Quintus Lollius Urbicus
Encyclopedia
Quintus Lollius Urbicus was governor of Roman Britain
between the years 139
and 142
, during the reign of the Roman Emperor Antoninus Pius
. He is named in the text known as the Augustan History, and his name appears on five Roman inscriptions from Britain; his career is set out in detail on a pair of inscriptions set up in his native Tiddis, near Cirta
, in the province of Numidia
(modern Algeria
).
at Mainz, he entered the Senate
and served for a year as legate
to the proconsul
of Asia. He quickly rose to prominence as the emperor Hadrian
's candidate, and commanded the Tenth Legion
at Vienna
. He was decorated for service as a legate
during Hadrian
's Jewish War of 132
-135
. His consulship can be placed in 135
or 136
, after which he governed Germania Inferior
. He was transferred to Britannia
soon after Hadrian's death.
"defeated the Britons through the agency of the legate Lollius Urbicus". It seems that, in a reversal of Hadrian
ic policy in Britain, he sent Lollius Urbicus to effect the reconquest of Lowland Scotland. Between 139
and 140
Urbicus refurbished the fort at Corbridge
, in preparation for the move north of Hadrian's Wall
, and commemorative coins were issued in 142
celebrating a victory in Britain. It is therefore likely that Urbicus led the reoccupation of southern Scotland in 141
, using all three legions and a variety of auxiliary units. In 143
he oversaw the initial construction of the Antonine Wall
; he is explicitly named on building inscriptions from Balmuildy.
No historical source describes the Antonine invasion, so any attempted reconstruction will be purely speculative. Urbicus may have campaigned against several British tribes (possibly including factions of the northern Brigantes), certainly against the lowland tribes of Scotland
; the Votadini and the Selgovae of the Scottish
Borders region, also the Damnonii of Strathclyde and the Novantae of Dumfries and Galloway
. All three of the legions of Britain will have taken part (the Second Augusta
based at Caerleon
, the Sixth Victrix
based at York
and the Twentieth Valeria Victrix
based at Chester
), as they are all mentioned on the inscriptions recording building work undertaken along the Antonine Wall. This legionary
core was, no doubt, backed up by a substantial contingent of auxiliary
units, of which we have record of around nine regiments (e.g. RIB 1276, 2140, 2142, 2149, 2155, 3509).
It seems likely that Urbicus planned his campaign of attack from Corbridge in Northumberland
, just to the rear of Hadrians Wall, as dedicatory inscriptions positively dated to the early 140s have been uncovered at the Antonine storage-depot there. From here he drove north-north-west into the Scottish Borders along the Agricolan military road Dere Street, leaving garrison forts at High Rochester in Northumberland and possibly also at Newstead in Borders, as he struck towards the Firth of Forth. Both of these sites, likewise similar such military installations at Risingham, Chew Green
, Cappuck and Inveresk
were very likely used as bases from which to police the lowland tribes, the Votadini to the east and the Selgovae to the west.
Having secured an overland supply route for military personnel and equipment along Dere Street, Urbicus very likely set up a supply port at Carriden for the supply of grain and other foodstuffs before proceeding against the Dumnonii tribe who inhabited South Strathclyde. This done, came the task of completing a new barrier of turf and timber stretching for thirty-five miles from east to west across the narrow neck of land separating the mighty Rivers Forth and Clyde, nowadays known as the Antonine Wall
.
. He was perhaps the praefectus urbi who is known to have died in AD 160.
Citing Urbicus' career inscription, Colin Wells
offers an eloquent account of what today might be dubbed the "multiculturalism" and equal opportunity of life in the Roman empire
. He concludes that: "At no other period of history could the second or third son of a Berber
landowner from a very small town in the interior enjoy a career which took him to Asia
, Judaea
, the Danube
. . . the lower Rhine and Great Britain
, culminating in a position of great power and honor in the capital of the empire to which all these regions belonged."
Roman Britain
Roman Britain was the part of the island of Great Britain controlled by the Roman Empire from AD 43 until ca. AD 410.The Romans referred to the imperial province as Britannia, which eventually comprised all of the island of Great Britain south of the fluid frontier with Caledonia...
between the years 139
139
Year 139 was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Hadrianus and Praesens...
and 142
142
Year 142 was a common year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Pactumeius and Quadratus...
