Inscription of the emperor Julian on the cursus publicus from Iulia Concordia made by the praet. prefect Mamertinus
source date: 362/363 AD
edition published: 2020-05-08
availability: This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/)

Ab insignem singularemque erga rem publicam suam faborem dominus noster Iulianus Invictissimus Princeps remota provincialibus cura cursum fiscalem breviatis mutationum spatiis fieri iussit, disponente Claudio Mamertino viro clarissimo per Italiam et Inlyricum praefecto praetorio, curante Vetulenio Praenestio viro perfectissimo correctore Venetiae et Histriae.

Edition based on CIL 05, 08987.

“Because of the outstanding and unique good-will towards his res publica, our master Julian, Undefeated Prince, relieving the provincials of such a burden, ordered that a postal service with shortened distances between the relay stations be established, according to the plan of Claudius Mamertinus, of clarissimus rank, for Italy and Illyricum praetorian prefect, under the execution of Vetulenius Praenestius, of perfectissimus rank, corrector of Venetia and Histria.”

“Pour la bienveillance distinguée et insupérable envers sa res publica, notre seigneur Julien Prince jamais vaincus, éloignant cette préoccupation des provinciaux, ordonna que le service postal avec des distances réduites entre les stations d’échange soit établi, selon la disposition de Claudius Mamertinus, pour l’Italie et l’Illyricum préfet du prétoire clarissime, sous les soins de Vetulenius Praenestius, le perfectissime correcteur de Venetia et Histria.”

“Per la insigne ed ineguagliabile benevolenza nei confronti della res publica sua, il nostro signore Giuliano Principe Invittissimo, togliendo tale preoccupazione ai provinciali, ordinò che fosse istituito un servizio postale con ridotte distanze fra le stazioni di scambio, secondo la disposizione di Claudius Mamertinus, per l’Italia e l’Illirico prefetto del pretorio chiarissimo, sotto la cura di Vetulenius Praenestius, perfettissimo, correttore di Venetia e Histria.”

The inscription came from the site of ancient Iulia Concordia. A first fragment (CIL 05, 08658), which had been reused as a tomb lid, was found during the excavations of the ancient cemetery in 1873. Two years later, a second fragment appeared that perfectly joins the first and allows us to reconstruct the entire inscription (CIL 05, 08987; see Bertolini 1875, p. 115; Bertolini 1877, pp. 44-48; on the necropolis of Concordia see PPRET 95).

The text records an improvement of the public post undertaken by the emperor Julian that was carried out by the governor of Venetia and Histria Vetulenius Praenestius, according to a plan devised by the praetorian prefect Claudius Mamertinus. The emperor is praised for having shortened the distances between the relay stations (mutationes: on these structures Corsi 2000, pp. 40-43, 51-52; Crogiez-Pétrequin 2016; Di Paola 2016; Zanini 2016), relieving the provincials of that burden. The shortening of the distances probably meant that new stations were created, improving the public postal system in this area with resources from the fisc (Kolb 1995; Kolb 2000, pp. 142-144; Lemcke 2016, pp. 73-74).

The care of the emperor Julian for the cursus publicus is documented by several sources (cf. Arce 1984, pp. 128-132; Kolb 1998; Marcone 2019, pp. 170-176; Schmidt-Hofner 2020, pp. 146-148). Four of his laws in the section on the public post in the Theodosian Code are addressed to the same prefect Mamertinus and two of them make explicit reference to Italy (CTh 08, 05, 12, received at Syracuse; CTh 08, 05, 16, on the reduction of service in Sardinia; addressed to Mamertinus also CTh 08, 05, 13-14: on these texts see Olszaniec 2013b; Brendel 2017, pp. 347-348). However, it is not possible to link these laws with our inscription because the constitutions deal with other things, in particular the limitations regarding the issue of post warrants and the reduction of service in some provinces, while the text of Concordia records an increase in the number of relay stations. The common theme, however, is a desire to relieve the provincial population of the expenses of the cursus publicus through the intervention of the fisc. Perhaps the new system also provided more protection for the animals that were now deployed over shorter distances (on this issue see Kolb 2000, pp. 210-220).

According to A. Kolb (1995; 1998; 2000, pp. 142-144), the initiative of Julian was limited to the province of Venetia and Histria, and perhaps, just to a short segment of the cursus near Concordia. But the clear reference to the praetorian prefect's plan (disponente Claudio Mamertino) may imply that the intervention was carried out in an area that went well beyond the domain of the provincial governor (for a statio built in 340/350 AD only by two consulares Siciliae outside of the extensive interventions coordinated by the praetorian prefecture see CIL 10, 07200 = ILS 5905 = I.Sicily 000481 with Silvestrini 2014).

