The Austuriani and Tripolitania in the early fifth century

Abstract

IRT 480, dated by reference to the Emperors Honorius and Theodosius in the years between A.D. 408 and 423, honours Flavious Ortygius, v(ir) c(larissimus) et sp(ectabilis) com(es) et dux p(rovinciae) T(ripolitanae), for achievements connected with the Austuriani which I had failed to decipher when IRT was published. Although it adds disappointingly little to knowledge, it seems worth recording a reading made in 1975 when I saw the stone in a particularly good cross light. It was, of course, already deducible that the Austuriani had not ceased to raid Tripolitania after the notorious occasions in 363–5 which led to the scandal of Count Romanus; and Professor Chastagnol has recently associated the titles of officials in the province in the late Fourth and early Fifth centuries (including that of Ortygius) with a series of experiments to deal with the military problem they created. A particularly bad raid seems to be implied by the inscription of Ortygius.