Abinnaeus

Flavius Abinnaeus (in Abinnaïos Greek) was an officer of cavalry in the Roman Armée with the IVème century which made all its career in Egypt (and in Sudan).

Its career

Probably born towards 286, it entered the army after 305 and was used 33 years for the vexillation of Parthusagittarii (archers parthes) based in high Egypt with Diospolis (Louxor). It reached the ranks of protector then of ducénaire, without effective command. In 337 - 338 it was indicated by the count of the files Senecion to accompany with him a delegation by the people by the Blemmyes near the emperor Constance II with Constantinople.

With Constantinople it was allowed with the ceremony of the Adoration of Crimson (presentation with the emperor), which was a promotion.

It then accepted the mission of accompanying back the delegates of the Blemmyes on their premises and to remain there. There remained 3 years to represent the Empire near the Blemmyes, until in 340 - 341.

It then raised in Thébaïde (province of high-Egypt, around Louxor) a body of recruits which it led in 341 to Hiérapolis, in Cilicie or Syria, near the emperor Constance II which concentrated there troops in preparation for the war against Persians of Shapour II.

The emperor granted a leave (what exempted it to take part in the countryside against Persians) and a promotion to him. He was named by “crowned letter” (i.e. imperial patent) praefectus (prefect) of the Ala V Praelectorum (5th Wing of Elite) based in Dionysias (Qasr Qarun) in the province of Egypt.

Abinnaeus thus went to be presented to the count Valacius, his new superior, but had to battle firm to obtain its new command indeed. The office of the count answered him initially that the station was not vacant because other officers had already obtained it by similar letters. Abinnaeus was thus addressed to the services of the emperor, to put forward the fact that its direct nomination by the emperor had priority compared to nominations obtained on recommendation of “owners”. The step was crowned success.

From 342 Abinnaeus thus ordered as prefect the 5th Wing of Elite. It was about a small unit of cavalry, which one is unaware of precise manpower (a hundred men?) installed in the fort of Dionysias (Qasr Qarun).

Undoubtedly under the pressure of other officers who aimed this station (and under that their influential owners), the count raised it of his command in 344. He remade the voyage from Constantinople to obtain services of the emperor the confirmation of his assignment, which he obtained. It will order the fort of Dionysias until 351, date on which it took its retirement of the army. He went to settle in Philadelphia (Rubayyat), a small town with the other end of the Fayoum, where were discovered its files with the XIXe century.

Missions of the 5th Wing of Elite

The missions of the 5th Wing of Elite are known by the personal records of Abinnaeus which cover years 242 to 251.

The town of Dionysias is located at the Western end of the depression of the Fayoum, which one named at the time names Arsinoïte. The unit was based in a fort of believed bricks, approximately 80 X 90 m, provided with projecting square towers to the semicircular angles and turns in the center of the curtains or framing the door, built under Dioclétien in the west of the old Pharaonic temple of the god-crocodile Sobek. This fort looks towards the libyque desert, and its function is to protect the city, but also all the area which extends towards the east, of the Bedouin raids coming from the desert.

The files of Abinnaeus never refer to raids of nomads, nor with traditional military operations. The prefect was to provide and to order itself of the detachments to the intendant of the imperial fields for the collection of the taxes in names. But its principal activity seems well to be limited to tasks of police force or gendarmerie. One came to carry felt sorry for at Abinnaeus for flight or aggravated assault, that it is against X or hooligans designated by name (certain Apion appears in several complaints), or against the abuses of power that the proper men of the prefect allow themselves. According to the stereotyped formula of the lodges of a complaint, it was up to the prefect to transmit them to the services of the duke, person in charge of the maintenance of law and order at the provincial level.

Its family

Abinnaeus was probably Christian. One can suppose it according to the tone of a letter which Kaor addresses to him, Christian priest of the city close to Hermopolis (document 32), which calls it “Lord and very dear brother”. No pagan god is mentioned in his files, where one finds mentioned “God” with many recoveries.

Its family was not particularly rich, but Abinnaeus had a house with Alexandria, which it had put in hiring. He was married and father of two, perhaps of three children. His wife was called Nonna known as Polyetion , a citizen of Alexandria. She seems came same social environment that, had to him on its side of the good with Alexandria like in the small town of Philadelphia in the Fayoum, where the family will take her retirement. They had at least two wire, Constantius and Domnus , perhaps more because Nonna had the juice trium liberorum (statute of mother of three children). The family had slaves, since one found sale contracts of slaves with Nonna. One knows at least their slave domesticates Palas . Abinnaeus had moreover an affected soldier with his service, some Syrus .

Files of Abinnaeus

Abinnaeus had taken care to classify and preserve its files on papyruses, which were discovered in a fortuitous way by peasants at the end of the XIXe century. Arrived in two batches on the market of antiquities to Cairo in 1892 and Medinet el-Fayum in 1893, they are preserved today at the library of the University of Geneva and the British Library of London. They were published that in 1962.

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