Equestrian career

[Jona Lendering]

The tomb of Quintus Sulpicius Celsus has some interesting reliefs, but there's also an inscription. His last two jobs are praefectus fabrum and praefectus cohortis VII Lusitanorum. Before this, Sulpicius was also a praefectus, but we do not know what kind of prefect. I'm tempted to think he served as praefectus alae, but is this the only possibility?

[Gaius Julius Caesar]

Was there a fourth side? Any horse images on it?

[D B Campbell]

I'm tempted to think he served as praefectus alae, but is this the only possibility?

You're probably correct, Jona. Although the post could equally appear as praefectus equitum or praefectus equitum alae (or, as you suggest, praefectus alae). I cannot find a precise analogy to your man, as the "usual" (or, rather, most common) set of postings was praefectus fabrum, tribunus militum legionis, praefectus equitum. (I believe this may be so, as praef. fabr. was a kind of honorific post which might more often be expected of the better-connected young men who needn't bother with a cohortal command -- I can't give you proof of this, though.)

Here is a stellar career which shows the general sequence that was acceptable:
CIL 6, 3539: M(arcus) Stlaccius C(ai) f(ilius) Col(lina) | Coranus | praef(ectus) fabrum equo | publico ex quinque | decuriis praef(ectus) coh(ortis) V | Bracaraugustanorum | in Germania trib(uno) mil(itum) leg(ionis) II | Aug(ustae) praef(ectus) equitum alae | Hispanorum in Britannia | donis militaribus donatus | corona murali hasta pura | sibi et | C(aio) Stlaccio Capitoni patri | C(aio) Stlaccio C(ai) f(ilio) Col(lina) Capitoni fratri | L(ucio) Stlaccio C(ai) f(ilio) Col(lina) Frontoni fratri | Claudiae Secundae uxori

What a pity Devijver's Prosopographia Militiarum Equestrium isn't available on-line.

Perhaps if fellow RATer and equestrian-specialist popularis is around, he might like to join in?

[Jona Lendering]

OK, I'll add the possibility Sulpicius started his career as commander of an ala.

I would be surprised if the fourth side was decorated - sarcophagi were often placed against a wall. It is in any case what happened in the Capitoline Museums...

[D B Campbell]

OK, I'll add the possibility Sulpicius started his career as commander of an ala.

In my opinion, he would be unlikely to begin as cavalry commander, and proceed to a cohortal command. The career is probably listed in chronological order, with praef. fabr. preceding the two military commands. (But, as I said, I cannot find a precise analogy for your man.)

The incomprehensible last line -- IA TE -- reminds me of the EX TESTAMENTO FACIENDUM CURAVIT formula, sometimes abbreviated to EX TES F C (or just EX TES). But really, without further clues, we are clutching at straws. :?

[Praefectusclassis]

Hi Jona
I think you've got the order of his career upside down: a praefectus alae ranks above a praefectus cohortis.

(ah, Duncan thought the same...)

[D B Campbell]

(ah, Duncan thought the same...)

I just added a thought about the last line, while you were posting, Jasper! (Happy New Year.)

And I think an error has crept into your translation, Jona -- perhaps cutting and pasting something about a military genius?! Praef. fabr. is a difficult one to translate: maybe something like "(honorary post of) prefect of the engineers"? (As you probably know, any actual link with military engineering is highly unlikely.)

[Jona Lendering]

I think I confused turma and ala... :oops: (Why can't I find my Le Bohec?! :evil: )

[D B Campbell]

(Why can't I find my Le Bohec?! :evil: )

When you eventually find him, you'll see that "la préfecture des ouvriers [est] une charge purement civile dont le titulaire est, en quelque sorte, chef de cabinet d'un magistrat" (p. 44).

The fundamental study is (imho) Brian Dobson's "The Praefectus Fabrum in the early Principate", in: M.G. Jarrett & B. Dobson (eds.), Britain and Rome: Essays presented to Eric Birley on his sixtieth birthday (1966), pp. 61-84. He points out that the post occurs at the beginning of an equestrian career.

[D B Campbell]

The tomb of Quintus Sulpicius Celsus has some interesting reliefs, ...