, during the reign of the Roman Emperor Antoninus Pius
Antoninus Pius
Antoninus Pius , also known as Antoninus, was Roman Emperor from 138 to 161. He was a member of the Nerva-Antonine dynasty and the Aurelii. He did not possess the sobriquet "Pius" until after his accession to the throne...
. He is named in the text known as the Augustan History, and his name appears on five Roman inscriptions from Britain; his career is set out in detail on a pair of inscriptions set up in his native Tiddis, near Cirta
Cirta
Cirta was the capital city of the ancient Kingdom of Numidia in northern Africa . Its strategically important port city was Russicada...
, in the province of Numidia
Numidia
Numidia was an ancient Berber kingdom in part of present-day Eastern Algeria and Western Tunisia in North Africa. It is known today as the Chawi-land, the land of the Chawi people , the direct descendants of the historical Numidians or the Massyles The kingdom began as a sovereign state and later...
(modern Algeria
Algeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
).
Early life
Lollius Urbicus was the son of Marcus Lollius Senecio, who was probably a Numidian landowner, and his wife Grania Honorata.Early career
The early senatorial career of Lollius Urbicus is known from a detailed inscription erected in Tiddis. After a military tribunate with the Twenty-second LegionLegio XXII Primigenia
Legio XXII Primigenia was a Roman legion levied by Roman Emperor Caligula in 39, for his campaigns in Germania. There are still records of the XXII Primigenia in Mogontiacum from the end of 3rd century...
at Mainz, he entered the Senate
Roman Senate
The Senate of the Roman Republic was a political institution in the ancient Roman Republic, however, it was not an elected body, but one whose members were appointed by the consuls, and later by the censors. After a magistrate served his term in office, it usually was followed with automatic...
and served for a year as legate
Legatus
A legatus was a general in the Roman army, equivalent to a modern general officer. Being of senatorial rank, his immediate superior was the dux, and he outranked all military tribunes...
to the proconsul
Proconsul
A proconsul was a governor of a province in the Roman Republic appointed for one year by the senate. In modern usage, the title has been used for a person from one country ruling another country or bluntly interfering in another country's internal affairs.-Ancient Rome:In the Roman Republic, a...
of Asia. He quickly rose to prominence as the emperor Hadrian
Hadrian
Hadrian , was Roman Emperor from 117 to 138. He is best known for building Hadrian's Wall, which marked the northern limit of Roman Britain. In Rome, he re-built the Pantheon and constructed the Temple of Venus and Roma. In addition to being emperor, Hadrian was a humanist and was philhellene in...
's candidate, and commanded the Tenth Legion
Legio X Gemina
Legio decima Gemina , was one of the four legions used by Julius Caesar in 58 BC, for his invasion of Gaul. There are still records of the X Gemina in Vienna in the beginning of the 5th century. The legion symbol was a bull...
at Vienna
Vindobona
Vindobona was originally a Celtic settlement, and later a Roman military camp on the site of the modern city of Vienna in Austria. Around 15 BC, the kingdom of Noricum was included in the Roman Empire...
. He was decorated for service as a legate
Legatus
A legatus was a general in the Roman army, equivalent to a modern general officer. Being of senatorial rank, his immediate superior was the dux, and he outranked all military tribunes...
during Hadrian
Hadrian
Hadrian , was Roman Emperor from 117 to 138. He is best known for building Hadrian's Wall, which marked the northern limit of Roman Britain. In Rome, he re-built the Pantheon and constructed the Temple of Venus and Roma. In addition to being emperor, Hadrian was a humanist and was philhellene in...
's Jewish War of 132
132
Year 132 was a leap year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Serius and Sergianus...
-135
135
Year 135 was a common year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Lupercus and Atilianus...
. His consulship can be placed in 135
135
Year 135 was a common year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Lupercus and Atilianus...
or 136
136
Year 136 was a leap year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Commodus and Civica...
, after which he governed Germania Inferior
Germania Inferior
Germania Inferior was a Roman province located on the left bank of the Rhine, in today's Luxembourg, southern Netherlands, parts of Belgium, and North Rhine-Westphalia left of the Rhine....
. He was transferred to Britannia
Roman Britain
Roman Britain was the part of the island of Great Britain controlled by the Roman Empire from AD 43 until ca. AD 410.The Romans referred to the imperial province as Britannia, which eventually comprised all of the island of Great Britain south of the fluid frontier with Caledonia...
soon after Hadrian's death.
