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

Emperors, Frontiers, and Foreign Relations 193

11. Of all the fundamental choices made, the most significant was the
    occupationofMesopotamiaandthereadinesstofightrepeatedwarsforit.
    Trajan’sbriefconquestmarkednotanendbutabeginning,anditwashere
    thattheethosofimperialismhaditsmostlastingeffects.Plotinusmayhave
    beenquitemisguided(orisitwe?)inthinkingthatifhejoinedGordianIII’s
    Persianexpeditionhemightmakecontactwiththephilosophersnotonlyof
    PersiabutofIndia.^144 ButmostemperorsalsoimplicitlyagreedwithJulian
    thatthePersianswerethe‘‘betterenemies.’’

Toillustratetheconcreteconditionsofimperialruletowhichthesedevel-
opmentsled—andtoexhibitthecounter-exampleofanEmperorwhodid
notprefer the eastern front—it may be useful in conclusion to sketch the
movementsandmilitarypreoccupationsofValentinianIasportrayedinAm-
mianus’ narrative. He came to the throne in 364 by the choice of the im-
perialentourageonthemarchthroughBithyniaand,oncehehadreached
Constantinople,appointedhisbrotherValensasjointAugustus.Thebrothers
marchedwest,andatNaissusdividedtheiraccompanyingcomitesandmagi-
stri,andthen,aftermovingontoSirmium,separated,Valentiniangoingto
Milan and Valens back to Constantinople. In Gaul later in theyearValen-
tinianhesitatedbetweenstayingtoconfrontanAlamannicinvasionandre-
turningtoprotectPannoniaagainstthepretenderProcopius;hefinallyfol-
lowedtheviewofthemajorityofhisadvisersandthepleasofembassiesfrom
theGalliccitiesandstayedinGaul(26,9–13).Thereheremainedfornearly
adecade,repeatedlyengagedincampaignsontheRhine,mainlyagainstthe
Alamanni,writingtothekingsoftheBurgundiitoevoketheiraid(28,5,10)
andmakingthelastcrossingoftheRhinebyaRomanemperor(29,4,1–6).
HewasbuildingafortnearBaselin374whenaletterarrivedfromPetro-
nius Probus, praetorian prefect of Illyricum, reporting raids by the Quadi
andSarmatiansonPannonia.Thenotarius(secretary)Paternianuswassentto
investigateandsentbackreportstoconfirm.Valentinianwaseagertosetout
atonceontheconsiderablemarchtoPannonia(Ammianuselsewhereshows
ConstantiusIIatSirmiumasbeingfortystages’marchfromArgentorate).^145
Buthisadviserspersuadedhimtowaitforthespring,whensupplieswould
beavailable,andtomakepeacewiththeAlamannifirst.Aswesawbefore
(texttonn.98–99above),hedidsobynegotiatingfromaboatintheRhine
withKingMacrianusstandingonthebank,andthenreturnedtoTrier.In
thespringof375hemarchedfromTriertoCarnuntum,andthenafterthree

144. Porphyry,v. Plot.3.


145. 16,12,70.