Rome, the Greek World, and the East, Vol. 2 - Government, Society, and Culture in the Roman Empire

Condemnation to Hard Labour 129

placedinthepublica custodia(publicprison)beforeenduringtrialbytorture
the next day (7, 2, 2). Prisons, however, represent a prime instance of the
interdependenceofcityinstitutionsandofprovincialgovernment.Alsoin
theMetamorphoses,awomancondemnedinCorinthbythegovernor,whois
residentthere,iskeptinthepublicus carceruntilasoldiercomestocollecther
forexecutioninapublicshow(10,28;34).Bycontrastwiththemartyracts
setinLugdunumandSmyrna,thegovernorheremakesspontaneoususeof
thecityprison;similarly,martyractssetinthethirdcenturyshowsoldiers
carryingoutarrestsandplacingthevictimsinaprison(carcer)beforetrial.^12
InCarthage,indeed,where(quiteexceptionally)anurbancohortwassta-
tioned,theActsofPerpetuaandFelicitasrevealthatintheearlythirdcentury
thereweretwoprisons,acityone,wherethemartyrsarefirstplaced(3,5–9;
6,7),andacampprison(carcercastrensis),underanoptio,praepositus carceris(an
optioinchargeoftheprison),towhichtheyweretransferredwithaviewto
beingputbeforethebeastsinacampshow,castrense munus(7,9–9,1).But
eventhecityprisonwassubjecttoabusesbysoldiers(3,6).
Itisnotimpossiblethatwiththepassageoftimesoldierscametobeused
notonlytocollectcondemnedpersonsfromprison,ortoarrestsuspectsand
bringthemtocityprisons,buttorunthecityprisonsthemselves.Itisin-
deedexactlythispossibilitywhichTrajanfirmlyresisted,whenPlinywrote
fromBithyniatoaskapprovalforthestep(whichhehadindeedprovision-
allytaken)ofaddingsomesoldierstothe‘‘publicslavesofthecivitates[cities]’’
whohaduptothenmanagedthecustodiae.Trajanwaseagerboththatmili-
tarydisciplineshouldnotbecorruptedandthattoomanymenshouldnotbe
withdrawnfromtheirunits(Pliny,Ep.10,19–20).Itmaywellbethatbothof
thesedevelopmentsdidcomeaboutlater.Butsincetherewerestrictlymili-
tarycustodiaeaswellas(inprinciple)cityones,thechancesofourbeingable
totracedevelopmentsinthisareaseemasyetslight.Anewinscriptionfrom
Bostra,forinstance,isadedicationsetupbythe‘‘officialesoftheprisoners’’
underGordianIIItothepraepositusofthecustodiae(cells),acenturionofthe
legio III Cyrenaica.^13 Amilitaryprisonproper,oracityprisonrunbysoldiers?
Bycontrast,legalsourcesofthesecondandearlythirdcenturiesappearto
regardcarcerasanalternativetohandingovertothesoldiers,asawayofde-
tainingdefendants(Dig.48,3);butcertainlythefrequentreferencesinthe
samechaptertothecustodiaexercisedbysoldiersdonotseemtoreferonly
orspecificallytodefendantsfromwithinthearmy.

12. Ibid.,nos.12,14.


13. M.Sartre,‘‘NouvellesinscriptionsgrecquesetlatinesdeBosra,’’Ann. Arch. Arab. Syr.
    22(1972):167,onp.175,no.8;seeBE1973,no.501.