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

Emperors, Frontiers, and Foreign Relations 171

3. Previouslyunknownorhostilekingsbroughttothebankofthe
   DanubetodoreverencetotheRomanstandards.


4. ThereturntothekingsoftheBastarnaeandRhoxolanioftheirsons,
   and(probably)tothekingoftheDaciansofhisbrother(s),whomhe
   hadcapturedortakenfromtheirenemies.


5. Theacceptancefromsomeofthesekingsofhostages,bywhichthe
   peaceoftheprovincewasconfirmedandextended.


6. Thedeterrence(bymilitaryordiplomaticmeans?)ofthekingofthe
   ScythiansfromthesiegeofChersonesus,‘‘whichliesbeyondthe
   Borysthenes.’’


7. ThedespatchofcorntoRome.

TherecordshowsfeatureswhichcharacterizedRomanfrontieroperations,
inthisareaaboveall,throughouttheperiod:thecombinedemploymentof
forceanddiplomacy;thesteadyabsorptionofbarbarians,whetherassettlers
orsoldiersorboth;^53 andtheassumptionimplicitinthelanguageofthein-
scriptionthattheDanubeanditsbanksconstitutedthefrontieroftheEm-
pire.Theinscriptionreflectsandexpressesacommonstockofconceptions
aboutfrontierobjectives,notallofwhichwillhaveneededtobeexpressed
informalinstructionsfromtheemperor.Weknow,ofcourse,thatgover-
norsofalltypesreceivedmandata(instructions)fromtheemperor,covering
administrative,legal,andmilitarymatters,atleastinthesenseofthedispo-
sitionanddisciplineoftroops.Theevidenceimplies,however,thatbythe
endofthesecondcenturythemandatahadossifiedintoacodewhichwasnot
specifictoparticularprovincesorcircumstances.^54 Thereseems,however,to
benoevidenceastowhetherthemandataincludedinstructionsofastrate-
gic ordiplomatic nature,whether related to the particular time and place
orofageneralcharacter.^55 Ifsuchinstructionswerenotprovided,thenwe
musteitheracceptthatthereactuallywasno‘‘imperial’’policyforMoesiain
thisperiod,orsupposeeitherthatNerowrotesubsequentlytoAelianuson
specificpointsorthatAelianuswillhaveconsultedhimbeforetakingmajor
steps.AtleastonesuchletterofinstructionmusthavereachedAelianus,on

53. IamverygratefultoDr.G.E.M.deSte.Croixforlettingmeseeinadvanceapp.III.
    ofThe Class Struggle in the Ancient Greek World(1981),which contains the most complete
    collectionoftheevidenceonbarbariansettlement.
    54.ERW,314–17,correctedasregardsproconsulsbyG.P.Burton,‘‘TheIssuingofMan-
    datatoProconsulsandaNewInscriptionfromCos,’’ZPE21(1976):63.


54. Tacitus,Ann.2,77,impliesthatthemandatagiventothelegatusofSyriaconcerned
    hismilitaryrole,butsaysnothingoftheircontents.