I am suspicious at the choice of iconography. As well as a corona muralis, our man seems to have been awarded a torques, which I believe was too minor an award for an equestrian. This makes me suspicious that our man was one of those primipilares who rose to equestrian status via the honorific post of praefectus fabrum.

If this is so, then he had perhaps been a Praetorian centurion, which would explain the Praetorian standard depicted on one side. If you have a better resolution of photo, you may even be able to identify the emperor whose face adorns the phalera there.

Again, I cannot locate a precise analogy (which probably has more to do with my limitations than with the available corpus of inscriptions! :?

[Ti(berio) C]laudio Drusi f(ilio) Caesari A[u]gusto G[ermanico pont(ifici) max(imo)] | [t]ribunic(ia) potest(ate) VIII imper(atori) [X]VI consu[li IIII p(atri) p(atriae)] | [-- G]litius T(iti) f(ilius) Stel(latina) Barbarus prim[ip]ilaris p[raef(ectus) coh(ortis) --] | [t]ribunus militum praef(ectus) fabr(um) T[i(beri) C]laudi Caes[aris Aug(usti) Germ(anici) ...

No decorations are mentioned, but you may like to note the career of L. Aemilius Paternus (ILS 2661), which is altogether more exciting, with its long sequence of centurionates (including that of trecenarius, which John Mann brilliantly elucidated as indicating those men who had served in three grades of centurionate, which in this case would be legionary, urban, and praetorian), culminating in an honorific praef. fabr.:

L(ucio) Aemilio | L(uci) fil(io) Gal(eria) | Paterno p(rimi)p(ilari) | praef(ecto) fabr(um) >(centurioni) leg(ionis) VII G(eminae) | >(centurioni) leg(ionis) I M(inerviae) >(centurioni) leg(ionis) VII Cl(audiae) | >(centurioni) leg(ionis) XIIII G(eminae) >(centurioni) coh(ortis) IIII u[r(banae)] | >(centurioni) coh(ortis) IIII pr(aetoriae) CCC(trecenario) >(centurioni) leg(ionis) II Au(gustae) | et p(rimo) p(ilo) ter donis donato | ab Imp(eratore) Traiano torqui|bus armillis phaleris | corona vallari bis | in Dacia semel in Par|thia | Atilia L(uci) fil(ia) Vera be|ne de se merito

It is not a precise analogy, as Aemilius Paternus ended his long and active career as a primipilaris, instead of proceeding to an equestrian career. But note that the appropriate decorations for such a man were the torques, armillae and phalerae along with his corona. Equestrians seem, on the other hand, to have received the hasta pura ("silver spear") and/or the vexillum along with their corona.

I think it is at least possible that Sulpicius Celsus is showing us that he earned "centurial" decorations prior to his equestrian career. I can't be sure, though.

P.S. Do we know how much of the inscription is lost at the bottom? It's difficult to tell from the photo. (Perhaps we are only in the middle of the text, and our man was going to tell us about his primipilate and decorations?)

[popularis]

The tomb of Quintus Sulpicius Celsus has some interesting reliefs, ...

I am suspicious at the choice of iconography. As well as a corona muralis, our man seems to have been awarded a torques, which I believe was too minor an award for an equestrian. This makes me suspicious that our man was one of those primipilares who rose to equestrian status via the honorific post of praefectus fabrum.

Hello all, and happy new year!

I haven't studied Sulpicius, so I can't do anything from notes (and the library's shut), so this is all off the top of my head...

The torques are out of place, and suggest a possible centurionate career. I'm not sure about the praetorians though - that's not the sort of thing that tends to get missed off inscriptions. Asking from ignorance, what makes the standard a praetorian standard?

you may like to note the dedication erected in gratitude to the emperor Claudius (Tiberio Claudio Augusto Germanico blah blah blah) by Glitius Barbarus (CIL 5, 6969), a primipilaris who subsequently embarked on an equestrian career (including the honorific praef. fabr.):

[Ti(berio) C]laudio Drusi f(ilio) Caesari A[u]gusto G[ermanico pont(ifici) max(imo)] | [t]ribunic(ia) potest(ate) VIII imper(atori) [X]VI consu[li IIII p(atri) p(atriae)] | [-- G]litius T(iti) f(ilius) Stel(latina) Barbarus prim[ip]ilaris p[raef(ectus) coh(ortis) --] | [t]ribunus militum praef(ectus) fabr(um) T[i(beri) C]laudi Caes[aris Aug(usti) Germ(anici) ...

