DEDICATION TO P. BESIUS BETUINIANUS, GOVERNOR OF MAURETANIA TINGITANA, TANGIER Alison E. Cooley AEC/ASHL ANChandler.3.16.xml Oxford Ashmolean Museum ANChandler.3.16 AshLI 15

A large tabula ansata of limestone (0.632 1.07 0.22). It has been cut back on the right side beyond the frame, cutting off half of the handle of the tabula ansata. From the left side to the moulded frame: 0.014; from the right side to the moulded frame: 0.0078. The rear is roughly finished. There is a modern inscription in Portuguese elegantly cut above the moulded frame: ‘G(overnan)do D(on) F(ernan)do Mas(carenhas) se achov questa pedra no. 6. ano d(o) s(eu) g(overn)o 1634’ (‘Governor Don Fernando Mas(carenhas) found this stone in the 6th year of his administration 1634’). The final do in G(overnan)do and F(ernan)do are inscribed in smaller size and higher up than the other letters. The ta in questa is inscribed in ligature. There are clear interpuncts between each word, which vary in position from the bottom of the line to half way up it. The word ano has a line above it. In its present condition, the front surface is rather pitted with abrasions.

The text is centred on each line. The letter I is marked with an accent throughout, even where it is not a long vowel; having examined a squeeze sent by Maxm. Mueller, the editors of CIL (followed by those of IAM) considered that these were modern additions. Other long vowels are marked in line 2. There is a variety of interpunct marks: in lines 2 and 3, they are engraved like a modern full-stop after C and PRAEF; elsewhere triangular interpuncts occur, sometimes quite low down.

, 0.039 with tall I 0.045 and initial P in P(VBLIO) 0.047 (line 1); 0.032 with tall I 0.035 (line 2); 0.028 (line 3); 0.024 with tall I 0.03 (line 4); 0.024 with tall I 0.027 (line 5); 0.02 (line 6); 0.019 with tall I 0.024 (line 7); 0.016 with tall I 0.019 (line 8); 0.014 with tall I 0.016 (line 9). Tangi, Mauretania AD 110/114 (from imperial titles and historical context relating to Dacian Wars). As its modern inscription records, the monument was found on the ancient site at Tangier, Morocco (ancient Tingi, Mauretania Tingitana) in 1634 by Fernando de Mascarenhas, Count of Torre, the Portuguese Governor of Tangiers from 1628 to 1637 (cf. de Menezes 1732: pp.10-11). It was subsequently seen in the castle there by T. Smith in 1668 (Smith 1695/97), and given to the University of Oxford by Sir Hugh Cholmley II (Prideaux 1676; Chandler 1763), who had acted as Surveyor in building a fortified harbour in the English colony of Tangier, in 1674. It is currently on display at the end of the Randolph Gallery. Photograph: inscription Photograph: inscription and tabula ansata
Publio Besío Publii filio Quírina tribu Betuìníano Caio Marío Memmíó Sabìno praefecto cohortis I Raetorum tríbuno legionis X Geminae Piae Fidelis praefecto alae Dardanorum procuratorì Imperatorís Caesarís Nervae Traiani Augusti Germanici Dacíci monetae procuratori provínciae Baetícae procuratori XX hereditatum procuratori pro lefigato provínciae Mauretaníae Tíngìtanae donís donato ab Imperatore Traíano Augusto bello Dacíco corona muralì vallarì hastís puris vexíllo argenteo exactì exercítus

To Publius Besius Betuinianus Gaius Marius Memmius Sabinus, son of Publius, of the Quirina voting-tribe, prefect of the 1st Raetian cohort, tribune of the 10th Legion Gemina Pia Fidelis, prefect of the Dardanian squadron, procurator of the mint of Imperator Caesar Nerva Trajan Augustus Germanicus Dacicus, procurator of the province of Baetica, procurator of the 5% inheritance duties, procurator with the powers of a legate of the province of Mauretania Tingitana, presented with awards by Imperator Trajan Augustus in the Dacian war, namely with a crown – mural and palisaded – pure spears and a silver banner. Record-clerks of the army (set this up).

RHAETORVM (Prideaux; Fabretti; Maittaire). IMP (Fabretti; CIL). BETICAE (Fabretti); HER FD (Prideaux; Maittaire); XX. HER. PROC. (Fabretti). FIG PROVINC (Smith; Prideaux; Maittaire; lapis); FIS. PROVINCIAE. MAVRITANIAE (Fabretti); TINGITANIAE (Prideaux; Maittaire). The text above corrects FIG to LEG. The editors of CIL thought that they could see traces of LEG in a squeeze of the stone, and assumed that the letters had been modified at some point.

