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

Government and Diplomacy 221

Caracalla.The governor of Syria Coele gives instructions that he is to be
offeredupkeepinthenormalmanner:

Marius Maximus to thetribuniandpraefectiandpraepositi numerorum,

greeting:

IhaveattachedacopyoftheletterwhichIhavewrittentoMinicius

Martialis,procuratorofourAugusti,sothatyoumaytakenoteofit.Take

carethatthequartermaster’sofficesoftheunits[numeri]throughwhich

Goces,anambassadoroftheParthians,senttoourLordsthemostval-

iantEmperors,isintransit.Offerhimupkeepaccordingtothenormal

form.Reporttomewhateverisspentineachunit.^33

Thedocumentshowsquiteclearlythat,aswiththeBosporanembassyonits
waythroughBithyniawhichPlinysenton,themovementofambassadors
senttoappearbeforeemperorsfarawayinRomeorelsewherewasaroutine
matter. If, as seems likely, the document from Dura dates toa.d.208, the
ambassadormayintheendhavehadratheralongwaytogo,forinthatyear
Severus,withhistwosons,CaracallaandGeta,setofftocampaigninBritain,
wherehediedatYorkin211.IfGocesdidonlyencounterSeverusoncam-
paign, facilities were still likely to have been available for his reception. A
writerofthesecondcentury,Hyginus,describingamodelmilitarycampin
whichtheimperialentouragewaspresent,mentionsthequaestorium,which
housedambassadorsoftheenemyandhostages,andinwhichbooty,ifany,
wasstored.^34
We shall come later to some evidence which does clearly illustrate the
reception by the emperorof barbarian embassies while on campaign. But
theproblemstillremainsofwhatprocedureswereusedbytheemperorsin
communicating with foreign powers.The notion of letters from the em-
peror to kings is clearlyattested. For instance, Suetonius happens to men-
tionthatTiberiusdidnotusethename‘‘Augustus’’exceptinletterstokings
and dynasts (Tib. 26).The fact that he also used it in letters to cities does
notentirelyinvalidatethenotionthatwritingletterstokingsanddynasts
was a specific imperial function, in which the emperor needed to empha-
sizehissuperiorstatus.However,suchletters,likethosetocitiesdiscussed
above,mightinmanycaseshavebeencarriedbackbyambassadorswhohad
appeared before the emperor. In consequence, no procedurewas required

33. RecentlydiscussedbyM.L.Chaumont,‘‘Undocumentméconnuconcernantl’envoi
    d’unambassadeurpartheversSeptimeSévère(P.Dura60B),’’Historia36(1987):422–47.


34. Hyginus,de munitionibus castrorum18,ed.andtrans.M.Lenoir,Pseudo-Hygin des for-
    tifications du camp(Paris,1979).