Governor of Britain
According to the Augustan History, the emperor Antoninus PiusAntoninus Pius
Antoninus Pius , also known as Antoninus, was Roman Emperor from 138 to 161. He was a member of the Nerva-Antonine dynasty and the Aurelii. He did not possess the sobriquet "Pius" until after his accession to the throne...
"defeated the Britons through the agency of the legate Lollius Urbicus". It seems that, in a reversal of Hadrian
Hadrian
Hadrian , was Roman Emperor from 117 to 138. He is best known for building Hadrian's Wall, which marked the northern limit of Roman Britain. In Rome, he re-built the Pantheon and constructed the Temple of Venus and Roma. In addition to being emperor, Hadrian was a humanist and was philhellene in...
ic policy in Britain, he sent Lollius Urbicus to effect the reconquest of Lowland Scotland. Between 139
139
Year 139 was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Hadrianus and Praesens...
and 140
140
Year 140 was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Hadrianus and Caesar...
Urbicus refurbished the fort at Corbridge
Coria (Corbridge)
Coria was a fort and town, located south of Hadrian's Wall, in the Roman province of Britannia. Its full Latin name is uncertain. Today it is known as Corchester or Corbridge Roman Site, adjoining Corbridge in the English county of Northumberland...
, in preparation for the move north of Hadrian's Wall
Hadrian's Wall
Hadrian's Wall was a defensive fortification in Roman Britain. Begun in AD 122, during the rule of emperor Hadrian, it was the first of two fortifications built across Great Britain, the second being the Antonine Wall, lesser known of the two because its physical remains are less evident today.The...
, and commemorative coins were issued in 142
142
Year 142 was a common year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Pactumeius and Quadratus...
celebrating a victory in Britain. It is therefore likely that Urbicus led the reoccupation of southern Scotland in 141
141
Year 141 was a common year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Severus and Stloga...
, using all three legions and a variety of auxiliary units. In 143
143
Year 143 was a common year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Torquatus and Hipparchus...
he oversaw the initial construction of the Antonine Wall
Antonine Wall
The Antonine Wall is a stone and turf fortification built by the Romans across what is now the Central Belt of Scotland, between the Firth of Forth and the Firth of Clyde. Representing the northernmost frontier barrier of the Roman Empire, it spanned approximately 39 miles and was about ten feet ...
; he is explicitly named on building inscriptions from Balmuildy.
No historical source describes the Antonine invasion, so any attempted reconstruction will be purely speculative. Urbicus may have campaigned against several British tribes (possibly including factions of the northern Brigantes), certainly against the lowland tribes of Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
; the Votadini and the Selgovae of the Scottish
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
Borders region, also the Damnonii of Strathclyde and the Novantae of Dumfries and Galloway
Galloway
Galloway is an area in southwestern Scotland. It usually refers to the former counties of Wigtownshire and Kirkcudbrightshire...
. All three of the legions of Britain will have taken part (the Second Augusta
Legio II Augusta
Legio secunda Augusta , was a Roman legion, levied by Gaius Vibius Pansa Caetronianus in 43 BC, and still operative in Britannia in the 4th century...
based at Caerleon
Caerleon
Caerleon is a suburban village and community, situated on the River Usk in the northern outskirts of the city of Newport, South Wales. Caerleon is a site of archaeological importance, being the site of a notable Roman legionary fortress, Isca Augusta, and an Iron Age hill fort...
, the Sixth Victrix
Legio VI Victrix
Legio sexta Victrix was a Roman legion founded by Octavian in 41 BC. It was the twin legion of VI Ferrata and perhaps held veterans of that legion, and some soldiers kept to the traditions of the Caesarian legion....
based at York
Eboracum
Eboracum was a fort and city in Roman Britain. The settlement evolved into York, located in North Yorkshire, England.-Etymology:The first known recorded mention of Eboracum by name is dated circa 95-104 AD and is an address containing the Latin form of the settlement's name, "Eburaci", on a wooden...
and the Twentieth Valeria Victrix
Legio XX Valeria Victrix
Legio vigesima Valeria Victrix was a Roman legion, probably raised by Augustus some time after 31 BC. It served in Hispania, Illyricum, and Germania before participating in the invasion of Britannia in 43 AD, where it remained and was active until at least the beginning of the 4th century...
based at Chester
Deva Victrix
Deva Victrix, or simply Deva, was a legionary fortress and town in the Roman province of Britannia. The settlement evolved into Chester, the county town of Cheshire, England...
