The Limits of Empire: The Roman Army in the East

534 Pages·1990·13.98 MB·English

by  Benjamin Isaac

THE LIMITS OF EMPIRE
BLANK PAGE
THE
LIMITS OF EMPIRE
The Roman Army
in the East
REVISED EDITION
by
BENJAMIN ISAAC
CLARENDON PRESS, OXFORD
OXFORD
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PREFACE
THIS work is the result of many years of rumination and of fieldwork
carried out in Israel. Throughout that period I have been connected
with the University of Tel Aviv, but the decisive stages in the develop
ment of the book have been two years leave: the first, 1980-81, I spent
as a visiting member at the Institute for Advanced Study, Prince ton,
NJ, and the second, 1985-86, as a visiting fellow of All Souls College,
Oxford. I am grateful to these two institutions for their remarkable
hospitality and to my University for granting me leave of absence.
The entire typescript was read by various friends, colleagues, and
relatives to whom I owe many suggestions and corrections:John Mann
and Fergus Millar commented on the entire text in various stages. I
also received detailed comments on the first halfo f the book from David
Kennedy and on an early, brief version from Glen Bowersock. Carol
Glucker carefully read part of an intermediate version. Zeev Rubin
contributed helpful remarks on Chapter V. Ida Isaac saw all versions of
the entire text and contributed sagacious advice. I am grateful to others
for suggestions and information: Shimon Applebaum, Denis van
Berchem, Moshe Fischer, Mordechai Gichon, Paul Hyams, Arthur
Isaac, Marlia Mango, Israel Roll, Margaret Roxan, AlIa Stein, Zvi
Yavetz. I should like to mention in particular colleagues who work in
countries inaccessible to me: Thomas Bauzou, David Graf, David
Kennedy, Thomas Parker, Maurice Sartre. They all helped me to
avoid errors offa ct, but none are responsible for any opinions expressed
in this book. The information they supplied was all the more important
because I have been unable to visit in person large and important parts
of the Middle East, a fact which must be stressed at the outset. Since the
political reasons for this deficiency are unlikely to disappear in the very
near future I publish this book acknowledging the flaws which may be
the result.
The book may have gained in interest by the inclusion of material
from Talmudic sources which are not accessible to most classical
scholars. It is therefore a great pleasure to make separate mention oft he
generous assistance provided by Aharon Oppenheimer. During many
years of collaboration he has contributed much information regarding
Talmudic sources and Jewish history. He provided me with informa-
Preface vu
tion and extensive comments on all the sources cited in this book and
has patiently corrected all I wrote on re1ated subjects.
Jonas Greenfield and Naphtali Lewis kindly showed me relevant
documents from the Babatha archive (Yadin papyri) before
publication.
The maps were prepared by Shabtai Isaac and drawn by Ora Paran
of the Institute of Archaeology, TeI Aviv University. I am grateful"for
the generous assistance provided by the Institute. I am further
indebted to Professor M. Gichon and Dr D. L. Kennedy for supplying
various illustrations.
I should further like to thank the hard-working staffs of a number of
libraries, first of all that of the University ofTeI Aviv, but also those
where I have been a visitor: the National Library and the library of the
Institute of Archaeology in Jerusalem; the Firestone Library, the
library of the Institute for Advanced Study and the Speer Library in
Princeton; the Ashmolean Library, the Bodleian, and the Codrington
Library ofA ll Souls College in Oxford; the British Museum in London;
the University Library and those of various institutes in Amsterdam.
I am indebted to the Oxford University Press for undertaking
publication of this book; and in particular to Mr John Cordy, who
prepared it for the printers and offered numerous suggestions for the
improvement of clarity and style.
Finally I ought to thank my computer which never lost any informa
tion and assisted me in every manner I could think of.
B.l.
Tel Aviv
January 1989
REVISED EDITION
By the time this revised edition went to press various reviews of the
book had been published. Some of these approve of my ideas while
noting they go too far. Others express agreement but regret that I do
not go far enough. A few accept my views in toto or reject them
altogether. All, however, agree that the book contains much useful
and sometimes even interesting information. It is in this sphere that a
revised edition can contribute something, for obviously it wo.uld be
impossible to modify this work so as to satisfy all my critics. I have
therefore left the text unchanged, apart from the correction of minor,
typographical, and other errors. A postscript, printed at the end of the
book after the index, contains various additions, mostly concerning
recent literature which came to my notice after the text went to press
in January 1989. I also include some references to ancient and modern
literature which I had missed while writing this book. This is followed
by an additional bibliography.
Unchanged are a few allusions to current affairs: valid when this
book was written, they are now strangely out of date, .such as 'the
current Nato doctrine'. They are still instructive as a reminder of
contemporary setting.
I am grateful to various colleagues who gave me additional factual
information, or pointed out errors if) the text. Finally I should note
that this edition was prepared while I enjoyed the amenities of a
Fellowship at Dumbarton Oaks, Washington, DC.
BJ.
Tel Aviv
February 1992
CONTENTS
List of Illustrations x
.
Abbreviations
Xl
.
Acknowledgements
XIV
Introduction
I
I. Rome and Persia
19
11. Consolidation and Internal Unrest
54
Ill. The Army of the Principate: An Army of Occupation
101
IV. The Army of the Fourth Century
161
V. Enemies and Allies after Septimius Severus
VI. Army and Civilians in the East
VII. The Military Function of Roman Veteran Colonies
VIII. Urbanization
IX. Frontier Policy-Grand Strategy?
Epilogue
Appendix I. Roman Army Sites inJudaea
Appendix 11. Antioch as Military Hef:ldquarters and
Imperial Residence
Postscript
Bibliography
Books and Monographs
Artic1es
Maps
Additional Bibliography
Index