Classis Syriaca in the Bar Kokhba War

[Renatus]

all of the career inscriptions I've seen, I think, either place the award of dona in conjunction with the post or office held, and immediately following it, no matter what the direction of chronology, or place it at the end of the list of military posts.

I can see the logic of that, especially the former.

Anyway, Maxfield's point is the difference in dona for different steps of the tres militiae - but would a fleet prefecture count as militia quarta?

I think that that is quite likely. The quarta militia was introduced by Hadrian and is normally associated with the prefecture of a milliary ala but a fleet prefecture could well be regarded as a step up from the prefecture of a quingenary ala. What may have influenced Maxfield is the scale of the award, one hasta pura and one vexillum. Although she makes the point that Hadrian may have been making awards on grounds of merit, rather than status, the Antonine evidence suggests that a recipient in his quarta miitia might expect to receive at least two hastae and two vexilla.

surely a senior command based in Syria is a more likely choice for a Judean award than a more junior one in Cappodocia?

But surely the fact that the award relates to the Judean war simply means that, whichever unit Dexter commanded at the time, it served in that war - or do I misunderstand you?