by Morgan Koo
Morgan Koo is a senior at UC Berkeley double majoring in History and Ancient Greek and Roman Studies. While her main interests lie in late Second Temple Judaism and early Christianity, Morgan also enjoys the sociocultural aspects of the Ancient Mediterranean such as ancient seafaring & communication.
Life in the 21st century has unparalleled luxuries which ease the pain and inconvenience of distance. Improved technology allows for instantaneous communication with loved ones and relatively quick travel over large distances. Homer’s Odyssey, which has recently experienced a renewed relevance, reminds modern readers of the difficulties of being away from home. For ancient peoples, seafaring was often dangerous—even without the interference of angry deities determined to thwart their homecoming. There was the constant threat of unpredictable and harsh weather patterns, encounters with pirates, and arrival in foreign lands with potentially hostile inhabitants. Much like Odysseus’ frequent invocations of the gods during harsh storms and disembarkation in strange, new lands, a second century C.E. soldier’s letter written on papyrus thanks Lord Serapis, a syncretic Greco-Egyptian deity, for having saved him from danger out at sea (“I thank Lord Serapis that when I was in danger at sea he saved me straight away,” εὐχαριστῶ τῷ κυρίῳ Σεράπιδι ὅτι μου κινδυνεύσαντος εἰς θάλασσαν ἔσωσε εὐθέως: BGU II 423, lines 6-8). However, another letter on papyrus (P.Tebt. II 583) which found its way back home to Tebtunis, a village in Egypt, reveals another pain caused by the uncertainty of distance.
Sometime after 217 C.E., Aurelius Polion, a soldier in the Roman army’s Second Adriutrix Legion, wrote back home to his family in Tebtunis (full text here). The central concern of the letter is his family’s silence despite his own devotion to them. Accusatory superlatives and juxtapositions pervade the beginning portion of the letter to express his incessant concern for his family in contrast to their complete absence:
Superlative/Juxtapositional Language in Aurelius Polion’s Letter
Aurelius Polion:
|
His Family:
|
The troubled soldier illustrates the stark difference between his undying care and their apparent silence. Without any word back from home, the sense of estrangement appears particularly palpable.
While Polion complains about the injustice of his family’s silence, the letter also carries an underlying anxiety:
| “… ἐγὼ δ̣[ὲ] μεριμνῶ περ̣ὶ ἡ̣μῶν (= ὑμῶν) ὅτι λαβ̣όν̣<τες> ἀ̣[π’] ἐμοῦ γράμ̣ατα̣ (= γράμματα) π̣ο̣λλάκεις (= πολλάκις) οὐδέποτέ μοι ἀντ[ε]γράψατε εἵνα (= ἵνα) εἰδώ̣[τ]ε̣ς (= εἰδῶ) πῶς ἡμᾶς (= ὑμᾶς) …” (lines 11-13). |
| “… And I am worried about you because, although you received letters from me often, never do you write back to me in order that I might know how you are …” (lines 11-13). |
The soldier subsequently reveals that he had previously sent six other letters (line 20). Being far from home, the uncertainty of his family’s well-being torments his mind. The soldier was left isolated without any comfort by reply. One could imagine the questions pervading the soldier’s conscience: Was his family intentionally ignoring him? Did something cause them to be unable to write? Were they alive and well? In any case, the uncomfortable silence roused the soldier to threaten his family with a return home:
| “ … ἠ δὲ ὑμεῖς
με κατὰ νοῦ μ[ὴ ἔχοι]τε, λήψωμαι (= λήψομαι) κομείατον (= κομμεᾶτον) πα- [ρὰ] τοῦ ὑπατεικοῦ (= ὑπατικοῦ), καὶ ἐλεύσομαι πρὸς ὑμᾶς εἵνα (= ἵνα) εἰδῆ- τε ἐμὲ εἶναι ἀδελφὸν ἡμῶν (= ὑμῶν) …” (lines 20-23). |
| “ … and if you (pl).
do not hold me in your mind, I will take a leave of absence from the consular officer, and I will go towards you in order that you might know me to be your brother …” (lines 20-23). |
While framed as a trip to re-establish his role in the family, the urgency and drastic action suggest a need for assurance of his family’s presence and well-being.
Among the most puzzling portions of the letter are lines 17-19, where the soldier reveals his involuntary participation in the army:
| “ … ἐγὼ δὲ εἱμεῖν (= ὑμῖν) (sc. εἶπον)
τρ[έπ]ειν οὐκ ἑκὸν [. . .]πειατεις εἰς [τ]ὴν στρατείαν (= στρατίαν), ἀλλὰ μετενό[ησ]α τῶν . ου ἐξῆλθα ἀφ’ ὑμῶν” (lines 17-19). |
| “ … And I (said) to you
That I did not go willingly … into the army, But I regretted that … I departed from you.” (lines 17-19). |
The fragmented papyrus leaves much to the imagination. Under what circumstances did Aurelius Polion join the army? Was he forced by Roman officials? By his own family? Does this involuntary service have any relation to his anxiety regarding the family’s well-being or his inability to reach them?
Because Aurelius Polion’s letter was found in Tebtunis, we can ascertain that his letter did indeed arrive home. Letters from his family, in the most ideal circumstance, may have struggled to reach Polion. It was much easier for letters to be sent to a home—which is not subject to constant movement like an army. Thanks to the scholarship of István Kovács, we are able to approximate the letter’s date and locate the Legio II Adiutrix, the army legion that Polion joined. In lines 21-22 of the letter, Aurelius Polion mentions a consular officer from whom he plans to request a leave of absence. Pannonia had been under rule of praetorian governorship until 214 C.E. and was then under the authority of a consular officer. Thus, the letter must be written after 214 C.E. In line 12, Polion locates himself in Pannonia. Caracalla led the Legio II Adiutrix in a campaign against the Parthians between 214 and 217 C.E.; accordingly, the letter’s dating is extended to follow after 217 C.E.
The Greek historian Herodian recorded that Caracalla entered the Egyptian city of Alexandria around 215 C.E. to recruit additional soldiers for his phalanx against the Parthians. It is possible that Polion joined the army on this occasion. Additionally, both Cassius Dio’s Roman History and Herodian’s History of the Roman Empire document Caracalla’s massacre of Alexandrian men around 215 C.E. Such a violent event could be cause for concern. Unfortunately, this letter alone cannot give us clear answers.
What can be known is that communication with loved ones over long distances was often difficult. The sense of alienation could foster a natural anxiety. Stationed in Eastern Europe, Aurelius Polion was separated from his family by a vast sea in both the literal and metaphorical sense. In a manner much similar to this soldier’s, our temporal distance shrouds our ability to understand the reality of his circumstance. We cannot do much but wonder whether a letter was finally sent back to Polion or whether he made his journey home. And, if he did, what he may have found upon arrival.
Bibliography
Adamson, Grant. “A Letter from a Soldier in Pannonia,” BASP 49, 2012, pp. 79-94.
Herodianus. Roman History (History of the Empire from the Time of Marcus).* Livius: https://www.livius.org/sources/content/herodian-s-roman-history/ *see esp. 4.8-9.
Kovács, István. “Brief eines Legionärs aus Pannonien (P. Tebt. 2.583) Philologische und Gattungsanalyse,” Byzanz und das Abendland III. Studia Byzantino-Occidentalia, 2015, pp. 257-281.
Mócsy, András. Pannonia and Upper Moesia: A History of the Middle Danube Provinces of the Roman Empire. Sheppard Frere, transl. Routledge, 1974.
Ptolemaeus, Claudius. Geographica.* ToposText: https://topostext.org/work/209 *see esp. 2.14.1