PROFESSOR ROGER TOMLIN'S FINAL WORD ON THE L. ARTORIUS CASTUS INSCRIPTION

After a lengthy discussion with Professor Roger Tomlin about the reading of the fragmentary L. Artorius Castus stone, his unedited conclusion was as follows (comments italicized in brackets are mine and allude to specific points in my argument that directly elicited the associated phrases of his response):

"As you know too well, the pay grade centenarius for a procurator is known to have existed at least fifty years before Commodus, so its non-appearance in earlier inscriptions is not decisive.

I agree that ARMORICOS fits perfectly well. You are welcome to your Armorican War, but you must forgive me for hankering after the neatness of linking LAC with SP [Statius Priscus, the governor of Britain who commanded the Armenian War].

What you say about the other Priscus [that he would not have been put in command of British units on the Continent after being offered the purple by British troops in his earlier stint as legate of the Sixth] is fair enough.  [Thus the -nicarum on the Priscus stone must be for Germanicarum.] He had demonstrated his loyalty as far as British troops were concerned, and since usurpers were expected any way to show initial hesitation ('le réfus de pouvoir'), I can well imagine the authorities would have removed him, just to be on the safe side.

[I dislike the removal of three large vexillations from Britain to Armenia when we are specifically told war was looming in the former province.  It seems a very improbable time for those forces to be removed - especially a prefect of the Sixth.  The problems that ensued in Britain were all in the North, where LAC would have been sorely needed.  The British troops that went to Germania on the stone in northern England did so when Britain was at peace.  While LAC could have been sent to deal with the Deserters' War once the British War was done - Birley suggests it would have been a wise move to deal with mutinous troops in this way - I just can't see him being sent to Armenia with a large force when war was imminent in Britain.] Yes, that's a good point. I agree with you. Armenia is a long way to send reinforcements, and it implies confidence that the northern frontier was quiet."