The Titles “Dacicus Maximus” and “Carpicus Maximus” in the Imperial Propaganda of the Third and the First Half of the Fourth Century

Abstract

In the second half of the 230s, the Emperor Maximinus Thrax assumed the title “Dacicus Maximus” following his victory over the “free Dacians” who had most probably invaded the province of Pannonia. After nearly a hundred years, Constantine the Great added the same cognomen to his imperial titles in commemoration of his victory over the Goths in the former province of Dacia. This article intends to discuss the significance of the cognomen in the Roman imperial propaganda of the third and fourth centuries.