I wouldn't say the post of praefectus fabrum was necessarily honourary (there is a great deal of debate on this one), at least not in the early principate (I can't speak for the post-Claudian period). It also has a tendency to appear later in the cursus as time goes on - its early position in this case is a relatively good indication of an early date. The fact that he names the unit he commanded as praefectus cohortis suggests that the date is probably post-Augustan.

Note that dating inscriptions stylistically is imprecise. The cohors VII lusitanorum (and its history) might provide a dating clue.

It's a good bet (as pointed out above), although not certain, that the next post is a cavalry prefecture, although the possible formula used to indicate this is unclear, especially as the level of abbreviation in the inscription is inconsistent. If the unit he commanded as a prefect for the second time was, as is likely, named, it's difficult to find space for any subsequent post if the inscription is only seven lines long. But we're into very speculative territory at this point.

The only other thing I have to add at right now (I'll do some research) is that the career path praefectus cohortis -> praefectus equitum is more likely in the Claudian period (when the normal order of posts was changed to praefectus cohortis->preaefectus equitum->tribunus militum).

I think it is at least possible that Sulpicius Celsus is showing us that he earned "centurial" decorations prior to his equestrian career. I can't be sure, though.

P.S. Do we know how much of the inscription is lost at the bottom? It's difficult to tell from the photo. (Perhaps we are only in the middle of the text, and our man was going to tell us about his primipilate and decorations?)

I think I have a couple of inscriptions where a centurionate post might be 'hinted' at with such decorations, although not named on the inscription, let me check. The transcription at manfredclauss.de also suggests that the inscription is longer than 7 lines, so I'll check the published version.

Best wishes, and blue skies

Tom

EDIT: Shows what I know (or at least, why stylistic dating can be dodgy). Devijver dates him to late 1st/2nd century, although I don't know on what grounds - I only have volume 6 - but it's probably due to the cohors VII lusitanorum. He's S85 in PME (vols 2 and 5).

[Jona Lendering]

I'm receiving more than I was bargaining for... Thanks.

[D B Campbell]

I'm receiving more than I was bargaining for... Thanks.

That's what makes this so interesting!

I wouldn't say the post of praefectus fabrum was necessarily honourary (there is a great deal of debate on this one), at least not in the early principate (I can't speak for the post-Claudian period).

I really just meant that it's probably not messing around with machinery. More of a sinecure, maybe. I don't have access to PME, but I dug out an article by Devijver (Anc. Soc. 27, 1996) where he writes that the praefectura fabrum, "strictly speaking, did not form part of the hierarchical career within the militiae equestres. Such a prefect was a kind of orderly, a liaison officer attached to the provincial governor. Thanks to his contacts with this prominent senator, the praefectus fabrum could often proceed to a career in the militiae equestres." (He may be overly prescriptive in assigning him to a governor, but I think we get the general idea.)

[popularis]

I wouldn't say the post of praefectus fabrum was necessarily honourary (there is a great deal of debate on this one), at least not in the early principate (I can't speak for the post-Claudian period).

I really just meant that it's probably not messing around with machinery. More of a sinecure, maybe. I don't have access to PME, but I dug out an article by Devijver (Anc. Soc. 27, 1996) where he writes that the praefectura fabrum, "strictly speaking, did not form part of the hierarchical career within the militiae equestres. Such a prefect was a kind of orderly, a liaison officer attached to the provincial governor. Thanks to his contacts with this prominent senator, the praefectus fabrum could often proceed to a career in the militiae equestres." (He may be overly prescriptive in assigning him to a governor, but I think we get the general idea.)

Yup, I'd agree with that, more or less (the civilian vs military discussion is an interesting one for another day). It does, I think, appear to become more of a sinecure by the late first century AD. However, there are those who argue that the post was entirely honorary by the end of the Augustan period (some even argue that it was an honour given in return for municipal benefaction). The post itself is a bit of a puzzler, and I try not to define it unless I absolutely have to

blue skies

Tom