Ala Apriana

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The Ala Apriana [Claudiana] [Provincialis] ( German  Ala des Aper [the Claudian] [belonging to the province] ) was a Roman auxiliary unit . It is evidenced by military diplomas , inscriptions and papyri .

Name components

  • Apriana : the aperitif. The Gauls' cavalry units were often named after one of their first commanders; here it was an otherwise unknown aperitif after which the ala was named.
  • Claudiana : the Claudian.
  • Provincialis : belonging to the province. The addition occurs in the military diplomas of 157/161 and 179.

Since there is no reference to the addition of milliaria (1000 men) to the name , the unit was an Ala quingenaria . The nominal strength of the Ala was 480 men, consisting of 16 towers with 30 riders each.

history

The Ala was probably set up under Augustus, possibly even earlier; the soldiers had been recruited from the various tribes of the Gauls when the unit was set up. The unit had been stationed in the province of Aegyptus since the reign of Claudius or Nero . It is listed on military diplomas for the years 83 to 206 AD. The diplomas list the Ala as part of the troops (see Roman forces in Aegyptus ) that were stationed in the province.

The unit is mentioned for the last time in the Notitia dignitatum with the name Ala Apriana for the location Hipponos. She was part of the troops that were under the High Command of the Comes limitis Aegypti .

Locations

Locations of the Ala in Aegyptus may have been:

  • Hipponos: The unit is listed in the Notitia dignitatum for this location.
  • Oasis Minor: A division of the unit was stationed in Oasis Minor in 213.

Members of the Ala

The following members of the Ala are known:

Commanders

Others

  • Acamantis, a Decurio
  • C. Valerius Longus, a horseman
  • Dionysius
  • Iulius Agrippina (around 120)
  • L. Herennius Valens, a Decurio
  • M. Trebius Heraclides, a horseman
  • Q (uintus) Aebutius I [], a former Decurio ( AE 1980, 896 )
  • Sempronius Sabinus (around 120)
  • Sex (tus) Mevius Domit {t} ius, a horseman and signer ( CIL 3, 6026 )
  • Travianus, a Decurio
  • Valerius Longus (around 120)
  • Volumnius, a Decurio

See also

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c Cornelia Römer : Diploma for a foot soldier from Koptos of March 23, 179 In: Zeitschrift für Papyrologie und Epigraphik Volume 82 (1990), pp. 137–153, here p. 145 ( PDF p. 11 ).
  2. ^ A b c John EH Spaul: Ala². The Auxiliary Cavalry Units of the Pre-Diocletianic Imperial Roman Army. Nectoreca Press, Andover 1994, ISBN 0-9525062-0-3 , pp. 115-116.
  3. ^ Jörg Scheuerbrandt : Exercitus. Tasks, organization and command structure of Roman armies during the imperial era. Dissertation, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg im Breisgau 2003/2004, p. 174 table 16 ( PDF p. 176 ).
  4. ↑ Military diplomas of the years 83 ( CIL 16, 29 ), 105 ( RMD 1, 9 ), 157/161 ( CIL 16, 184 ), 179 ( RMD 3, 185 ) and 206 ( AE 2012, 1960 ).
  5. ^ Notitia dignitatum in partibus Orientis XXVIII ( online ).