Despite many years of research on the problem of the Roman military presence in Chersonesos and its environs in the P-W centuries and the results achieved so far, a number of its aspects are still not completely clear(1). The discovery of new epigraphic monuments in the course of archaeological research, including on the territory of the Roman citadel of the city, makes us return again and again to the already seemingly known facts, review them and make the necessary adjustments that allow us to clarify the conclusions made earlier and identify fundamentally new points in the organizational structure of the Roman troops stationed in Chersonesos and its district(2). And this, in turn, allows you to get a more complete picture of the historical development of this ancient center. Epigraphic monuments are of primary importance in this process, one of which was the reason for writing this note [3].

In 1998, during the excavation of the tower XXXIV of 21 curtina in the south-eastern part of the Chersonesus hillfort, on the territory of the so-called Roman citadel, in the upper part of the Roman time layer, a fragment of a well-polished white marble tile was discovered (Fig., pasting ). On three sides, the fragment is broken off, and the lower side is well smoothed out and represents the lower part of the epigraphic monument, on which a fragment of a three-line Latin inscription has been preserved.:

--XI CL S--

-- P VE --

--L M--

The inscription is applied on a polished surface using pre-drawn rulers. The distance between the rows is 0.6-0.7 cm. Letters 2-2. 1 cm high are cut deeply, carefully and beautifully, their ends are decorated with apexes. With the exception of the letter C and L in the first line, all other letters are located at some distance from each other. It is possible that the letter P in the second line could be preceded by A and E in the ligature on which the chip went, although it is hardly possible to insist on this unconditionally. The font is similar in some elements to other epigraphic monuments with references to military personnel of the XI Claudian Legion, dating from

(1) For more information, see Zubar V. M. Tauric Chersonesus and the Roman Empire. Essays on military and political history. Kiev, 1994. pp. 44-60.

(2) Зубар В.М., Савеля О.Я., Сарновський Т. Новi латинськi написи з римського храму в околицях Херсонеса Тавржського // Археолопя. 1997. N4. Pp. 67-88; Sarnowski T., Zubar U. M., Savelja OJa. Zum religiosen Leben der Niedermoesischen Vexillationen auf der Siidkrim // Historia. 1998. Bd. 47. Ht 3. S. 321-341; Zubar V. M. New Roman vexillation in Taurica / / Military Archeology. Weapons and military science in historical and social perspective. Materials of the International Conference St. Petersburg, 1998, pp. 98-100.

(3) The authors consider it a pleasant duty to express their heartfelt gratitude to Yu.G. Vinogradov for his advice and friendly assistance in writing this work.

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late II-early III centuries.(4) Judging by the remaining traces of lime mortar on the back of the tile, the inscription was originally attached to the wall of some structure.

Given that the letter S is easily read after the name of the XI Claudian Legion in the published fragment, the end of this line can be confidently supplemented as an honorary title of this Severiana compound. Despite the extremely fragmentary nature of the found inscription it can be defined as dedicatory and with a certain degree of risk restored as follows:

-- [LEG(ionis) XI GL(audiae) S[EVERIANAE]--

--[PRAE]P(ositus) (?) VE[X(illationis)]--

--L(ibens) M(erito)--

Varia lectio: 1. S[(everianae Alexandrianae)]; 2. [PRAE]P(ositus) (?) VE[X(illationis) HERSONES(sitanae)]; cf. IOSPE. I2. N 404.34, 46.

Translation: ...Legion XI of Claudius Severianus- - - commander (?) (Chersonese) promissory note - - - (by vow?) willingly, worthily (delivered).

The restoration in the first line of the fragment of the honorary title of the XI Claudian Legion Severianae, formed on behalf of the Roman emperor Severus Alexander (222-235), allows us to date the published monument quite accurately - the time interval between 222 and 234, when this honorary title was assigned to Roman military units stationed in various areas of the Roman Empire, including in Podunavye(5). However, it is possible that the inscription after the name of the legion could be Severianae Alexandrianae, as was the case in a number of inscriptions of 223-234.(6) Among the Roman troops in the territory of Lower Moesia, from the divisions of which the vexillation of Chersonesus was formed, this honorary title was at the specified time borne by the I Italian and XI Claudian Legions, as well as the cohort II Flavia Brittonum and ala I Atectorum(7). In addition to the published fragment, the honorific title Alexandrianae is still recorded only once in the dedicatory inscription found in the Roman stronghold of Nigriniana, in the territory of modern Bulgaria(8).

