C. Turranius 5

vol. VII A p.1440-1441

5) C. Turranius

Praefect of Egypt under Augustus. -- His name is mentioned both on the metrical inscription of Philae CIG III 4923 add. p. 1226 = Lepsius Denkm. aus Ägypten und Äthiopien XII 88, 255 = IGR I 1295, and also in the votive inscription from Mahemdiah, Compt. Rend. 1905, 608 = IGR I 1109 = Ann. ép. 1906, 51, as well as in many papyrus documents, <30> and indeed BGU IV 1) 1139. 2) 1140 (=Wilcken Chrest. 58). 3) 1197. 4) 1198. 5) 1199. 6) P. Lond. II 164, 354 (cf. S. XII). 7) P. Oxy. XII 1434. 8) Aegyptus 1933, 247f. = Preisigke-Bilabel Sammelb. V 7537. The inscription nr. 2 and the papyri, with the exception of nr. 3, give his first name; in inscription 2 he is described with the duty-title ἔπαρχος τῆς Αἰγύπτου, as well as ἡγεμών in pap. 2-4, ἁγεμών in the metrical inscription, and in the rest he is without a title. The inscription from Philae shows us that he already stood at the head of Egypt in the year 7 BCE (8th March), <40> pap. 5 tells us that he remained there at least until the year 4 BCE (4th June); as well as this, pap. 1 is dated to the year 6/5. pap. 4 in 5/4, and both of the inscriptions on 8th Jan. 4 BCE; pap. 2 doesn’t bear any date, but it’s on the same sheet as the text from BGU IV 1130, a document which is dated to 14th February 4 BCE.

It could seem strange to identify him with the C. Turranius praefectus annonae in the year 14 CE (Tac. ann. I 7). <50> For, the management of grain is a lower-ranking duty than that of a praefectus of Egypt, and as well as this, he would have taken on the second of these offices around 17 years later. Nevertheless, this identification is at any case possible, and indeed even probable. For, Sen. dial. X 20, 3 speaks of a Turannius (in the authoritative cod. Ambros styrannius is given), who held a procuratio even after the age of 90, <60> but was replaced by the emperor Gaius (37-41) in this office, because of which he was deeply offended and had himself mourned as dead for as long as it took for his position to be given back. Hence, even in the year 48 CE, we meet a rei frumentariae praefectum Turranium (Tac. ann. XI 31). He must have been around 100 years old at this time. <page break 1441/1442> Though, perhaps Dessau’s appealing conjecture (Prosop. Imp. Rom. III 344, 297) has got the right idea - that Seneca describes him as being 90 years old in the time of the emperor Gaius, whereas he actually only reached that age when he died (in the year 48 or soon afterwards). Then, he would have become the praefect of Egypt around age 35. -- I no longer wish to accept the claim (A. Stein Röm. Ritterstand 389) that he is “probably identical” with Turranius Gracilis (nr. 7), <10> since otherwise his cognomen wouldn’t have been left out in the inscriptions and papyrus documents, but the slave who later came into the possession of the emperor, and then gained the name Turranianus, was likely assigned to him, CIL VI 5873.

[Stein.]