Rome, the Greek World, and the East, Vol. 1 - The Roman Republic and the Augustan Revolution

Epigraphy 

‘‘equestrian’’ officers in the Roman army,or rose higher into the so-called
equestriancivilservicewhichdevelopedinthefirstcenturyandahalfofthe
Empire.ThisrelativeopennessofaccesstoRomanofficesisaverysignificant
aspectofthepoliticalcharacteroftheEmpire.Anexusthusdevelopedbe-
tweenoffice-holdingandeuergetisme(seetextton.)insmalltowns,service
asanofficerintheRomanarmy,postsasanequestriancivilofficial,therank
ofsenator,andeventhepositionofemperor.Thelinkbetweenlocalinsti-
tutions,theimperialservice,andthepatronageoftheemperorisnowhere
better illustrated than in the Latin inscription of Q. Domitius Marsianus,
putupinhishometown,BullaRegiaintheprovinceofAfrica,inthes
..:^110

To Q. Domitius Marsianus, son of Lucius, tribe Quirina, procurator

ofAugustusofthepatrimonium[imperialproperty]oftheprovinceof

Narbonensis,procuratorofAugustusfortheironmines,procuratorin

Gaulforreceivingthecensusdeclarationsoftheprovinceof Belgica

throughoutthedistrictsoftheTungriandFrisavonesandofGermania

InferiorandoftheBatavi,praefectus militum[commanderofanauxil-

iaryunit],adlectedintothedecuriae[jurypanelsinRome]bytheEm-

perorsM.AureliusAntoninusandL.AureliusVerus,Caesares.When

theTownCouncilhadvotedtoputupanequestrianstatueofhimat

publicexpense,hisbrotherL.DomitiusFabianuserecteditathisown

expense,thussparingexpenditureonthepartofthecity.

Copyofthecodicilli(letterofappointment):

CaesarAntoninusAugustustohisownDomitiusMarsianusgreet-

ings.Havinglongsincebeeneagertopromoteyoutothesplendour

ofaducenariateprocuratorship,Iamnowmakinguseoftheoppor-

tunitywhichpresentsitself.SucceedthereforetoMariusPudenswith

anexpectationofmyunfailingfavoursolongasyouretainthecon-

scious possession of probity, diligence, and experience. Farewell my

Marsianus,dearesttome.

Theinscriptioncomesinfactfromthebaseoftheequestrianstatue(which
hasnotsurvived)whichstoodinBullaRegiatorecordforhisfellowcitizens
thefavourwhichMarsianushadearnedintheimperialservice.Hisbrother
Fabianus,ifnotactuallyamemberofthecitycouncil(asheprobablywas),
wasatleastawell-offresidentofthetown.Theinscriptionthusoffersavery
clearexampleoftherootsinlocalcommunallifewhichareaprimarychar-

.AE(),;cf.H.G.PflauminBonner Jahrbücher():.