Military personnel of the XI Claudian Legion appear on the territory of Taurica in the 60s of the II century, when, as evidenced by the construction inscription found on Ai-Todor, the Roman vexillation was stationed here for some time under the command of a centurion of this legion (9), whose soldiers were later replaced by military personnel

I of the Italian Legion (10). But the Roman vexillation of Chersonesus, judging by the epigraphic monuments, began to be formed from the soldiers of the XI Claudian Legion not earlier than the end of the II-beginning of the III century,when they replaced the soldiers of the I Italian Legion here (11). Such a rotation of troops can now be attributed to the reorganization of the Danube Limes guard undertaken during the reign of Septimius Severus (193-211) between 197 and 202 (12), which probably made it possible to convert

(4) Solomonik E. I. Latin inscriptions of the Tauric Chersonese. Moscow, 1983. pp. 38-40, N 10; pp. 58-59, N 31. Cf. Sandys J. E. Latin Epigraphy. An Introduction to the Study of Latin Inscriptions. Groningen, 1969. P. 48-50.

(5) Fitz Е. Honorific Titles of the Roman Military Units in the 3rd Century. Budapest - Bonn, 1983. P. 124.

(6) Ibid. P. 90-123.

(7) Ibid. P. 114 f.

(8) L'Annee Epigraphique. 1970. 504. N 463a; Fitz. Op. cit. P. 114.

(9) Sarnowski T., Zuhar U. M. Romische Besatzungstruppen auf der Sudkrim und eine Bauinschrift aus dem Kastell Charax / / ZPE. 1996. 112. S. 229-234; Zubar V. M. Sarnowski T. New Latin construction inscription from Aytodora and some issues of the Roman military organization in Taurica in the second half of the second century AD.E. / / VDI. 1997. N4. pp. 50-60.

(10) Zubar. Tauric Chersonesos ... pp. 60-65.

(11) Ibid., p. 57.

(12) Зубар В.М. Новий латинський напис з Болгарн i деяю питания icTopil Таврики // Археолопя. 1991.

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Chersonesus appealed to the emperor about the abuse of soldiers of the Roman garrison, the results of which are reflected in correspondence about prostitution taxes(13). Based on the proposed reconstruction of the end of the first line of the published inscription, it is now more or less certain that the military personnel of the XI Clavid Legion were in Chersonesos at least until 223-234, and the garrison stationed in the city, both at an earlier and later time, was led by a centurion (14). In the unrecorded part of the inscription, before the name of the XI Claudian Legion, probably stood his name and position.

In this connection, another recently published inscription from Chersonesus is of particular interest, which, according to the second consulate of the emperor Decius (249-251) and his colleague Vettius Grata, dates back to the year 250. The inscription says that Marcus Ratinus Saturninus, centurion of the First Italian Legion and commander of the Chersonese Vexillation, at his own expense erected the crumbling schola of principals from its foundation (15). In this context, attention should be drawn to the fact that the Chersonese bill of exchange in 250 was headed by a centurion of the I Italian Legion, and not by the XI Claudian Legion, as it follows from the published fragment of the inscription, which suggests that the Roman garrison of the city at that time was formed from military personnel of a new unit [16], and in In turn, it suggests that certain changes in the staffing of the Roman garrison and the destruction of the earlier schola principale were most likely chronologically close to each other.

During excavations conducted on the territory of the Roman citadel of Chersonesos over the past decade, it was found that buildings erected here by Roman military personnel die simultaneously and suddenly in the second quarter of the third century. Moreover, among the coins discovered by I. A. Antonova on the floors of the dead premises, there were no copies dating back to the time later than 237. However, after a short period of time, new ones of the same purpose and plan are built in their place(17).

