Lucius Artorius Castus
Lucius Artorius Castus was a Roman military commander. A member of the gens Artoria, he has been suggested as a potential historical basis for King Arthur.
Military career according to sources
What little is known of Lucius Artorius Castus comes from inscriptions on fragments of a sarcophagus, and a memorial plaque, found in Podstrana, on the Dalmatian coast in Croatia. Although the inscriptions cannot be precisely dated, Castus probably served in the Roman army some time between the mid-late 2nd century AD or early to mid-3rd century AD.The first inscription
The sarcophagus inscription, which was broken into two pieces at some point prior to the 19th century and set into the wall of the Church of St Martin in Podstrana Croatia, reads :D...............................M
L ARTORISTVS 7 LEG
III GALLICAE ITEG VI FERRA
TAE ITEM 7 LEG II ADTEM 7 LEG V M
C ITEM P P EIVSDEM PRAEPOSITO
CLASSIS MISENATIVM AEFF LEG VI
VICTRICIS DVCI LEGG M BRITANICI
MIARVM ADVERSVS ARMS PROC CENTE
NARIO PROVINCIAE LI GLADI VI
VVS IPSE SIBI ET SVIS ST
Manfred Clauss of the Epigraphik-Datenbank Clauss-Slaby, following the readings and expansions provided in CIL 03, 01919; CIL 03, 08513; CIL 03, 12813; Dessau 2770; IDRE-02, 303, expands the text as:
Hans-Georg Pflaum offered a slightly different expansion:
Anthony Birley translates this as:
Linda A. Malcor and her colleagues offered a different expansion:
which translated becomes:
"To the Spirits of the Departed, Lucius Artorius Castus, for himself, the centurion of the leg. III Gallica, also the centurion of the leg. VI Ferrata, also the centurion of the leg. II Adiutrix, also the centurion of the leg. V Macedonica, also the primus pilus of the same, praepositus of the classis Misenensis, twice the praefect of the leg. VI Victrix, the Dux of the three British legions against armed men, the procurator centenarius of the province of Liburniae with 'ius gladi' six times, he himself while alive built this for himself and his family.****"
As of 2009, the two stone fragments bearing this inscription have been removed from the wall of the Church of St. Martin for scientific analysis and restoration; they have since been replaced by a copy.
The second inscription
The memorial plaque, which was discovered not far away from the first inscription and was also broken at some point prior to the 19th century, reads:L ARTORIVS
CASTVS P P
LEG V MA PR
AEFECVS LEG
VI VICTRIC
Which Clauss, expands:
L Artorius | Castus p p | leg V Ma pr|aefecus leg | VI Victric|
Translated:
Lucius Artorius Castus, Primus Pilus of the legion V Macedonica, Prefect of the Legion VI Victrix
A third inscription?
An undated, unprovenanced inscription on a stamp, supposedly discovered in Rome but recorded as being in Paris in the 19th century reads:• LVCI •
• ARTORI
• CASTI •
As inscription shows the text is in the genitive form. Infact the rendered expansion will be Lucii Artorii Casti which means: Lucius Artorius Castus.
Without further information on the inscription, we cannot say whether or not it refers to our Lucius Artorius Castus, or simply another man of the same name.
Units and ranks mentioned
Centurion of Legio III Gallica
The first unit mentioned on Castus's inscription is the legio III Gallica – for most of the 2nd and 3rd centuries the unit was stationed in Syria. He held the rank of centurion in this legion – most Roman soldiers only achieved the rank of centurion after about 15–20 years of service, but it was not unknown for some politically connected civilians of the equestrian class to be directly commissioned as centurions upon entering the Army, though these equestrian centurions were in the minority. We cannot tell whether or not Castus had a lengthy career as a legionary soldier before attaining the centurionate, or whether he was directly commissioned at this rank, as the vast majority of career centurions' inscriptions do not mention any ranks that they might have held below the centurionate. Successful officers often omitted the record of any ranks lower than primus pilus, as Castus did on his memorial plaque.Centurion of Legio VI Ferrata
From the middle of the 2nd century until at least the early 3rd century the legio VI Ferrata was stationed in Judea.Centurion of Legio II Adiutrix
From the early 2nd century onward the legio II Adiutrix were based at Aquincum and took part in several notable campaigns against the Parthians, Marcomanni, Quadi and, in the mid-3rd century, the Sassanid empire.Centurion and Primus Pilus of Legio V Macedonica
The legio V Macedonica was based in Roman Dacia throughout the 2nd century and through most of the 3rd – the unit took part in battles against the Marcomanni, Sarmatians and Quadi.The legio V Macedonica after 185 CE was called Pia Fidelis or Pia Constans, so Castus served in this unit as centurion and primus pilus before 185 CE.
