DOI Artikel:
Wiewiorowski, Jacek: The territorial responsibility of duces in Moesia Secunda and Scythia Minor in the times of Diocletian
DOI Seite / Zitierlink: https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.41866#0109
Jacek Wiewiorowski
Poznań
THE TERRITORIAL RESPONSIBILITY
OF DUCES IN MOESIA SECOND A AND SCYTHIA MINOR
IN THE TIMES OF DIOCLETIAN
The quaestion of military command in Moesia Secunda and Scythia Minor
was discussed only by few scholars.1 Among them, the most detailed studies
were works of Emilian Popescu, Andriej Aricescu, Mihail Zahariade and Tadeusz
Sarnowski [Popescu 1977a; Popescu 1977b; Aricescu 1980, 66; Zahariade 1988,
41-51; Sarnowski 1988, 127-128, 152-153; Sarnowski 1990].
I would like to examine once again the theory presented by T. Sarnowski. He
suggested that just after creation of Moesia Secunda and Scythia Minor, that is
just after 286 AD [Zahariade 1988, 32 sq.] or even later, there was one dux of
the whole Lower Danube area. T. Sarnowski took under consideraton the
inscriptions from Moesia Secunda (Sexaginta Prista, Transmarisca and
Durostorum)2, Scythia Minor (Seimeni3, Halmyris)4 and also from Dacia Ripensis
(Donje Butorka5).
He deduced that in spite of the fact that the term dux is not mentioned in the
texts, their resemblance suggests they were prepared in one office, most probably
that of the dux. He followed in part the opinion of Jerzy Kolendo, who supposed
that discussed inscriptions from Moesia Secunda were the copy of the text
prepared in the office of dux Moesiae Secundae [Kolendo 1966a, 567-568 -
Kolendo 1966b, 146],
T. Sarnowski compares it to the information given by inscriptions founded in
Chersonez (Crimea).6 According to them in 293 AD there were garrisoned the
detachments of Scythian legions: I lovia and II Herculia. He deduced that the
interpretation of all those sources, leads to the conclusion, that resposibility of
the dux of Lower Danube area was extanded over more than one province in the
first decade of Diocletian’s reign, just like in few other provinces in the period
[see evidences presented by Hoffmann 1974, 383; Mann 1977, 12; Fitz 1983,20 sq.].
First of all, I would like to admit that in Later Roman Empire the dux’s activity
was limited in most cases to one province only [Seeck 1905, col. 1869-1875;
Grosse 1920, 152-180; Van Berchem 1952, 17 sq.; Hoffmann 1974, 386-387;
Mann 1977, 12; Isaac 1988, 146-147; Kazhdan 1991; Southern, Dixon 1996,
Poznań
THE TERRITORIAL RESPONSIBILITY
OF DUCES IN MOESIA SECOND A AND SCYTHIA MINOR
IN THE TIMES OF DIOCLETIAN
The quaestion of military command in Moesia Secunda and Scythia Minor
was discussed only by few scholars.1 Among them, the most detailed studies
were works of Emilian Popescu, Andriej Aricescu, Mihail Zahariade and Tadeusz
Sarnowski [Popescu 1977a; Popescu 1977b; Aricescu 1980, 66; Zahariade 1988,
41-51; Sarnowski 1988, 127-128, 152-153; Sarnowski 1990].
I would like to examine once again the theory presented by T. Sarnowski. He
suggested that just after creation of Moesia Secunda and Scythia Minor, that is
just after 286 AD [Zahariade 1988, 32 sq.] or even later, there was one dux of
the whole Lower Danube area. T. Sarnowski took under consideraton the
inscriptions from Moesia Secunda (Sexaginta Prista, Transmarisca and
Durostorum)2, Scythia Minor (Seimeni3, Halmyris)4 and also from Dacia Ripensis
(Donje Butorka5).
He deduced that in spite of the fact that the term dux is not mentioned in the
texts, their resemblance suggests they were prepared in one office, most probably
that of the dux. He followed in part the opinion of Jerzy Kolendo, who supposed
that discussed inscriptions from Moesia Secunda were the copy of the text
prepared in the office of dux Moesiae Secundae [Kolendo 1966a, 567-568 -
Kolendo 1966b, 146],
T. Sarnowski compares it to the information given by inscriptions founded in
Chersonez (Crimea).6 According to them in 293 AD there were garrisoned the
detachments of Scythian legions: I lovia and II Herculia. He deduced that the
interpretation of all those sources, leads to the conclusion, that resposibility of
the dux of Lower Danube area was extanded over more than one province in the
first decade of Diocletian’s reign, just like in few other provinces in the period
[see evidences presented by Hoffmann 1974, 383; Mann 1977, 12; Fitz 1983,20 sq.].
First of all, I would like to admit that in Later Roman Empire the dux’s activity
was limited in most cases to one province only [Seeck 1905, col. 1869-1875;
Grosse 1920, 152-180; Van Berchem 1952, 17 sq.; Hoffmann 1974, 386-387;
Mann 1977, 12; Isaac 1988, 146-147; Kazhdan 1991; Southern, Dixon 1996,