Now it is difficult to say with certainty what events in the second quarter of the third century resulted in the destruction of buildings associated with the activities of Roman military personnel on the territory of the Roman citadel of Chersonesus, since so far no well-dated closed complexes have been found here [18]. It is quite possible that the sudden and simultaneous destruction on the territory of the Roman citadel was caused by an earthquake, after which restoration work was carried out(19). The possibility of this, in particular, is indicated by cracks of a seismic nature.-

N 1. P. 123; Zubar. Tauric Chersonesos... p. 57; onzhe. Northern Pontus and the Roman Empire. Kiev, 1998. p. 118.

(13) Rostovtsev M. I. The case of collecting prostitution taxes in Chersonese / / IAK. 1916. 60. pp. 63-69; IOSPE. I2. N 404; Source code. Latin inscriptions ... pp. 20-27, N 1; Zubar V. M. Severnoe Prichernomorye i Septimiy Sever [The Northern Black Sea Region and Septimius Sever]. VDI. 199. N 4. pp. 42-43; on. Severny Pont... pp. 123-126.

(14) Zubar. Tauric Chersonesus... P. 58; Sarnowski, Zubar. Op. cit. S. 233 f; Zubar, Sarnovsky. Uk. soch. pp. 57-58; Vinogradov J. G., Zuhar V. M. Die Schola Principalium in Chersonesos / / II mar Nero. 1995/96. II. S. 130; Vinogradov Yu. G., Zubar V. M., Antonova I. A. Scola principalium in Chersonese / / NE. 1999. Vol. XVI. P. 72.

(15) Vinogradov, Zuhar. Op. cit. S. 129-143; Vinogradov, Zubar, Antonova. Uk. soch. p. 71-80.

(16) Vinogradov, Zuhar. Op. cit. S. 129-143; Vinogradov, Zubar, Antonova. Uk. soch. p. 77-78.

(17) Antonova I. A. Excavations in the citadel of Chersonese / / Archaeological research in the Crimea 1993 Simferopol, 1994. pp. 25-33; ona. Excavations of the citadel of Chersonesus / / Archaeological research in the Crimea 1994 Simferopol, 1997. pp. 19-21; ona. Administrative building of the Chersonese vexillation and fema of Chersonese / / KHSB. 1997. VIII. pp. 10-14.

(18) Antonova. Administrative building... p. 12.

(19) Vinogradov, Zubar, Antonova. 76. However, noting the possible connection of these destructions with the earthquake, it is necessary to pay attention to the extremely important fact that, judging by the archaeological material, in the Eastern Crimea, traces of the earthquake were recorded during the study of layers dating back no earlier than the middle-second half of the third century. For more information, see Vinokurov N. I., Ni-

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tera found on defensive structures and the core of tower XVII (20). By the time after these events, I. A. Antonova refers to the renovation and reconstruction of defensive structures in the south-eastern part of the city [21], which is indirectly confirmed by the inscription of 245, which refers to the construction of the tower [22].

In this regard, the data of sources reporting that in 236/7 strong earthquakes with the formation of folds on the surface took place in Cappadocia and Pontus are very significant [23]. The seismic wave from these earthquakes, as well as after the earthquake of 480(24), could well have reached Taurica, as a result of which the defensive structures of Chersonesus and buildings on the territory of the Roman citadel of the city were damaged. It is these events that most likely explain the work on strengthening the defensive structures of Chersonesos and the construction of new buildings on the site of the destroyed ones on the territory of the citadel, which, according to archaeological material and epigraphic monuments, belong to the 40s-50s of the III century.