While Vetulenius Praenestius, corrector Venetiae et Histriae (a list of the governors of this province can be found in Cecconi 1994, pp. 211-212; Cecconi 1998, p. 177; cf. also Cecconi 2000), is otherwise unknown, Claudius Mamertinus is well documented in the ancient sources (see PLRE I, Mamertinus 2, pp. 540-541; Delmaire 1989, pp. 36-38; Wirbelauer, Fleer 1995; Olszaniec 2013a, pp. 259-267). He was probably of Gallic origin and Ammianus lists him among the first supporters of Julian (cf. Mazzarino 1971; Caltabiano 2009, pp. 141-142). Mamertinus was already an old man when Julian was proclaimed Augustus, but his rise in the bureaucracy was outstanding: at the beginning of his march eastwards in the spring of 361 AD, Julian appointed him count of the sacred imperial largesses (Amm. 21, 08, 01). A few months later, Mamertinus was promoted praetorian prefect of Illyricum (Constantius’ prefect, Florentius, had fled to the eastern court before the arrival of Julian’s army: Amm. 21, 09, 04; Amm. 21, 12, 25); then, Mamertinus was designated consul for the following year, with the magister equitum Nevitta as a colleague(Amm. 21, 10, 08; Amm. 21, 12, 25; Mamertinus was consul prior, cf. CLRE, pp. 258-259). On January 1st 362 AD in Constantinople he gave a speech of thanks to the emperor Julian on the occasion of his elevation to the consulate (Pan. Lat. 11 (03); on this important document, preserved in the collection of Latin panegyrics, see Blockley 1972; Lieu 1989, pp. 3-38; Nixon-Rodgers 1994, pp. 386-436, 629-646; Marcone 2019, pp. 124-129).

Initially, the prefecture of Mamertinus was limited to Illyricum, but soon after the death of Constantius II it was extended to Italy and Africa. He took part in the Commission of Chalcedon and was appointed to try the decurions of Aquileia who had led the resistance against Julian’s army in 361 AD. Like Saturninius Secundus Salutius (see PPRET 51), Mamertinus succeeded in retaining his office under Julian’s successors. The Theodosian Code contains more than forty laws that were addressed to him between 362 and 365 AD (see Schmidt-Hofner 2008a e 2008b; Brendel 2017). Finally, Mamertinus was accused of peculation by the ex-vicarius of Africa Avitianus (PLRE I, Avitianus 2, pp. 126-127). Dismissed by Valentinian in May-June 365 AD, he was replaced with Vulcacius Rufinus (Amm. 26, 07, 01-02; for the chronology of the episode cf. den Boeft et alii 2009, pp. 162-164; Schmidt-Hofner 2008b, pp. 525-526; on Vulcacius Rufinus, see PPRET 32, 33). His prefecture had lasted almost four years.

There is some debate around the borders of this prefecture. According to some scholars, the titulature of the prefect in our inscription (per Italiam et Inlyricum praefectus praetorio) shows that Africa was outside his control during the reign of Julian (cf. Migl 1994, pp. 141-142; Olszaniec 2013a, p. 262). Furthermore, even Illyricum would have been separated for few months by the prefecture of Mamertinus at the very beginning of the reign of Valentinian and entrusted to Petronius Probus (Jones 1964, pp. 85-87; Cameron 1985, pp. 178-182; for the career of Probus see PPRET 59). However, neither of these assumptions are supported by our sources: in the last years of Constantius’ reign (and probably already under Constans, see PPRET 32 and 47) there were, in addition to the prefectures of Gaul and the East, a prefecture of Italy and Africa and an autonomous prefecture of Illyricum. This system was changed by Julian, who entrusted to Mamertinus Illyricum and then Italy and Africa after Constantius’ death (November 3rd 361 AD). Ammianus clearly testifies that the same system was still in force in 364 AD when «the East was governed by Salutius with the rank of prefect, Italy with Africa and Illyricum by Mamertinus, and the Gallic provinces by Germanianus» (Amm. 26, 05, 05; cf. Lizzi Testa 2006, pp. 258-260; Porena 2020, pp. 98-103). There is no room for more prefects of Africa or Illyricum in these years. The inscription of Concordia does not mention Africa, but the theory of J. Migl that under Julian this region was independent from the power of the prefect can hardly be accepted. There is no evidence of any administrative autonomy in Africa and the circumstances of Mamertinus’ fall suggest that his accuser Avitianus, vicarius Africae under Julian, was a subordinate of the prefect in 362-363 AD (cf. den Boeft et alii 2009, p. 162). The missing reference to Africa in the Concordia inscription must therefore be explained in another way.

This is the first surviving inscription where the title of praetorian prefect is completed by a geographical determination (cf. the slightly later PPRET 46; see also Barnes 1987, p. 15). The indication of Italy and Illyricum may refer to the area where Julian's intervention on the cursus publicus was carried out and this would explain the omission of Africa. However, the position of this reference, between the rank and office held by Mamertinus, suggests a relationship with his prefecture rather than with the geography of the intervention. As mentioned above, Claudius Mamertinus was first appointed by Julian praetorian prefect of Illyricum and, after the death of Constantius II, his mandate was extended over Italy and Africa. The titulature of our inscription may reflect the exceptional position of the official: probably the provincial governor, responsible for the drafting of the text, wished to emphasis that Claudius Mamertinus was praetorian prefect over two areas that had hitherto been administered by two different prefects, Italy (with Africa) and Illyricum. If this proposal is correct, then there is no need to assume either a mistake in our text or an unlikely autonomy of Africa in this period because as we can see from the later inscriptions of Praetextatus (PPRET 77, 78, 79), the prefect's authority over the central prefecture (including Africa) was made through a reference to Italia alone.

Bertolini 1875, p. 115 Bertolini 1877, pp. 44-48, nr. 70 (fac-simile p. 45) CIL 05, 08658 CIL 05, 08987 ILS 0755 Impallomeni 1983, p. 329 Arce 1984, p. 104, nrr. 38-39 Kolb 1995, p. 192 (with photo) = AE 1995, 0583 Conti 2004, pp. 119-120, nr. 87 Brendel 2017, pp. 347-348

EDCS 05401458 EDR 097709 Ubi erat Lupa 29400 TM 125452

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stationes / mutationes / stations / relay stations of the cursus publicus

v(ir) c(larissimus)

per Italiam et Inlyricum praefecto praetorio