession). For ordinary senators, the minimum age to assume consulship was rather that of the old Lex Villia Annalis -42 years.
The emperors didn't respect very thorough this rule, so most of them became consuls around 40 years, the favoured ones at 36-37. So, I think is correct to assume that in 90 Longinus was around 40 years, and in 105 when he died, was about 55 years old. This makes him to be the approximately by the same age as the emperor, a thing very easy to understand.
Even if we suppose he would somehow assume the consulate at 32 years in 72, in 101, when the Dacian War started, he was too old, around 60. I see no reason why the emperor should have taken an old retired general unless of senators of his own generation. But is more reasonable to think that the man who became a consul in 72 was more than 70 years old (if he was still living) when Trajan went in Dacia.
In the end we can assume we're talking about two different man. One born around 30 C.E. and made a consul in 72 and the other born around 50-53, and created a consul in 90. It's a generation between them so the second could be the son or the nephew of the first. Sorry for my poor English, I have to admit I've concentrated more on the demonstration. I hope I could be of some use and didn't offend you.
Vale,
Primus pilus
