Ausonius comes sacrii consistorii, vir spectabilis

U Podstrani kod Splita otkriven je fragment veoma važnog natpisa u kojem se utvrđuju neke zemljišne odredbe, što je očito predmet spora između nepoznatih sporitelja. Natpis je objavio M. Zaninović u dva istovjetna rada. Zaninovićevu čitanju i tumačenju autor donosi nekoliko dodataka i poboljšica. Novost je što se donošenje odluke pripisuje Juliju Auzoniju, prefektu pretorija čitavog Ilirika i članu carskog vijeća te savjetniku za Dalmacije (dvije). Riječ je o ocu velikog rimskog pjesnika Decima Maksima Ausonija, čijim je zalaganjem i otac, po profesiji liječnik, dobio važnu političku funkciju. Predmet spora po svoj je prilici nekadašnje imanje Lucija Artorija Kasta, znamenite vojne i civilne ličnosti, jer je velik i važan natpis potonjega nađen u neposrednoj blizini. Tako je Artorijev natpis logično povezati uz ovaj koji spominje Julija Ausonija. Po svoj prilici Artorijevo imanje predmet je spora nakon što su izumrli njegovi potomci. Auzonijev natpis pouzdano se datira u razdoblje 375. – 378., kad je obnašao funkciju prefekta iliričkog pretorija u Sirmiju.Some hundered meters northern of the church St. Martin a fragment of a very important inscription, was found at Podstrana in central Dalmatia in 1976. Now it is walled in the enclosure of thefence of Banić family house.The inscription has the smooth border and vertical deviding line of the margine. The letters of the text are rather regularly cut in the late antique style. The fragment is 0, 35 m h. and 0, 54 m b. The right side of the inscription is broken. Obviously only one to three letters are missing. The upper and lower part of the monument are also missing. M. Zaninović who published the inscription reads it as follows: suis (?) i[tem ?] / ius negabatur ve[nandi vel veniendi?] / nunc temoribus pe[s] / simis vir spectabili[s]../ Ausonius comis sac[ri]/ consistorii et/ Dalmat[ia]/ rum consulens pe[rfe] / ctissimus / que]m ho[norem ...........................]. The deciphering of the epigraph reveals not many difficulties. Unfortunately it is not known how many lines are missing. As it seems the first letter could not be S but Q according to the form of its lower part. This comes out from the comparison of theshape of the letter S in other lines. If really it is so, the letter Q opens new possibilities of interpretation of the inscription character. Quis insead of suis suggests the following reading: si ]quis, which better suits to the inscription subject which is a kind of warning to the possible violator of the owner’s low of possession. After that the name and the function of Ausonius , the comes sacri constistorii and consulens Dalmatiarum. Which kind of the juridical matter was the problem was in question, is not known, but very likely the exclusive right of proprietorship. Obviously, the conflict was very hard when Ausonius, comes sacri consistori bearing status title vir spectabilis took the part in the law-suit. M. Zaninović even in the title of his work mentioned that Ausonius is the new and until now not known governor of the Roman province of Dalmatia and the member of the emperor’s council responsible fot both Dalmatiae (consulens Dalmatiarum). Who was this Ausonius mentioned in Podstrana inscription? Zaninović assumed, as we have seen, that he was the unknown governor of Roman Dalmatia. However, he must be one of two very well known Ausonii. The first is Julius Ausonius (cca 290 to 378), the physician of Greek descent from Bordeaux while the second is his son the great Latin poet of 4th century AD Decimius Magnus Ausonius born in 310. also in Burdigala who died cca 395 in his native town. The latter, when Gratian became the emperor in 375 AD helped his family in obtaining many high honours and functions. Ausonius younger was appointed to the function of the pretorian prefect of Gaul. His father who was only about twenty years older than son and having almost ninety years was given the service of the pretorian parefect of the large region of Illyricum. The army in Britain during its apprisal in 383. killed Gratian in Lugudunum, Valentinian II was banished from Italy, while the younger Auspnius withdew to the native city where he lived until his death. His father died in 378. So it is very likely that the Ausonius father (Julius Ausonius) as the person in charge had to take the decision having also special responsability for Dalmatia. So, in the case that really the older Ausonius was in question. The inscription though must belong to the period between 375 and 378 AD. The see of the governor of Illyricum was Sirmium (Pannonia) which was transferred to Thessalonica in Greece after the death of Gratian. The reading of Podstrana inscription is follwing: si] qvis i[tem]/ivs negabatvr ve[nandi/nvnc temporibvs p[es]/simis vir spectabilis]/Ausonius comis sacr[i] consistorii et Dalmatia/rvm consvlens per[/fectissimvs praefectvs (praetorio) Illyrici ...vm ho..... As it seems the last, fragmentarily preserved line should not be deciphered as: quem honorem since only the letters vm and ho, which could not be read as quem honorem as was assemed by Zaninović. The phrase temporibus pessimis is not quite clear since it could refer to the general bad situation in the empire. But, it should rather allud to the bad local relationships in the land registry at Podstrana (Pituntium). The Podstrana epigraph is a clear evidence of the A. Demandt’s conjecture was wrong that Julius Ausonius did not enter the service of praefectus praetorio because of his old age supposing. However, this Dalmatian agrarian conflict clearly required the full engagement of the consulens Dalmatiarum in person. Since the fragment was discovered on the estate of Lucius Artorius Castus, an outstanding person who, after rich military and civil career, lived and died at Podstrana. His burial areal was partly found at Podstrana including two epitaphs from the early 3rd century AD. The discovery site of Ausonius’ inscription indicates that the cadastral problem was related to the ex Castus’ possession. Big mill for making olive oil is now in the Castus burial areal near the church of St. Martin. As far as I know it is the bigest mill found in Dalmatia testifying to the intensive oil production and the value of the esate and the possible inheritence of it