Lucius Artorius Castus (fl. 2nd century AD) was a Roman military commander. A member of the gens Artoria, he has been suggested as a potential historical basis for King Arthur, although this connection is no longer considered feasible.
Name and origin The origins of Lucius Artorius Castus and his name are obscure. Celtic, Messapian, Etruscan, and Greek origins/etymologies have been suggested.Zimmer, Stefan. "The Name of Arthur–A New Etymology." Journal of Celtic Linguistics 13.1 (2009): 131-136.Prósper, Blanca María, "Language change at the crossroads: What Celtic, what Venetic, and what else in the personal names of Emona?", Voprosy Onomastiki, Vol. 16, Núm. 4, 2019, pp. 33-73 [p. 48]
It has been theorized that the Latin name Artorius is a Latinized form of the Celtic patronym *Arto-rīg-ios. It has also been derived from the reconstructed Proto-Celtic word arto-wiros. Either way, Celtic is considered the most likely language of origin, especially considering the frequency of *Arto- in other Celtic names. The fact that the name Artorius was first recorded in the context of the Second Punic War (218 to 201 BC), is consistent with its originating in the Gaulish-speaking regions of Northern Italy, which were conquered by the Roman Empire in the 3rd century BC. Other sources support that the name has an Etruscan etymology, a derivative of the common Etruscan name Arnth.
Yet another theory proposes that the Artorii were Greeks from somewhere in, or near, Achaea, which is where the settlers of Magna Graecia initially came from (perhaps Arta, north of Achaea; as such, Artorius would be interpreted as "Man from Arta"). This seems to be supported by several inscriptions found near Rome. Either way, according to this theory, the Artorii might have come originally from somewhere in Greece, from where they were forced to flee by one of several Celtic incursions, as the earliest generations of Artorii tended to have Greek cognomens (e.g. Asclepiades, Geminus, Antiochus, Zethus, Stephanus), the prevalence of which can be dated back to the time of the Roman Republic. The men of the Artorii were often named after famous Greek scholars, while the women were usually named after important Greek women or cities, when they had a cognomen at all.
The fact that the two known inscriptions mentioning Castus were found in Dalmatia, led some scholars to believe that he was a native of the region. However, it is now certain that he was born in Italy, in particular in the Neapolitan hinterland, where several other Artorii were also attested in inscriptions.
Identification with King Arthur In 1924, Kemp Malone was the first to suggest the possibility that Lucius Artorius Castus was the inspiration for the figure of Arthur in medieval European literature.Malone, Kemp. "Artorius," Modern Philology 22 (1924) pp. 367ff. More recent champions have included authors C. Scott Littleton and Linda Malcor. The hypothesis has been heavily criticized by prominent Arthurian scholars due to the historical Artorius Castus having very little in common with the Arthurian legends and the arguments relying excessively on speculation and wishful thinking.Barber, Richard, The Figure of Arthur, Longman, 1972. pp. 37-38.Gidlow, Christopher, Revealing King Arthur: Swords, Stones and Digging for Camelot, The History Press, 2011, p. 161.
Due to the significant differences between the persons and careers of the historical Lucius Artorius Castus and the traditional King Arthur, the consensus of mainstream historians is that it is very unlikely the former inspired the latter. For example, Lucius Artorius Castus was not contemporaneous with the Saxon invasions of Britain in the 5th century CE which gave rise to the Arthurian legends, and some of the earliest written references to Arthur are of him fighting against the Saxons. The strongest link between them may be the extended family or clan name Artorius which may have developed into the personal name Arthur, but this does not necessarily mean Lucius Artorius Castus himself inspired the legends. The possibility, however unlikely or remote, is nonetheless real that he was remembered in local tales that grew in the retelling. No definitive proof, however, has yet been established that Lucius Artorius Castus was the "real" King Arthur.Higham, Nicholas J., King Arthur: The Making of the Legend, Yale University Press, 2018, pp. 13-76
+ Comparison of Lucius Artorius Castus and King Arthur Lucius Artorius Castus King Arthur Floruit 2nd century CE. Traditionally assigned to the late 5th or early 6th century CE. Name Artorius is LAC's extended family or clan name, his nomen gentile. Lucius is his praenomen or personal name, while Castus is his cognomen, his direct family name and closest to the modern concept of a surname, so he would have been more directly known as Castus instead of Artorius (cf. Gaius Julius Caesar, who is more often referred to as Caesar instead of Julius). Arthur is potentially derived from Latin Artorius, but a Celtic origin is also possible. Treated as a native Welsh personal name in medieval Latin texts, where it is either left as Arthur or rendered as Art[h]urus, never as Artorius (the form Arturius also appears as a rendering of the Irish name Artúr, later Artuir, which is cognate to if not borrowed from the Welsh Arthur). Ethnicity The Artorii family have roots in Italy, potentially of Messapic or Etruscan origin; LAC might have been born to a branch of the family that settled in Dalmatia. Traditionally linked in Welsh literature and genealogies to the British nobility of Cornwall. Religion Unknown; dedications to the Di Manes, as found on LAC's tomb, are found in both pagan and Christian inscriptions in the 3rd century CE. At the very least, nominally Christian – according to the Historia Brittonum he bore an image of the Blessed Virgin Mary