This sizeable monument was set up at Tingi (Mauretania Tingitana) by army record-clerks in honour of an individual of north African origin (Alföldy 1968: p.113), who was governor of the province, Publius Besius Betuinianus Gaius Marius Memmius Sabinus (PIR2 (1933) B no.112; RE III (1897) col. 327-28; Pallu de Lessert 1896, vol.1.2: pp.532-33; Devijver 1976: vol.1, p.182 B21; Spaul 1994: p.238 no.8). His name illustrates the increasingly complicated onomastic patterns among the Roman elite of the second century AD.

An equestrian who had served Trajan in both military and administrative capacities, Besius Betuinianus was serving as provincial governor in Tingitana. The inscription lists the offices held by him in chronological order, starting with three military commands. The 1st Raetian cohort, 10th Legion Gemina Pia Fidelis, and Dardanian squadron were all probably involved in Trajan’s Dacian Wars: the 1st Raetian cohort was based in Raetia in AD 107; the 10th Legion moved from Germania Inferior to Pannonia after the first Dacian War and could have been involved in the second Dacian War (Maxfield 1981: p.171, contra Pflaum 1960: p.169); the Dardanian squadron was stationed in Moesia Inferior for some years during the first half of the second century, and was probably active in the second Dacian campaign (Matei-Popescu 2010: p.171).

It was in the course of these commands that Besius Betuinianus received military decorations for valour from the emperor Trajan himself, and mention of these decorations is postponed to the end of the inscription, out of chronological order, for impact (Pflaum 1950: p.143; Rachet 1970: pp.169-70). The decorations awarded – mural crown, palisade crown, pure spears, and silver banner – were generous and suggest recognition of especial bravery in the wars (see the table comparing awards made by Trajan to equestrians during the Dacian Wars in Maxfield 1981: p.167). The corona muralis (mural, or turreted, crown) was originally awarded to an individual who was the first to assault the wall of an enemy town and enter it successfully. The corona vallaris (palisade, or rampart, crown) was originally awarded to an individual who was the first to assault the rampart of an enemy camp. A hasta pura (pure spear) could orginally be earned by a soldier who chose to enter into single combat with the enemy. The vexillum (banner) was granted only to officers ranking at least praefectus castrorum. (See Maxfield 1981, ch.4 for an account of the various military decorations awarded). By the time that Besius Betuinianus was awarded with these decorations, though, they had lost their specificity and become generic awards for bravery. It remains unclear, however, exactly when the awards were made to him, and which unit he was commanding at the time, and even whether or not the awards were granted on a single occasion. The situation is not as clear as supposed by Nagy (1968), who proposed that Besius Betuinianus was awarded all of his military decorations at the same time during the First Dacian War when serving as prefect of the Dardanian squadron. There has been considerable debate about when Besius Betuinianus received his decorations, summarised succinctly by Maxfield (1981: pp.173-76), who excludes the possibility that the decorations were made to him in his role as procurator-governor in Tingitana (contra, Carcopino 1933: p.13 and 1943: pp.178-80, who considered that the inscription adhered to strict chronological order).

After his military career, Besius Betuinianus was subsequently procurator of the imperial mint, on the 100,000 sesterces payscale, and then promoted to financial procurator of Baetica, a post with a salary of 200,000 sesterces per year, and then procurator of the 5% estate duty at Rome. Finally he was governor of the procuratorial province of Mauretania Tingitana, and as prolegate commanded the legion’s regular troops within that province (Pflaum 1960: p.169, but, as Maxfield notes, 1981: p.173, would not have led the troops beyond his province).

The inscription can be dated to after AD 106 (after the 2nd Dacian War), and before AD 114 since Trajan’s title Optimus (granted to him in August of that year) is not included in his titulature. Since the other posts (procuratorships) also have to be fitted in between 106 and 114, it seems likely (as suggested in IAM) that the inscription dates from between AD 110/112 and 114. Syme (1962: p.87) suggested that the fact that Besius Betuinianus had legionary troops under his command implies that Mauretania Tingitana was experiencing some unrest during the final years of Trajan’s rule.

Prideaux (1676) p.132, no.82; Smith (1695/97) p.603; Fabretti (1702) p.197 no. 469; Maittaire (1732) p.43, no.135; de Menezes (1732) p.10-11; Chandler (1763) p.131, no.16; Orelli (1828) II 3570; CIL VIII.2 no.9990 [Hübner] (1881); CIL VIII.Suppl.3 (1904) p.2070; Chatelain (1942) p.3 no.4; Carcopino (1943) p.179-80; ILS 1352 (Dessau 1955); Pflaum (1950) pp.142-44; Pflaum (1960) p.168-69; Thomasson (1960) vol. 2 p.293-94; Nagy (1968) = AE 1968 no.419 + 654; Dobó (1975) IPD4 796; IAM (1982) II no.5

Online: EDCS-25600691 [accessed 18/06/14]; HD033424, with photograph [accessed 18/06/14]

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