“Legiones Moesicae…. principes auctoresque belli…”
(Tacitus, Hist. 3.24.3)
In the Year of the Four Emperors295 Moesia played a particular role.296 On one hand, the direct involvement of Moesia’s army in arma civilia decided the issue of the war, and it virtually singlehandedly secured Vespasian’s principate. In this manner, the traumatic period was ended and quick measures for consolidation and recovery took place. Furthermore, Civil War had exposed the weakness of the Roman defences on the Danube to sudden attack.
The area soon became the scene of a struggle which ended in a significant victory which was celebrated in Rome itself. In the winter AD 67/8 an army of 9,000 Rhoxolani cataphractarii (cavalry with long heavy lances, protected by chain-mail)
massacred a Roman auxiliary cohort somewhere along the Moesian limes (Tac. Hist. 1.79.1, 3.24).297 The next winter they crossed the frozen Danube on another raid.298 Unexpectedly, this particular February a sudden thawing of the ice on the Danube put the Rhoxolani horseman at a disadvantage. They were trapped and struggled greatly in the mud and melting snow, while the Roman forces advanced. The Rhoxolani were surprised by the 3rd legion – III Gallica - under its legate T. Aurelius
292
Lines 21-22, with comments in Patsch 1932, 163 ff. This is often understood as an expansion of
Moesia into Dobrudja, see Strobel 1989, 16; Lică 2000, 163-4, and Sarnowski 2006, 85.
293
Or at least preparations for such an inclusion of Dobrudja were made during the Plautius Aelianus’ governorship of Moesia.
294
Lica 2000, 153.
295
Henderson 1908; Wellesley 1975; Greenhalgh 1975; Danov 1979, 167; Morgan 2006.
296
Filow 1906, 23, 25–27; Wellesley 1975; Flaig 1992, 368; Ivanov 1997, 507–8; Levick 1999, 59 and 115; most recently see Mrozewicz 2010b, 35-42.
297
Patsch 1932, 168, 172–3; Syme 1936, 168; Syme 1977, 85; Sarnowski 1988, 30-1; Levick 1999, 115, Lica 2000, 154.
298
Fulvus,299 as well as some auxiliary units.300 As a result, the invaders were utterly defeated.301
The victory in Moesia was reported directly to Rome. Emperor Otho took great pride in it, and distributed generous awards to all involved. The Moesian governor M. Aponius Saturninus302 was given a triumphal statue, and the commanders of the three legions were presented with consular decorations (Tac. Hist. 1.79.3:
consularibus ornamentis donantur).303 Moreover, on March 1, 69 AD the victory in
Moesia was celebrated with a sacrifice at the Capitol by the Fratri Arvalis and a laurel wreath was posted over the entrance of the palace (‘ob laurum positam’).
Meanwhile, after the fall of Galba and Otho’s accession (15 Jan. 69), the Moesia’s legions304 (Moesicae legiones – III Gallica, VII Claudia p.f. and VIII
Augusta), sworn allegiance to the new emperor.305 In early March 2,000 men from
each of the above three legions, and some auxiliaries, were ordered to prepare quickly to march (Suet. Vesp. 6.2). They had to make their way to Northern Italy within 48 hours of receiving the order (Tac. Hist. 3.10.1).306 However, when the Moesian legionaries reached Aquileia (Tac. Hist. 2.46), they were informed about the
First Battle of Bedriacum near Cremona (14 April) and the Othonian army’s complete
defeat by Vitellius (Tac. Hist. 2.85.1-2).307 The Moesian legionaries were expected to swear allegiance to the winner – Vitellius, to whom the Senate bestowed imperial power on 19 April, but instead of doing so they went over to Vespasian.308
299
On T. Aurelius Fulvus – PIR2 A 1510; von Rhoden 1896, RE 2, col. 2492, no. 136; Filow 1906, 24; Eck 1974, RE Suppl. 14, 68–69, no. 136.
300
Tac. Hist. 1.79.1–2; comments in Patsch 1932, 172.
301
R. Syme has correctly suggested that legio III Gallica was encamped at Novae and operated from there, see Syme 1977, 85. R. Ivanov has suggested that its base was Durostorum – Ivanov 1997, 508.
302
On him – see PIR2 A 938; Stout 1911, 16-7, no. 21; Ritterling 1925, “Legio”, col. 1625; Stein 1940, 32; Milns 1973, 284-94. Aponius Saturninus continued to hold his post under Vitellius (Tacitus, Hist. 2.96), but he was sacked near Verona before the second battle of Bedriacum by his own soldiers, accusing him of collaborating with Vitellius, and he escaped (Tac. Hist. 3. 11.1; Nicols 1978, 134; Levick 1999, 61). However, he enjoyed a distinguished career under Vespasian as a proconsul of Asia.
303
Comments in Filow 1906, 24; Patsch 1932, 173; Sarnowski 1988, 31; Wilkes, 1996, 558; Wellesley 2000, 45.
304
A full review on the Moesian legions and their legates in Nicols 1978, pp. 132–136; for earlier work see Filow 1906, 25-32.
305
Tacitus, Hist. 1.76.1; Henderson 1908, 30; Nicols 1978, 132.