), as they are all mentioned on the inscriptions recording building work undertaken along the Antonine Wall. This legionary
Legionary
The Roman legionary was a professional soldier of the Roman army after the Marian reforms of 107 BC. Legionaries had to be Roman citizens under the age of 45. They enlisted in a legion for twenty-five years of service, a change from the early practice of enlisting only for a campaign...
core was, no doubt, backed up by a substantial contingent of auxiliary
Auxiliaries (Roman military)
Auxiliaries formed the standing non-citizen corps of the Roman army of the Principate , alongside the citizen legions...
units, of which we have record of around nine regiments (e.g. RIB 1276, 2140, 2142, 2149, 2155, 3509).
It seems likely that Urbicus planned his campaign of attack from Corbridge in Northumberland
Northumberland
Northumberland is the northernmost ceremonial county and a unitary district in North East England. For Eurostat purposes Northumberland is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "Northumberland and Tyne and Wear" NUTS 2 region...
, just to the rear of Hadrians Wall, as dedicatory inscriptions positively dated to the early 140s have been uncovered at the Antonine storage-depot there. From here he drove north-north-west into the Scottish Borders along the Agricolan military road Dere Street, leaving garrison forts at High Rochester in Northumberland and possibly also at Newstead in Borders, as he struck towards the Firth of Forth. Both of these sites, likewise similar such military installations at Risingham, Chew Green
Chew Green
Chew Green is the site of the ancient Roman encampment Ad Fines in Northumberland, England, north of Rochester and west of Alwinton. The encampment was adjacent to Dere Street, a Roman road that stretched south to York , and almost on the present-day border with Scotland.Archaeological excavation...
, Cappuck and Inveresk
Inveresk Roman Fort
Inveresk Roman Fort is an archaeological site within the grounds of St Michael's Church, Inveresk, a village in East Lothian, Scotland. Several seasons of excavation since 1946, both major and minor, have established the outline of the fort and recovered some of the interior detail.The fort covered...
were very likely used as bases from which to police the lowland tribes, the Votadini to the east and the Selgovae to the west.
Having secured an overland supply route for military personnel and equipment along Dere Street, Urbicus very likely set up a supply port at Carriden for the supply of grain and other foodstuffs before proceeding against the Dumnonii tribe who inhabited South Strathclyde. This done, came the task of completing a new barrier of turf and timber stretching for thirty-five miles from east to west across the narrow neck of land separating the mighty Rivers Forth and Clyde, nowadays known as the Antonine Wall
Antonine Wall
The Antonine Wall is a stone and turf fortification built by the Romans across what is now the Central Belt of Scotland, between the Firth of Forth and the Firth of Clyde. Representing the northernmost frontier barrier of the Roman Empire, it spanned approximately 39 miles and was about ten feet ...
.
Later Career
Urbicus returned to Rome with the prospect of the prestigious post of praefectus urbi ( Prefect of Rome), which he probably held in AD 146, after the death of the incumbent, Septicius ClarusGaius Septicius Clarus
Gaius Septicius Clarus , was a prefect of the Roman imperial bodyguard, known as the Praetorian Guard and influential as a friend and supporter of famous Silver Age authors Pliny the Younger and Suetonius.-Praetorian prefect:...
. He was perhaps the praefectus urbi who is known to have died in AD 160.
Citing Urbicus' career inscription, Colin Wells
Colin Wells (historian)
Colin Michael Wells was a British historian of ancient Rome, as well as scholar and archaeologist of classical antiquities and Punic.-Biography:...
offers an eloquent account of what today might be dubbed the "multiculturalism" and equal opportunity of life in the Roman empire
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
. He concludes that: "At no other period of history could the second or third son of a Berber
Berber people
Berbers are the indigenous peoples of North Africa west of the Nile Valley. They are continuously distributed from the Atlantic to the Siwa oasis, in Egypt, and from the Mediterranean to the Niger River. Historically they spoke the Berber language or varieties of it, which together form a branch...
landowner from a very small town in the interior enjoy a career which took him to Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
, Judaea
Iudaea Province
Judaea or Iudaea are terms used by historians to refer to the Roman province that extended over parts of the former regions of the Hasmonean and Herodian kingdoms of Israel...
, the Danube
Danube
The Danube is a river in the Central Europe and the Europe's second longest river after the Volga. It is classified as an international waterway....
. . . the lower Rhine and Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
, culminating in a position of great power and honor in the capital of the empire to which all these regions belonged."