BITHYNIA. Nicomedia. Elagabalus, 218-222. Weight of 1 Litra (Lead, 98 mm, 504.00 g, 12 h), Claudius Aelius Pollio, legatus pro praetore of Pontus and Bithynia, Aurelius (?) Domitius Arignotos (?), the logistes of the city, and Lucius Statius Alkimos, the agoranomos of the city. RY 3 (?) = 219/20. ETOYΣ [Γ] / AYTOKPATOPOΣ / KAIΣAPOΣ M [AYPH]/ΛIO[C] ANT[Ⲱ]NEI/N૪ EYΣ[E]B[૪ EYTY]X[૪] / ΣEB[ACTO૪ AP]XIEPE/ⲰC ME[ΓICTO૪] Δ[H]MAP/XIKHC EZ[૪ΣIAΣ] / TO ΔEYTEPON ΠATHP / ΠATPIΔOΣ ANΘ[Y]ΠATOΣ in twelve lines. Rev. YΠATEYONTOΣ / THΣ EΠAPXEI/AΣ•Γ•AIΛIO૪ KΛAYΔI૪ / ΠΩΛΛI[ΩNOΣ] KAI ΛΟΓ/ΣΤEYONTOΣ A[YPHΛ]IOY ΔOMITIOY APIΓ[... ΦΛ]ABIANOY AΓOPANOMONTOΣ Λ૪/KIOY ΣTATIOY AΛ/KIMOY • ΛEI/TPA AΓOPAI in ten lines. Pondera -, cf. 13358 = Leu 7 (2020), 2006 (another weight of Claudius Aelius Pollio, but with different civic magistrates). Unpublished and unique, a highly interesting weight. Pierced and with minor scuffs, otherwise, very fine.



The legate Claudius Aelius Pollio is a particularly intriguing figure. Cassius Dio reports that he began his career as an ordinary centurio and rose to prominence in 218, when he arrested Diadumenian at Zeugma, thereby preventing Macrinus’ son from escaping to the Parthians (Cass. Dio 79.40). This display of loyalty to the Severan cause greatly accelerated Pollio’s advancement: to Dio’s indignation, he was rewarded with elevation to the senatorial order and was even appointed governor of Pontus-Bithynia and Germania Superior ('As for Avitus [i.e. Elagabalus], he appointed Pollio to govern … Germany … since Pollio had very …ly subdued Bithynia,' Cass. Dio 80.3).

Pollio’s meteoric rise was one of several measures seized upon by contemporary historians to discredit the supposedly dissolute rule of Elagabalus and his entourage. Herodian, almost certainly thinking of Pollio, even alleges that the emperor appointed slaves and freedmen as proconsular governors (Herod. 5.7.8), a claim for which no evidence exists.

Until the appearance of the weight published in Leu 7 (2020), 2006, it had long been assumed that this social upstart served as governor of Pontus - Bithynia early in Elagabalus’ reign. However, that weight - dated to 23 September-9 December 220 (the Bithynian year beginning on 23 September) - demonstrates that this was not necessarily the case. His departure from the province must therefore be placed in late 220/1, while his tenure as legate of Germania Superior, confirmed by an honorary inscription from Mogontiacum (CIL XIII 6807), can now be assigned to 221/222.

Unfortunately, the reading of the year on our new weight is uncertain. However, since we know of another weight dated to year Β that names Q. Junius Decimus Quintianus as governor (Pondera 2401), the most plausible reading here is Γ = year 3 = 219/20. The weight also records two otherwise unattested civic magistrates: Aurelius (?) Domitius Arignotos (?), serving as logistes, and Lucius Statius Alkimos, the agoranomos of the city. Interestingly, a weight dating to 244/5 (Pondera 3714) names Statius Aelius Nicomedianos Alkimos as agoranomos, who must have been either a brother or a son of Lucius.