Lucius Artorius Castus (fl. 2nd century) was a military commander of ancient Rome, suggested by some as the historical basis for King Arthur. Artorius was a Roman gens (gens Artoria). ... Floruit (or fl. ... The 2nd century is the period from 101 - 200 in accordance with the Julian calendar in the Christian Era. ... This article or section may contain original research or unverified claims. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

Life according to sources

What we know of Artorius comes from inscriptions on fragments of a sarcophagus, and a memorial plaque, both found in Podstrana on the Dalmatian coast. Although undated, the likely time period of the sarcophagus (before 200), combined with the inscription's mention of Artorius being a dux, suggests that he was the unnamed commander of a 185 expedition to Armorica mentioned by Herodian. Inscriptions are words or letters written, engraved, painted, or otherwise traced on a surface and can appear in contexts both small and monumental. ... Stone sarcophagus of Pharaoh Merenptah Detail of a stone sarcophagus in the Istanbul Archeological Museum showing a hunting scene Anthropoid sarcophagus discovered at Cádiz A sarcophagus is a stone container for a coffin or body. ... Podstrana is a municipality in Croatia in the Split-Dalmatia county. ... Map of Croatia with Dalmatia highlighted Dalmatia (Croatian: Dalmacija Serbian: Далмација) is a region on the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea, in modern Croatia, spreading between the island of Rab in the northwest and the Gulf of Kotor (Boka Kotorska) in the southeast. ... Dux is Latin for leader (from the verb ducere, to lead) and could refer to anyone who commanded troops, such as tribal leaders. ... For other uses, see number 185. ... Armorica or Aremorica is the name given in ancient times to the part of Gaul that includes the Brittany peninsula and the territory between the Seine and Loire rivers, extending inland to an indeterminate point and down the Atlantic coast. ... For the grammarian, see Aelius Herodianus. ...

As a member of the gens Artoria he was likely a native of Campania, a region of Southern Italy. According to the inscription, Artorius was a centurion of the Legio III Gallica, then moved to VI Ferrata, then to V Macedonica, where he was promoted to primus pilus. He was then made praepositus of the classis Misenensis (the Bay of Naples fleet), followed by a position as praefectus of the VI Victrix. Campania is a region of Southern Italy, bordering on Lazio to the north-west, Molise to the north, Puglia to the north-east, Basilicata to the east, and the Tyrrhenian Sea to the west. ... Centurion can mean: In the military: Centurion (Roman army), a professional officer of the Roman army who commanded a large amount of men. ... Legio III Gallica was a Roman legion levied by Julius Caesar around 49 BC, for his civil war against the conservative republicans led by Pompey. ... Legio VI Ferrata (Ironclad) was a Roman legion. ... This coin was issued by Roman emperor Gallienus to celebrate the V Macedonica, whose symbol, the eagle, is crowned of wrath by Victoria. ... See also Legion software and Legion forummer. ... The Roman Navy (Latin: Classis) operated between the First Punic war and the end of the Western Roman Empire. ... Gulf of Naples is located in Southern Italy. ... The word prefect can refer to any of a number of types of official, including: in Latin, a praefectus was a high-ranking military or civil official in the Roman Empire. ... Legio VI Victrix (Victorious) was a Roman legion founded by Octavian in 41 BC. It was the twin legion of VI Ferrata and perhaps held veterans of that legion, and some soldiers kept to the traditions of the Caesarian legion. ...

The VI Victrix was based in Britain from c. 122. Artorius likely participated in the guarding of Hadrian's Wall. It has been suggested that this was possibly from Bremetennacum with a contingent of Sarmatians, but there is no clear evidence for this. When VI Victrix mutinied, Artorius seems to have remained loyal, since Pertinax soon after promoted him to dux and sent him to Armorica with several cohorts of cavalry, where he was successful in suppressing an uprising. Events Roman Emperor Hadrian orders that a 72-mile wall be built in northern Britain. ... // Hadrians Wall (Latin: Vallum Hadriani) was a stone and turf fortification built by the Roman Empire across the width of Great Britain to prevent military raids by the tribes of Scotland to the north, to improve economic stability and provide peaceful conditions in the Roman province of Britannia to... Map sources for Ribchester at grid reference SD649353 Ribchester is a village in Lancashire, England near the towns of Blackburn and Preston. ... Sarmatia Europæa separated from Sarmatia Asiatica by the Tanais (the River Don), based on Greek literary sources, in a map printed in London, ca 1770. ... Pertinax (Archaeological museum, Antakya) Publius Helvius Pertinax (August 1, 126 - March 28, 193) was proclaimed Roman Emperor the morning following the assassination of Commodus on December 31, AD 192. ... Cohort may mean: Cohort (military unit), a Roman legion. ...

Artorius then retired from the army and became procurator centenaris (governor) of Liburnia, a part of Dalmatia. Nothing further is known certainly of him, although the father of Cassius Dio was governor of Dalmatia while Artorius was in Liburnia, and some of the material in Dio's history may have come from Artorius directly. Liburnia (recent Croatian Kvarner, Italian Quarnero) in ancient geography was the land of the Liburnians, a region along the northeastern Adriatic coast in Europe, actual Croatia, whose borders shifted according to the extent of Liburnian dominance at a given time between 11th and 1st century BC. // Liburnia was south of... Dio Cassius Cocceianus (155–after 229), known in English as Dio Cassius or Cassius Dio, was a noted Roman historian and public servant. ...

Identification with King Arthur

The possibility of Artorius as Arthur was first suggested by Kemp Malone in 1924. Although Artorius was not contemporaneous with the Saxon invasions of Britain in the 5th century, it is possible that he was remembered in local tales and legends that grew in the retelling. A bronze Arthur in plate armour with visor raised and with jousting shield wearing Kastenbrust armour (early 15c). ... Kemp Malone (Minter, Massachusetts, March 14, 1889—October 13, 1971) was a prolific medievalist, etymologist, philologist, and specialist in Chaucer who was lecturer and then professor of English Literature at Johns Hopkins University from 1924 to 1956. ... 1924 (MCMXXIV) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Europe in 450 The 5th century is the period from 401 - 500 in accordance with the Julian calendar in the Christian Era. ...

Artorius is identified with King Arthur in the 2004 movie King Arthur (which moved him forwards 300 years to become a contemporary of the Saxons) and the 2005 PC game Barbarian Invasion. 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... A movie poster for King Arthur. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Rome: Total War is a grand strategy computer game where players fight historical and fictious battles during the era of the Roman Republic, from 270 BCE to 14 CE. The game was developed by Creative Assembly and released on September 22, 2004. ...

External links

• 1999 article about Lucius Artorius Castus in The Heroic Age, part 1 and 2