Hadrian's Speeches to the African Army

This book is written by a German scholar (Michael P. Speidel) and published by a German publisher (RGZM or Römisch-Germanisches Zentralmuseum), but the text is in English. It is not a biography of Hadrian. It is an academic treatise in which the author tries to reconstruct a long Latin inscription which is only partially preserved. Let me explain:

In AD 128 the Roman Emperor Hadrian travelled to Africa. On or around 1 July he visited the military camp in Lambaesis (today this place is called Lambeze-Tazoult, and it is in Algeria). He addressed the soldiers of the third legion (in Latin: Legio III Augusta) and the auxiliary units attached to the legion. The Latin word for the emperor’s address to the troops is adlocutio.

Hadrian’s speeches were carved in stone to be preserved for posterity. The text was carved on the corner pillars of a viewing platform (or tribunal) placed in the middle of a parade and exercise ground located two kilometres west of the camp. The parade ground – sometimes erroneously referred to as “the western camp” - is a square area which measures 200 x 200 meters. On page 4 Speidel writes about the platform:

“A square base about two meters high with sides four-and-a-half meters long, the viewing platform was topped by a Corinthian column, nine meters tall, perhaps crowned by a statue of Hadrian.”

Maybe Hadrian was standing on this platform when he addressed the troops.

Each corner pillar consisted of four marble blocks. So the total number of blocks was 16. Each block was inscribed on the two sides facing outward. So the whole text covered 32 fields. On page 21 Speidel explains the layout of the text:

“The numbering runs from top to bottom, proceeding toward the right around the monument [i.e. counter-clockwise], hence fields 1-8 are on the east side, 9-16 on the north, 17-24 on the west, and 25-32 on the south.”

After the fall of Roman Africa, the column crashed and the platform crumbled. But when the French arrived around 1850, parts of the column were still lying on the ground, and the platform was still visible. During the following years stone thieves removed much of the marble. But some parts of the monument still survive. On page 5 Speidel explains what remains:

“Today both platform and column are gone; yet four of the sixteen inscribed blocks survive, as do over a hundred small fragments: enough to recover a good part of Hadrian’s speeches.”

For fifty years the stones have been in Algiers, but not on display in a museum, in a storage room. For some reason the Algerian authorities do not want to give scholars access to them. Therefore this work is based on photos which were taken and drawings which were made more than fifty years ago. On page 24 Speidel writes:

“It will be a good day for the study of classical antiquity and world military history when Algerians come to see their country’s past as a source of pride, and when they will see students of these stones as scholars shedding light on their history.”

One chapter (pp. 7-20) is called “Text and translation.” This chapter is divided into three parts: (a) dedication; (b) the legion, fields 1-16; and (c) the auxiliary units, fields 17-32. Here we have the whole text – the Latin original and an English translation – as far as is possible.

Another chapter (pp. 25-87) is called “Restoring the text and its meaning.” This chapter is divided into four parts: (a) the dedication; (b) the legion; (c) the auxiliary units; and (d) unplaced fragments. Here Speidel explains his readings and his interpretations of the text. This chapter is illustrated with photos and drawings of the stones.

Speidel explains his readings and his interpretations of the text very well. He refers frequently to earlier scholars, who have studied this text, and explains why he does not always agree with them. He tries with diligence and patience to place each fragment in its proper place, but in many cases it is impossible to know where it belongs because many fragments are too small.

If you do not know anything about Latin, this book is probably not for you. There is a lot of Latin here. This is unavoidable, since the task is to reconstruct a Latin text. However, if you take the time read this book and study the illustrations, you will have a chance to see a historian (or an archaeologist) in action. This fascinating case is like a giant jig saw puzzle. You may be able to fit some of the many pieces together, but since we do not have all the pieces, it is impossible to complete the picture.

This book was reviewed by Brian Campbell (Queen’s University of Belfast) in the Journal of Roman Studies, volume 98, 2008, pp. 209-210. Campbell does not accept every point, but praises the book in general. His review concludes with these words:

“Speidel has certainly achieved his principal objective in establishing what should now become the standard text for this speech; as the basis for all future study it will assuredly encourage fresh study of the training and structure of the Roman army.”

I have to mention one perplexing mistake. The introduction on page 3 claims that Hadrian ruled from 117 to 139. But Hadrian died in 138. An almost identical text (with the same mistake) is printed on the back cover of the book.

Hadrian’s speeches to the African army are the only extant example of an adlocutio, the Roman emperor’s address to the troops. The text is broken by several gaps. We will probably never find the whole text. But Speidel comes a long way with the bits and pieces that we have. His book is recommended for the reader who wants to learn about Hadrian and his visit to Africa as well as the structure and tactics of the Roman army.

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Michael P. Speidel,

Emperor Hadrian's speeches to the African Army: a new Text,

RGZM, Mainz, 2006, format 21 x 30 cm, 106 pages

 

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