Praepositus of the Misenum fleet
Castus next acted as Provost of the Misenum fleet in Italy. This title indicated a special command over a body of troops, but somewhat limited in action and subject to the Emperor's control.Praefectus of Legio VI Victrix
The Legio VI Victrix was based in Britain from c. 122 AD onward, though their history during the 3rd century AD is rather hazy. Throughout the 2nd century AD and into the 3rd, the headquarters of the VI Victrix was at Eboracum. The unit was removed briefly to Lugdunum in 196 AD by Clodius Albinus, during his doomed revolt against the emperor Severus, but returned to York after the revolt was quelled – and the unit suffered a significant defeat – in 197 AD.Castus's position in the Legio VI Victrix, Prefect of the Legion, was equivalent to that of the Praefectus Castrorum. Men who had achieved this title were normally 50–60 years old and had been in the army most of their lives, working their way up through the lower ranks and the centurionate until they reached Primus Pilus. They acted as third-in-command to the legionary commander, the Legatus legionis, and senior tribune and could assume command in their absence. Their day-to-day duties included maintenance of the fortress and management of the food supplies, sanitation, munitions, equipment, etc. For most who had attained this rank, it would be their last before retirement. During battles, the Praefectus Castrorum normally remained at the unit's home base with the reserve troops, so, given his administrative position and advanced age, it is unlikely that Castus actually fought in any battles while serving in Britain.
Castus could have overseen vexillations of troops guarding Hadrian's Wall, but his inscriptions do not provide us with any precise information on where he might have served while in Britain. It has been suggested by the author Linda Malcor that he was stationed at Bremetennacum with a contingent of Sarmatians by emperor Marcus Aurelius, but there is no evidence to support such a conjecture. Given his duties as Praefectus Legionis, it is reasonable to assume that he spent some – if not all – of his time in Britain at the VI Victrix's headquarters in York.
It is interesting that the title is spelled RAEFF on Castus's sarcophagus – doubled letters at the end of abbreviated words on Latin inscriptions usually indicated the plural and some legions are known to have had multiple praefecti castrorum. The title is given in the singular on the memorial plaque, though, so we might have a scribal error on the sarcophagus. If not, then Castus was probably one of two prefects of this legion.
Dux Legionum Trium "Britanicimiarum"
Before finishing his military career, Castus led an expedition of some note as a Dux Legionum, a temporary title accorded to officers who were acting in a capacity above their rank, either in command of a collection of troops in transit from one station to another or in command of a complete unit.In the third century CE the title "dux” designated an officer holding a rank above his usual rank. For instance, a dux legionis was an underling who commanded a legion, and a dux vexillatio commanded a large detachment of troops. This evolution in the meaning of the word "dux” started in the second century under Marcus Aurelius. By the Severan period, a dux belonged to the Senatorial class, but prior to that an Equestrian could hold the rank. And Castus was an Equestrian.
The doubled "g” in LEGG indicates a plural, as opposed to PRAEFF. So how many legions the word LEGG refers to?
The one thing that everyone agrees on is that in the late second century there were three legions in Britannia: the II Augusta, the XX Valeria Victrix, and the VI Victrix. Translated into Latin, "three legions” gives us "LEGG TRIUM”. This renders: DVCI LEGG TRIUM BRITANNICI/MIARVM and expands to: Duci legionum trium Britannicimiarum.
