Mons Graupius Legions

[Nathan Ross]

Hats off to Seán.

It looks superb indeed!

Agricola had already served for seven years. All of our evidence points to three years as the usual term of office, so he was overdue for recall. (Some people think this is suspicious, and use this fact to cast doubt on the entire Agricola.) He died fairly young, which makes me wonder whether he was actually ill, and therefore unfit for further service.

Tacitus says that Agricola "handed over his province in peace and safety to his successor", implying that he lingered in Britain till the spring after Graupius, given the travel times of despatches and replacement governors and entourages. He later died of 'illness' (aged 54) in c93, but Tacitus slyly suggests rumours of poisoning by Imperial order. That doesn't really seem necessary - Agricola had already turned down the governorship of Syria, and the position of Proconsul of Asia in c88, which should have been his due as a prominent consular, so he was perhaps pretty sick for the entire period after leaving Britain. Then again, the Asia proconsulate had become vacant after the death (by execution, apparently) of the previous incumbent...

Of course, the conquest of Britain could only reflect well on the reigning emperor, but there's a theory that Domitian was paranoid (fuelled by Tacitus' innuendo). It is difficult to properly assess the reign of Domitian, because the ancient sources are so hostile (as they are to Caligula, Nero and Commodus).

The innuendo in this case was that Domitian had recently celebrated a triumph himself - supposedly in the Chattian war - but "all men laughed at his late mock triumph over Germany, when he had bought slaves in the market whose dress and hair might be made to resemble those of captives, whereas now a real and splendid victory, with the destruction of thousands of the enemy, was being celebrated with just applause." (Ag. 39) - the emperor was therefore jealous of the genuinely triumphant Agricola. This seems a bit implausible - wasn't there a story of Nero doing much the same thing, dressing slaves up in blonde wigs and parading them about as 'captured barbarians'? (or was that just in 'I Claudius'?) Hard to imagine the Roman people being expected to fall for the same silly stunt twice. But Domitian does seem (albeit from those hostile ancient sources :wink: ) to have been a rather touchy about perceived criticism, to say the least...

Brian W Jones (The Emperor Domitian p.133-134) suggests that there may have been an attempted military revolt in Britain following Agricola's departure. We know from Suetonius (Domitian 10) that governor Sallustius Lucullus (Agricola's successor, possibly) was executed for naming a new type of lance after himself, which seems a bizarre reason even for Domitian. Jones connects this with the withdrawal from northern Britian and the demolition of Inchtuthil in this same period, together with the awards given to Julius Karus (for loyalty?), the award of citizenship and the Fida cognomen to Cohors I Vardullorum (for the same?), and the apparent demotion of the pedites singulares Brittaniaci (for the opposite?). It's circumstantial, maybe, and surely Tacitus would have used the event in his general invective against Domitian, but with other revolts and/or executions of governors in Germany and Asia, perhaps Agricola was rather wise to prefer a quiet life on the farm? Deep waters, Watson...

- Nathan