Traces of recent destruction have been recorded archaeologically not only in Chersonesos, but also on the Heraclea Peninsula [25]. And during excavations on 40-letiya Oktyabrya Street on the territory of Balaklava in 1992, a hoard of Roman denarii was discovered, the latest coin from which dates back to 223, i.e., the time of the reign of Alexander the Emperor of the North (222-235) [26]. The presence of the treasure in the room, which was undoubtedly built by Roman soldiers, made it possible to attribute to the mid-30s of the third century the termination of the functioning of a rather powerful Roman stronghold located here[27]. But given that the hoard consisted of coins of very good preservation, dating back to the time period between 193/194 and 223 AD (28), it is premature to insist on this. Most likely, until new dating materials are obtained, year 223 should be considered only as a terminus post quern for the time of the demise of the Balaklava complex.

Moreover, it is unlikely that the treasure was hidden during one of the Crimean earthquakes, since such natural disasters occur suddenly and, as a rule, do not leave time for the equipment of places for storing valuables. Therefore, it is possible that the main reason for the destruction on the Heraclea Peninsula, as well as the death of the Roman stronghold on the territory of Balaklava, was not seismic activity, but rather the destruction of the city.

konov, L. L., On traces of ancient-time earthquakes in the west of the European Bosporus, RA. 1998. N 4. pp. 103-107, 112 el.

(20) Antonova I. A., Nikonov A. A. Traces of seismic impacts on the defensive structures of Chersonese / / Problems of seismic hazard in the Crimea. Sat. mater, conf. Sevastopol, 1995, p. 36.

(21) Antonova I. A. South-eastern section of the Chersonese defense / / KHSB. 1997. VIII. p. 68.

(22) IOSPE. I2. N 439.

(23) Guidoboni Ed.Е., Comastri A., Traina G. Catalogue of Ancient Earthquakes in the Mediterranean area up to the 10th Century. Roma, 1994. P. 240 f. N 123. In the epitaph from Amazia, which refers to this earthquake, Yu. G. Vinogradov (per litteras) considers it possible to reconstruct not bl [n] - 238 = 235-236 AD from the era of this center, the beginning of which refers to 3/2 BC (see Leschhorn W. Antike Aren. Stuttgart, 1993. S. 115-118), and BL [F] - 239, which corresponds to 236/7 AD.

(24) Vinogradov Yu. G. Late antique Bosporus and Early Byzantium (In the light of dated Bosporan inscriptions of the V century) / / VDI. 1998. N 1. p.243.

(25) Kovalevskaya L. A. Ceramic complex of the late II-first half of the III century AD from the excavations of Villa 341 / / KHSB. 1998. IX. p. 98.

(26) Savelya O. Ya. Raboty Sevastopolskoy expeditsii [Works of the Sevastopol expedition] / / Archeologicheskie issledovaniya v Krymu 1993 g. Simferopol, 1994. p. 237; on. Some results of the works of the Sevastopol archaeological expedition in the Chersonese region in 1990-1995 / / KHSB. 1996. VIII. p. 90; Alekseenko N. A., Filippenko A. A. Hoard of Roman denarii from Balaklava / / All-Russian numismatic Conference. Tez. dokl. SPb., 1994. p. 45 el.

(27) Зубар, Сарновський, Савеля. Decree. op. cit. p. 83; Sarnowski, Zubar, Savelja. Op. cit. P. 321-341; Filippenko A. A. Stroitel'nye keramicheskie materialy s pochekakh aislokai" rimskikh voisei, v Kadykovke i na vysota Kazatskaya [Building ceramic materials from the points of dislocation of the " Roman troops, in Kadykovka and at the height of the Cossack] / / KHSB. 1998. IX. p. 110; Sarnowski T., Savelja O. Das Dolichenum von Balaklawa und die Romischen Streitkrafte aufder Sudkrim / / Archeologia. 1998. XLIX. S. 15-54.

(28) Alekseyenko, Filippenko. Uk. op. p. 46.

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military actions of the barbarians, and in particular the Alans, who in the first half of the third century. defeated Scythian Naples and other Late Scythian settlements of the Crimea (29).