Adversus *Armoric(an)os or Adversus *Armenios?
For many years it has been believed that Castus's expedition was against the Armoricans, but the earliest published reading of the inscription, made by the Croatian archaeologist :it:Francesco Carrara |Francesco Carrara in 1850, was ADVERSUS ARME, with a ligatured ME. If Carrara's reading is correct, the phrase is most likely to be reconstructed as "adversus *Armenios", i.e. "against the Armenians", since no other national or tribal name beginning with the letters *Arme- is known from this time period.The regional names Armoricani or Armorici are not attested in any other Latin inscriptions, whereas the country Armenia and derivatives such as the ethnic name Armenii and personal name Armeniacus are attested in numerous Latin inscriptions. Furthermore, no classical sources mention any military action taken against the Armorici/Armoricani in the 2nd or 3rd centuries. While there are literary references to minor unrest in northwestern Gaul during this time period – often referred to as, or associated with, the rebellion of the Bagaudae, there is no evidence that the Bagaudae were connected with the Armorici/Armoricani, or any other particular tribe or region for that matter, making the possible reference to the Armorici/Armoricani somewhat strange. Armenia, on the other hand, was the location of several conflicts involving the Romans during the 2nd and 3rd centuries.
The alternate, "Armenian" translation was supported in 1881 by the epigrapher and classical scholar Emil Hübner, and most recently taken up again by the historian and epigrapher Xavier Loriot, who suggests a floruit for Castus in the early mid-3rd century AD.
Adversus Armatos
Since Armenios is problemsticks and since Caunius Priscus rather than Castus is the most likely officer to have been sent to Armorica, another word starting with ARM- has been suggested: Armatos. The evidence for this reading lies in the widespread unrest in Britannia. The Caledonii raided south of Hadrian's Wall, destroying almost half of the VI Victrix. The VI Victrix and the II Augusta legions kept rebelling. Some legionaries tried to make a certain "Priscus" emperor. Others tried to assassinate Pertinax. In short, there were multiple armed men causing troubles all over Britannia, and the Latin for "armed men" in the accusative form is ARMATOS. This word fits the gap in the Castus inscription perfectly.Britanicimiarum
The name of the units that Castus led in this expedition, "Britanicimiarum", seems to be corrupt – it might be reconstructed as *Britanniciniarum or *Britannicianarum. If so, they were probably units similar in nature to the ala and cohors I Britannica, which were stationed in Britain in the mid-1st century AD, but removed to Vindobona in Pannonia by the late 80s AD. Though the name of the unit was derived from its early service in Britain, the unit was not generally composed of ethnic Britons. No units of this name are believed to have been active in Britain during the late 2nd century.In an inscription from Sirmium in Pannonia dating to the reign of the emperor Gallienus, we have mention of vexillations of legions *Brittanicin legg ]G]ermaniciana t Brittanicin – another form that is very similar to the *Britanicimiarum from Castus's inscription.
Actually, Britanicimiarum is not a mistake by the carver but a variant of Britannicianarum.
Like Germanicianarum is a plural genitive of praedial Germanicianus, similarly Britannicianarum comes from Britannicianus and it means "serving in Britain".
The suffixes -inus, -enus, -anus, -ianus, and -unus indicate origin or possession. Britannicinus, Britannicanus, Britannicianus are some examples and are equivalent. Furthermore, in linguistics we have the dissimilation process.In our case, because of the dissimilation of Latin terms, BRITANICINUS becomes BRITANICIMUS>BRITANICIMIUS nominative of the word BRITANICIMIARUM in the inscription.
