Porcius Vetustinus

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(Quintus?) Porcius Vetustinus was a Roman knight and governor ( procurator ) in the North African province of Mauretania Caesariensis during the reign of Emperor Antoninus Pius (138–161) from around 147 to 151/152 AD .

Porcius Vetustinus was best known for a military diploma dated August 1, 150 , which was issued to the soldier Victor by the Pannonian Azaleans. Victor, a member of the Ala prima Hispanorum Aravacorum (first Hispanic cavalry regiment of the Aravacans) stationed in Upper Pannonia , was sent by the Upper Pannonian governor Claudius Maximus with his troops or a vexillation to Africa to take part with other units in a campaign against the local Moors . In the same year, more soldiers subordinate to the Mauritanian governor were granted Roman citizenship on the occasion of their release . Porcius Vetustinus was possibly replaced by his successor, Titus Varius Clemens , before the end of this war , who had already demonstrated his military skills in the province of Mauretania Tingitana a few years earlier . Perhaps an experienced man was sought in Rome who could successfully end the Moorish campaign. It is still not known when Varius Clemens was able to meet the expectations placed in him.

From the time of the procurature of Porcius Vetustinus, a detail has come down to us about a hydraulic engineering project for the town of Saldae (today Bejaia ) in his province . The city fathers of Saldae were looking for a professional who could handle this construction. Therefore, the military engineer and surveyor Nonius Datus , who belonged to the Legio III Augusta, from Lambaesis in the province of Numidia , was appointed to the then governor Gaius Petronius Celer around 137 AD to take over the difficult planning. But even the expert needed many years due to poorly trained civil workers. During his absence, the two work teams that were driving the El'Hadjeb mountain near Saldae missed each other and dug past each other. Overall, the engineer had to return three times - most recently as a veteran - in order to inaugurate the project after around 15 or 20 years under the governor Titus Varius Clemens . As Nonius Datus mentions, ultimately with the help of the military.

The engineer, who was even attacked and injured by robbers during this work, was so important to his work on this project that he reproduced the occurrences in detail on his tomb in Lambaesis. As a result, a copy of a letter by Porcius Vetustinus was preserved, which he sent to the governor of Numidia, Lucius Novius Crispinus Martialis Saturninus , who was then legatus Augusti pro praetore from 147 to 149 :

" Porcius Vetustinus to Crispinus: You acted extremely kindly and as it corresponds to your other kindness and kindness, sir, by asking the Nonius Datus and sending it to me so that I could negotiate a building project with him for its execution he took over the management. Therefore, although I was in need of time and urgently had to go to Caesarea, I nevertheless made a detour to Saldae to take a look at the aqueduct, which was successfully started, but requires enormous work and without the driving force of the Nonius Datus, the Construction leads with care and conscientiousness, cannot be completed. That is why I would have wanted to ask you to admit to us that he could stay on this matter for a few months if he had not contracted a serious illness at work ... "

The letter of Porcius Vetustinus is to be classified between the first posting of the Nonius Datus under Gaius Petronius Celer and the completion under Titus Varius Clemens.

Whether Porcius Vetustinus is identical to the cohort prefect Q (uintus) Porcius Q (uinti) fil (io) Vetustinus from Iuliobriga in Cantabria remains questionable.

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Marietta Horster : Building inscriptions of Roman emperors. Franz Steiner Verlag, Stuttgart 2001, ISBN 3515079513 , p. 176.
  2. ^ Werner Eck , Andreas Pangerl: Further military diplomas for the Mauritanian provinces. In: Journal of Papyrology and Epigraphy. Volume 162, Rudolf Habelt Verlag, Bonn 2007, pp. 235–247, here: p. 240.
  3. ↑ CIL 16, 99 .
  4. ^ Andreas Gutsfeld: Roman rule and native resistance in North Africa. Franz Steiner Verlag, Stuttgart 1989, ISBN 3515055495 , p. 109.
  5. ↑ CIL 3, 5212 ; CIL 3, 5211 .
  6. ↑ Barbara Pferdehirt : Roman military diplomas and certificates of discharge in the collection of the Römisch-Germanisches Zentralmuseum, part 1. Verlag des Römisch-Germanisches Zentralmuseum , Mainz 2004, ISBN 3884670867 , p. 95.
  7. ^ Marietta Horster: Building inscriptions of Roman emperors. Franz Steiner Verlag, Stuttgart 2001, ISBN 3515079513 , pp. 175-176.
  8. ↑ CIL 8, 2747 from the year 149.
  9. ↑ CIL 8, 2728
  10. ↑ On the person of Lucius Novius Crispinus Martialis Saturninus: Rudolf Hanslik : Novius II. 1. In: Der Kleine Pauly (KlP). Volume 4, Stuttgart 1972, column 180.
  11. ^ Translation after Klaus Grewe : Light at the end of the tunnel. Planning and routing in ancient tunnel construction. Verlag Philipp von Zabern, Mainz 1998, ISBN 3805324928 , p. 137.
  12. ↑ CIL 2, 4240 .
personal data
SURNAME Porcius Vetustinus
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Vetustinus, Quintus Porcius
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Roman governor
DATE OF BIRTH 2nd century
DATE OF DEATH 2nd century