306
Comments in Wellesley 2000, 59.
307
Discussion in Mommsen 1871, 161–3; Wiedemann 1996, 271–2.
308
As early as late April/May309 the Moesian legions were voicing support for Vespasian (Suet. Vesp. 6.3; Tac. Hist. 2.74). Thus, when they learned about the salutation of Vespasian as emperor on July 1 by the legions in Alexandria (Suet.
Vesp. 6.3; Tac. Hist. 2. 79), they swore allegiance to him, at a point no later than
mid-July.310 The third legion (III Gallica)311 set the example for the other Moesian legions312 - they were the first to display Vespasian’s name on their banners,313 and were shortly followed by VII Claudia and VIII Augusta. Before the eastern expedition lead by Mucianus could reach Italy, the Danubian armies of Moesia and Pannonia acclaimed Vespasian as Emperor.314 They had headed to Northern Italy and left the Danube frontier unprotected (see below). Actually the Danubian legions were instructed by Vespasian to wait at Aquileia for the Eastern army of Mucianus, but Antonius Primus – the legate of legio VII Galbiana, and commanding general of the Vespasianic forces, either neglected his orders or received them too late; the reasons remain unclear.315
Shortly afterwards, on 24–25 October 69, the forces of Vitellius and Vespasian clashed at the Second Battle of Bedriacum, which ended in total defeat for the armies of Vitellius (Tac. 3.33-34).316 The Flavian forces were largely the armies of
Moesia (3 legions), Pannonia (2 legions), and Dalmatia (1), but without the Eastern
army.317 In fact, before the battle M. Antonius Primus addressed the Moesian legions ‘as the authors and promoters of this war’.318 Accidentally or not, the soldiers of the
legio III Gallica were the first armed forces which entered the town of Cremona, the
seat of the Vitellian army, which was subsequently sacked (Tac. Hist. 3.29). The final episode happened on 20th December 69 when the Flavian forces, lead by Antonius
309
Nicols 1978, 74–5.
310
Nicols 1978, 75, 133; Levick 1999, 59, no. 60.
311
Legio III Gallica was a legion which had been based in the Roman East since Augustus. It had been recently transferred by Nero to Moesia /from Syria/ in AD 67/8, and hence was keen to prove its dedication to Vespasian’s cause, see Tac. Hist. 2. 74; Ritterling 1925, cols. 1521–1523; Parker 1928, 139; Nicols 1978, 100; Syme 1977, 85.
312
Tac. Hist. 2.85.1: “…tertia legio exemplum ceteris Moesiae legionibus praebuit”.
313
Suet. Vesp. 6.3: “…quidam e legione tertia, quae sub exitu Neronis translata ex Syria in Moesiam
fuerat, Vespasianum laudibus ferrent, assensere cuncti nomenque eius vexillis omnibus sine mora inscripserunt”.
314
Suet. Vesp. 7.15: Octavo imperii mense desciverunt ab eo exercitus Moesiarum atque Pannoniae,
item ex transmarinis Iudaicus et Syriaticus, ac pars in absentis pars in praesentis Vespasiani verba iurarunt.
315
Nicols 1978, 142-3; Levick 1999, 48; Wiedemann 1996, 276.
316
Discussion in Mommsen 1871, 169-73; Wellesley 1975, 148–50; Nicols 1978, 79–80; Wiedemann 1996, 277–8.
317
Parker 1928, 142; Wellesley 1975, 128.
318
Primus with his Danubian armies, captured Rome after considerable resistance,319 and on the same afternoon Vitellius died (Tac. Hist. 3.85; Joseph. BJ 4.65).320 On the following day, the Senate sanctioned Vespasian’s full rights over Imperium
Romanum with a famous resolution known as the lex de imperio Vespasiani, or lex regia (Tac. Hist. 4.3.3)321, marking the end of the Civil war.
In the meantime troubles arise in Moesia. In the autumn of AD 69, not long after the withdrawal of Aponius Saturninus and his provincial army to Italy, as well as the legionary camps at Oescus and Novae being abandoned (“abducto e Moesia
exercitu”), triggered a new barbarian invasion. In October/November the Dacians
(possibly accompanied by Sarmatians and Rhoxolani) attacked the Roman forts on the Danube once more (Tac. Hist. 3.46.2-4). The attacking Dacians did not meet serious resistance and devastated the Moesian lands, which were defended only by a limited number of auxiliaries.
In the same time the Vespasian’s main supporter and his right hand man – C. Licinius Mucianus,322 governor of Syria, quickly advanced from Berytus to Northern Italy. His troops consisted of legio VI Ferrata, and some 13.000 vexillarii from Syria, as well as Judaean armies (Tac. Hist. 2.83).323 Upon reaching Byzantium and Thrace, he received the news of the severe troubles on the Moesian frontier. Wasting no time (around 1–15 November), Mucianus sent legio VI Ferrata to deal with this issue. The legionaries turned north by the via militaris Thraciae from Serdica /or from Naissus/ to confront the Dacians in the area between Oescus and Novae (Tac. Hist. 3.46.4-5).324 The attackers were repulsed, for which Mucianus was awarded triumphal honors by the Senate.325