Procurator Centenarius of Liburnia
Exceptionally talented, experienced and/or connected Praefects Castrorum/Legionis could sometimes move on to higher civilian positions such as Procurator, which Castus indeed managed to accomplish after retiring from the army. He became procurator centenarius of Liburnia, a part of Roman Dalmatia, today's Croatia..Castus was appointed procurator centenarius of the province of Liburnia with ius gladii, the power to put anyone, even Senators, to death. The beginning of the last line of the inscription has always been reconstructed as “vivus ipse sibi et suis” with the VI of VIVVS, for some reason, following gladi even though the bottom line, which is centered, had plenty of room for it. The last line is complete, with VVS standing for VIVVS, and that the VI is a number that belongs where it was placed: after gladi. In this case Castus was 'procurator centenarius provinciae Liburniae ius gladii' six times from 191 to 197. Nothing further is known of him. Other Artorii are attested in the area, but it is unknown if Lucius Artorius Castus started this branch of the family in Dalmatia, or whether the family had already been settled there prior to his birth.
The date of Lucius Artorius Castus's ''floruit''
No dates are given in either inscription, making it difficult to offer a precise date for them, no less Lucius Artorius Castus's floruit. The late French epigraphy expert Xavier Loriot suggested that Lucius Artorius Castus's expedition against the Armenians could have taken place in 215 AD, under the reign of emperor Caracalla, or perhaps later, in 232 AD, under the reign of Severus Alexander. Three Croatian archaeologists examined the inscriptions in 2012, as part of an international conference on Lucius Artorius Castus organized by authors Linda Malcor and John Matthews: Nenad Cambi, Željko Miletić, and Miroslav Glavičić. Cambi proposes that Lucius Artorius Castus' career can be dated to the late 2nd century AD and his death to the late 2nd, or perhaps early 3rd century AD. Glavičić dates Lucius Artorius Castus's military career to the middle- through late-2nd century AD and proposes that he was the first governor of the province of Liburnia, which Glavičić suggests was only established as a separate province from Dalmatia circa 184–185 AD. Miletić dates Lucius Artorius Castus's military career to circa 121–166 AD and his procuratorship of the province of Liburnia to circa 167–174 AD. Cambi, Miletić, and Glavičić all accept the reading Armenios, "against the Armenians" ; Miletić places the expedition against the Armenians during emperor Lucius Verus's Armenian and Parthian war of 161–166 AD.Linda Malcor and her colleagues propose, in the last published work, that Castus' career is entirely dated in the second century CE.
Loriot is simply wrong when he asserts that procuratores ius gladii must date to the third century since the rank is amply attested prior to the reign of Septimius Severus and the last mention of jus gladii is in 227 CE.
Since the rank of praepositus classis did not exist before the year 170 CE and Castus’s term as praepositus was followed by three or four posts, at least ten years more, his career could not have ended until after 180 CE, due to the restriction of the ranks of praepositus classis and dux for Senators during the reign of Marcus Aurelius, nor could it have lasted until the reign of Alexander Severus because of the explicit mention of ius gladii, which was no longer necessary, and, therefore, fell out of use, after Constitutio Antoniniana of 212 CE.
In 175 when Castus was primus pilus of V Macedonica the Iazyges made a treaty with Marcus Aurelius that gave the Romans 8,000 of their heavy cavalry, "5,500 of whom were sent to Britannia". From later inscriptions we know that these Sarmatian horsemen were assigned to the VI Victrix.
Moreover, the Liburnian area was organized as procuratorial province in 184-185 until the end of the second century or the beginning of the third.
The absolute terminus post quem non for the dissolution of the procuratorial province of Liburnia is 239, when Domitius Gallicanus Papinianus entered service. Castus was a procurator Augusti cum iure gladii in the last part of the second century CE.
Identification with King Arthur
In 1924, Kemp Malone was the first to suggest the possibility that Lucius Artorius Castus was the inspiration for the figure of Arthur in medieval European literature. More recent champions have included authors C. Scott Littleton and Linda Malcor. The hypothesis has been heavily criticized by prominent Arthurian scholars due to the historical Artorius Castus having very little in common with the Arthurian legends and the arguments relying excessively on speculation and wishful thinking.Due to the significant differences between the persons and careers of the historical Lucius Artorius Castus and the traditional King Arthur, the consensus of mainstream historians is that it is very unlikely the former inspired the latter. For example, Lucius Artorius Castus was not contemporaneous with the Saxon invasions of Britain in the 5th century CE which gave rise to the Arthurian legends, and some of the earliest written references to Arthur are of him fighting against the Saxons. The strongest link between them may be the extended family or clan name Artorius which may have developed into the personal name Arthur, but this does not necessarily mean Lucius Artorius Castus himself inspired the legends. The possibility, however unlikely or remote, is nonetheless real that he was remembered in local tales that grew in the retelling. No definitive proof, however, has yet been established that Lucius Artorius Castus was the "real" King Arthur.