The published fragment of a Latin inscription from Chersonesus, which dates from 223-224, on the one hand, and a Latin inscription from 250, on the other, indicate changes that took place in the acquisition of the Chersonesus bill in the second quarter of the W century. Therefore, it is possible that in the second half of the 30s-the first half of the 40s of the third century, either before the earthquake or after it, the Roman military command withdrew the Roman garrison, formed from the military personnel of the XI Claudian Legion, not only from the ancient settlements of Alma-Kermen (30) and Charax (31), but Probably also from Chersonesos and its environs (32). It is possible that this happened during the reign of the soldier Emperor Maximin the Thracian (235-238), who, like other rulers of the empire who succeeded him on the throne, led active military operations against the Trans-Danubian barbarians,including the Sarmatians (33). But after a series of military actions carried out against the barbarians who threatened Moesia and Thrace (34), first by Philip the Arab (244-249), and then by Decius (249-251), around 250 the Roman garrison reappears in Chersonesus (35). But this time it was led by the centurion of the I Italian Legion, Marcus Ratinus Saturninus, under whose command the schola Principale was restored.

Naturally, the proposed historical reconstruction is not final and flawless. These are rather reflections and an attempt to use new epigraphic and archaeological material to reconstruct the history of Chersonesos and its environs in the first half-middle of the third century. At the same time, I would like to emphasize that new data on the Roman military presence in Chersonesos in the II - third quarter of the III century. They are still waiting for their in-depth research, and among them, the materials of the long-term excavations of the Chersonesus citadel, which are now being prepared for publication, play a primary role.

NEW DATA ABOUT THE ROMAN GARRISON IN CHERSONESUS IN THE 2nd HALF OF THE 3rd C. AD

V.M. Zuhar, I. A. Antonova

The article introduces a fragment of an epigraphical document unearthed in the 1998 excavation of Chersonesian Roman citadel. Considering the letter S at the end of the first line after the name of the XI Claudian Legion, the authors conjecture the honorable title of Severiana, awarded to that regiment between 222 and 234 AD. It means that before this time, unlike the situation in mid-3 c. AD, the Roman garrison was formed with the warriors of the XI Claudian Legion. Archaeological and epigraphical data make it possible to suppose that in 236-237 AD Roman citadel buildings and its fortifications were damaged by an earthquake which had its epicentre in Cappadocia and Pontus, but the destruction of buildings on the Heraclean Peninsula and in the territory of today's Balaklava were due to the barbarian activisation in the 1st half of the 3rd c. AD.

(29) Puzorovskii A. E. O sarmatiakh v Krymu [About the Sarmatians in the Crimea] / / MAIET. 1994. IV. P. 402; Zaitsev Yu. P. Khronologiya Neapolya Skifskogo //Antiquities of the Black Sea steppe and Crimea. Aibabin A. I. Problemy khronologii mogilnikov Krym pozdnerimskogo perioda [Problems of chronology of burial grounds of the Crimea of the Late Roman period]. SA. 1984. N 1.p. 118.

(30) Vysotskiya T. N. Late Scythians in the Southwestern Crimea. Kiev, 1972. pp. 58, 62.

(31) Rastashchen M. I. Roman garrisons on the Tavrichesky Peninsula. 1900. March, p. 156; Rostovtsev M. I. New Latin inscriptions from Chersonesus / / IAK. 1907. 23. p. 4.

(32) Зубар, Сирновський, Сивеля. Uk. op. p. 83; Vinogradov, Zubar, Antonova. Uk. soch. p. 78; Zubar. Severny Pont... p. 131.

(33) For details, see Remennikov A.M. The struggle of the tribes of the Northern Black Sea Region with Rome in the third century, Moscow, 1954, pp. 25-38; Aibibin A. I. Etnicheskaya istoriya rannevizantiiskogo Kryma: Avtoref ... dis. d-ra ist. nauk, St. Petersburg, 1998, p. 7.

(34) Zosim. I. 20. 1; Dexipp. 18; lord. Get.-90-93. For more information, see Remennikov. Uk. soch. p. 36-39; Budanonova V. P. Goths in the era of the Great Migration of peoples. Moscow, 1990. pp. 84-85.

(35) It is significant that, judging by the epigraphic monuments, in the middle of the third century a Roman garrison was also stationed in Olbia (IOSPE. I2. N 167).

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