MORE RECENT SCHOLARSHIP FAVORING THE FOUNDING OF LIBURNIA IN C. 168-70

On November 1, 2023, I wrote the following piece, which helped me decide once and for all that L. Artorius Castus must have been made procurator "with the power of the sword" at the time of the foundation of Liburnia c. 168-70:

https://mistshadows.blogspot.com/2023/11/new-evidence-that-l-artorius-castus-was.html

I have written to Dr. Glavas for information on other recent Croatian scholars (or any scholars at all!) who hold to the same view.  If I manage to find more published studies or opinion expressed through correspondence that reinforces a belief in the early foundation date, I will add those to this piece.  

134-1 | 2022

Dalmatia and the Ancient Mediterranean: 50 years after John J. Wilkes’ Dalmatia - Varia

The Roman Army in Dalmatia

An updated overview

Ivan Radman-Livaja

https://journals.openedition.org/mefra/12715?lang=it

The last reinforcements were the cohors I milliaria Delmatarum108 and the cohors II milliaria Delmatarum,109 units mustered during the crisis years of the Marcomannic Wars, around AD 170, and which remained stationed in Dalmatia over a longer period, likely throughout much of the 3rd century AD, although there is no information about them after AD 253. In the beginning, the garrison of the first cohort might have been in Promona or in Salona, and later in the area Doboj, but it was detaching troops all over the province, while the other cohort was, after its initial post in Salona, likely stationed in the northeast of the province, around Čačak.110

Nikola Cesarik, Ivo Glavaš

COHORTES I ET II MILLIARIA DELMATARUM

2017

https://www.academia.edu/6878237/Cohortes_I_et_II_milliaria_Delmatarum

Regardless of this problem, this does not mean that

there are no possibilities in explaining the presence of

cohors I milliaria Delmatarum in the area of Tergeste. To

answer that, we must go back to the previous discussion

in which the reason and time of the foundation of two

cohortes milliariae Delmatarum were both linked with

the raising of two legiones Italicae. Despite all the disagreement

regarding the exact date of the Quadian-Marcomann

intrusions in northern Italy, which – depending

on different varieties of scholars – is dated to the

period from 166 to 174 AD (Kovács 2009: 181 ff.) – we

believe that the Fons Timavi inscription allows us to assume

that cohortes I et II milliaria Delmatarum were also

initially placed in the area of praetentura Italiae et Alpium.

Another argument for that premise may have been

found in the separation of northwestern part of Dalmatia

in the newly established provincia Liburnia with L.

Artorius Castus as a procurator centenarius iure gladii

at the head. If the hypothesis of Miletić is to be true –

that the separation of Liburnia from Dalmatia should

be linked with the Quadian-Marcomann crisis and the

formation of praetentura Italiae et Alpium (Miletić 2014:

122-126) – than a procurator with the ius gladii should

have had some military units at his disposal. Although

all of this is very speculative and cannot be supported

by any hard evidence, we must ask ourselves could it

be that these units were vexillationes legionum II Piae et

III Concordiae and cohortes I et II milliaria Delmatarum?

The fact that L. Artorius Castus was only a procurator

means that he could not have had at his disposition the

whole legion, but the force of legionary vexillationes and

two milliary cohorts would be more than sufficient.

This assumption could explain the presence of such an

army in the nearby city of Salona and could also give a

clue about the presence of cohors I milliaria Delmatarum

in the area of Tergeste. If the presence of this unit in

that area can be linked to the formation of praetentura

Italiae et Alpium, then we would not be far away from

the conclusion that (Caius?) Sacconius Varro was one of

the first tribunes of cohors I milliaria Delmatarum, who

was either succeeded by Grannius Fortunatus (tribune

in 169/170 AD), or was Fortunatus’ successor.6

This could all be the truth, but our suggestion is clouded

by many obstacles that is related inasmuch as with the

main reason for the organization of two Italian legions

(and forming of praetentura Italiae et Alpium), as it is

with the variety of proposals for the exact date of the

Quadian-Marcomann invasion of northern Italy. According

to the current view, the attack on northern Italy

was more likely happened in the years after the death

of Lucius Verus, i.e. a few years after the establishment

of the mentioned units and praetentura Italiae et Alpium

(Kovács 2009: 181-199). On the other hand, the foundation

of new legions is thought rather to be connected

with the earlier loss of two legions in the East (IX Hispana

and XXII Deiotariana) or with Marcus Aurelius’

plan for the campaign against Germanic tribes (Kovács

2012: 82). The summary of proposed reasons and facts

for the establishment of these two legions is best given

by Kovács (2009: 204-208), and from his point of view

legio II and legio III Italica were most likely raised because:

“even before the end of the Parthian war Marcus

felt that a new German war was being mounted; the

reason (if there was one apart from defence) from the

Roman point of view is still not precisely clear. The initiative,

however, belonged to the enemy.” (Kovács 2009:

208).

We can conclude, therefore, that legiones II et III Italica,

and with them cohortes I et II milliaria Delmatarum were

not raised because of the attacks of Quadi and Marcomanni

on northern Italy, but rather because of the

defensive politics against the northern threat (cf. HA,

Marc. XII, 13), which eventually turned into an offensive

campaign (cf. HA, Marc. XXI).