| Lucius Artorius Castus | King Arthur | |
| Floruit | 2nd century CE. | Traditionally assigned to the late 5th or early 6th century CE. |
| Name | Artorius is LAC's extended family or clan name, his nomen gentile. Lucius is his praenomen or personal name, while Castus is his cognomen, his direct family name and closest to the modern concept of a surname, so he would have been more directly known as Castus instead of Artorius. | Arthur is potentially derived from Latin Artorius, but a Celtic origin is also possible. Treated as a native Welsh personal name in medieval Latin texts, where it is either left as Arthur or rendered as Arturus, never as Artorius. |
| Ethnicity | The Artorii family have roots in Italy, potentially of Messapic or Etruscan origin; LAC might have been born to a branch of the family that settled in Dalmatia. | Traditionally linked in Welsh literature and genealogies to the British nobility of Cornwall. |
| Religion | Unknown; dedications to the Di Manes, as found on LAC's tomb, are found in both pagan and Christian inscriptions in the 3rd century CE. | At the very least, nominally Christian – according to the Historia Brittonum he bore an image of the Blessed Virgin Mary on his shoulders in one of his battles, while according to the Annales Cambriae he bore the Cross of Jesus Christ on his shoulders. |
| Military Status | High-ranking, career officer in the Roman army; served in the infantry as a centurion, and late in his career, he served as Camp Prefect in Britain, and finally as Dux Legionum in a single military campaign. | Associated with knights and cavalry. In the medieval Latin of the Historia Brittonum, Arthur is called a miles, "mounted warrior, armed horseman". Also, in the Historia Brittonum, Arthur is called dux belli, "leader of the battle", but this is a conventional Latin phrase and does not indicate that Arthur held the military title of Dux in a Post-Roman British army. In later medieval Welsh sources he is called both "emperor" and "king". |
| British Battles | During battle, Camp Prefects normally remained at their unit's base with the reserve troops, so it is unlikely that LAC fought while in Britain. LAC later oversaw an expedition of troops with some sort of British connection, either to Gaul or Armenia. | In the 9th century Historia Brittonum, Arthur, along with the British kings, fought 12 battles in Britain against the invading Saxons, and Arthur allegedly slew many hundreds of Saxons by his own hand. In later texts, Arthur is stated to have fought battles in Gaul as well as in Britannia. |
| Death | Unknown date and circumstances; probably died at an advanced age, potentially during his procuratorship of Liburnia. | In Welsh literature, traditionally stated to have died during the Battle of Camlann ; his burial site was unknown to medieval Welsh. |
Lucius Artorius Castus as King Arthur in modern entertainment
In the film King Arthur, Lucius Artorius Castus is partially identified with King Arthur. The film asserts that Arthur's Roman name was "Artorius Castus", and that Artorius was an ancestral name derived from that of a famous leader. His floruit is, however, pushed a few centuries later so that he is made a contemporary of the invading Saxons in the 5th century CE. This would be in agreement with native Welsh tradition regarding Arthur, although his activities are placed many decades earlier than the medieval sources assign to him. As a research consultant for the film King Arthur, Linda Malcor's hypotheses regarding Lucius Artorius Castus were the primary inspiration for the screenplay.In the manga Vinland Saga, Lucius Artorius Castus is the real name of the half-Danish half-Welsh character Askeladd, who is descended from the Romano-British Artorius who fought the Saxons centuries before.
In , one of the historical battle scenarios features the Battle of Badon Hill with Lucius Artorius Castus as commander of the Romano-British forces.