on his shoulders in one of his battles, while according to the Annales Cambriae he bore the Cross of Jesus Christ on his shoulders (some scholars believe "shoulders" is a mistake for "shield" due to the authors who wrote in Latin confusing the Welsh words for them). Military Status High-ranking, career officer in the Roman army; served in the infantry as a centurion, and late in his career (likely as an older man), he served as Camp Prefect in Britain, and finally as Dux Legionum ("Duke of Legions") in a single military campaign. Associated with knights (an anachronism) and cavalry. In the medieval Latin of the Historia Brittonum, Arthur is called a miles, "mounted warrior, armed horseman" (a shift in meaning of miles from older Classical Latin, in which the word meant "professional soldier, common soldier, private, low-ranking foot soldier"D'A. J. D. Boulton, "Classic Knighthood as Nobiliary Dignity", in: Stephen Church, Ruth Harvey (ed.), Medieval knighthood V: papers from the sixth Strawberry Hill Conference 1994, Boydell & Brewer, 1995, pp. 41–100.Frank Anthony Carl Mantello, A. G. Rigg, Medieval Latin: an introduction and bibliographical guide, UA Press, 1996, p. 448.Charlton Thomas Lewis, An elementary Latin dictionary, Harper & Brothers, 1899, p. 505.). Also, in the Historia Brittonum, Arthur is called dux belli (alternately dux bellorum in some MSS), "leader of the battle(s)" (specifically, the 12 battles that he fought with the aid of the British kings against the Saxons), but this is a conventional Latin phrase and does not indicate that Arthur held the military title of Dux in a Post-Roman British army (in fact, non-Roman war leaders are sometimes called dux belli/bellorum in ancient Latin texts, including the biblical hero Joshua, in the Latin Vulgate Bible). In later medieval Welsh sources he is called both "emperor" and "king" (the latter title preferred in medieval Arthurian Romance). British Battles During battle, Camp Prefects normally remained at their unit's base with the reserve troops, so it is unlikely that LAC fought while in Britain. LAC later oversaw an expedition of troops with some sort of British connection, either to Gaul or Armenia. In the 9th century Historia Brittonum, Arthur, along with the British kings, fought 12 battles in Britain against the invading Saxons, and Arthur allegedly slew many hundreds of Saxons by his own hand (the exact number differs in the various manuscripts). In later texts (such as the 11th century Life of St. Goeznovius and the 12th century Historia Regum Britanniae), Arthur is stated to have fought battles in Gaul as well as in Britannia. Death Unknown date and circumstances; probably died at an advanced age, potentially during his procuratorship of Liburnia (where he was buried). In Welsh literature, traditionally stated to have died during the Battle of Camlann (of unknown location in Britain); his burial site was unknown to medieval Welsh.
Legacy In the film King Arthur, Lucius Artorius Castus is partially identified with King Arthur. The film asserts that Arthur's Roman name was "Artorius Castus", and that Artorius was an ancestral name derived from that of a famous leader. His floruit ("prime time") is, however, pushed a few centuries later so that he is made a contemporary of the invading Saxons in the 5th century CE. This would be in agreement with native Welsh tradition regarding Arthur, although his activities are placed many decades or sometimes centuries earlier than the medieval sources assign to him. As a research consultant for the film King Arthur (2004), Linda Malcor's hypotheses regarding Lucius Artorius Castus were the primary inspiration for the screenplay.Matthews, John, "An Interview with David Franzoni", in: Arthuriana, Volume 14, Number 3, Fall 2004, pp. 115–120
Lucius Artorius Castus plays an important role with the character Askeladd in the Japanese manga Vinland Saga. In the prologue of the series, the main antagonist Askeladd is noted to be a descendant of Artorius Castus through his Welsh mother. Lucius Artorius Castus is described as being the person that the legend of King Arthur was based on.
Inscriptions and military career
What little is known of Lucius Artorius Castus comes from inscriptions on fragments of a sarcophagus, and a memorial plaque, found in Podstrana, on the Dalmatian coast in Croatia. Although the inscriptions cannot be precisely dated, Castus probably served in the Roman army some time between the mid-late 2nd century ADPflaum, H.-G. Les Carrières procuratoriennes équestres sous le Haut-Empire romain, 3 vols. Paris, Librairie Orientaliste Paul Geuthner, 1960, pp. 535 ff. or early to mid-3rd century AD.Ritterling, E. "Legio", RE XII, 1924, col. 106.Gilliam, J. Frank. "The Dux Ripae at Dura", Transactions and Proceedings of the American Philological Association, Vol. 72, The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1941, p. 163.
First inscription The memorial inscription, which was broken into two pieces at some point prior to the 19th century and set into the wall of the Church of St Martin in Podstrana, Croatia, reads (note that "7" is a rendering of the symbol used by scribes to represent the word centurio; ligatured letters are indicated with underlines):
D...............................M L ARTORI[.........]STVS 7 LEG III GALLICAE ITE[....]G VI FERRA TAE ITEM 7 LEG II AD[....]TEM 7 LEG V M C ITEM P P EIVSDEM [...] PRAEPOSITO CLASSIS MISENATIVM [..]AEFF LEG VI VICTRICIS DVCI LEGG [...]M BRITANICI MIARVM ADVERSVS ARM[....]S PROC CENTE NARIO PROVINCIAE LI[....] GLADI VI VVS IPSE SIBI ET SVIS [....]T[...]
Manfred Clauss of the Epigraphik-Datenbank Clauss-Slaby (EDCS), following the readings and expansions provided in CIL 03, 01919; CIL 03, 08513; CIL 03, 12813; Dessau 2770; IDRE-02, 303; BritRom-07, 00001; JIES-2019-432 expands the text as: