Ala Parthorum (Germania)

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The Ala Parthorum [veterana] ( German  Ala of the Parthians [the veteran] ) was a Roman auxiliary unit . It is documented by inscriptions. The Ala is probably identical to the Ala Parthorum et Araborum , which is listed in two inscriptions.

Name components
  • Parthorum : the Parthian . The soldiers of the Ala were recruited from the Parthian people when the unit was established .
  • veterana : the veteran. Probably two units called Ala Parthorum were stationed in the province of Germania at an unknown time . To distinguish it, the longest serving unit was given the addition veterana . The addition appears in an inscription that is engraved on a silver ring.
  • Parthorum et Araborum : the Parthians and Arabs. This designation occurs in two inscriptions.

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 stationed in Germania . It is listed on several inscriptions found in the provinces of Germania inferior and Germania superior .

A cavalry regiment from Parthians was probably already set up under Augustus . The ancient historian Géza Alföldy (1935–2011) stated that the oldest known inscription of the Ala Parthorum comes from Dalmatia. She was recovered in Klis near Salona . The naming of the named officer, who led an Ala Parthorum , apparently comes from the early days of the Principate . Margarete Karras-Klapproth dated the inscription in 1988 "roughly" around the time of Christ's birth and mentioned that the named officer did not have a Parthian name like his named father Tiridates, but already had the Roman name Gaius Julius. He had probably already been granted Roman citizenship by Augustus. Alföldy further explains that the regiment initially consisted of Parthian refugees who were first deployed in Dalmatia during the Pannonian-Dalmatian uprising under Tiberius around 6 to 9 AD. In 1988 the archaeologist Werner Zanier could imagine that the Ala Parthorum et Araborum say. during the successful suppression of the uprising in Straznica, three-bladed arrowheads could have been shot. Roman tips of this type have been found there. However, Zanier did not name a source from which it emerged that the regiment at that time was a mixed force of Parthians and Arabs.

A demonstrably mixed unit of Parthians and Arabs was stationed a little later in the province of Germania Superior . According to Walburg Boppert , the rider Antiochus died here in Mogontiacum ( Mainz ) in the Julio-Claudian period (at the latest in AD 68 ). His stone was discovered in 1970 on the western border of the vicus belonging to the auxiliary camp. In addition to the grave stele of Antiochus, the grave stone of Maris, son of Casitis, has been preserved, which is further evidence of the existence of this unit in Mainz. Since the second stone was used as a coffin lid, its original location in Mainz is no longer known. Boppert dates this inscription to the reign of Emperor Tiberius (14–37 AD). Both inscriptions expressly name a mixed unit of Parthians and Arabs, which in Germania is only documented for the garrison town of Mainz.

A silver finger ring with a dedication inscription was found in Novaesium ( Neuss ) that belonged to a member of the Ala Parthorum veterana in the first century AD . In contrast to the overwhelming number of scientists, Spaul did not understand the abbreviation vet on the ring as veterana , but rather as vetera , which was another important garrison location alongside Neuss. However, whether a single ring can attest to the presence of a regiment is at least to be reconsidered. The Ala Parthorum veterana is only mentioned on the Neusser Ring.

Excavations in the former northern Spanish camp of the Legio IIII Macedonica in Pisoraca ( Herrera de Pisuerga ) testify that a new garrison for an Ala Parthorum was built on the former barracks during the reign of Emperor Nero (54-68) after the legionary camp was closed. This is indicated by brick stamps of this unit as well as archaeological finds.

Locations

Locations of the Ala in Hispania Tarraconensis may have been:

Members of the Ala

The following members of the Ala are known:

Commanders

Others

See also

literature

  • Peter Herz : The Ala Parthorum et Araborum - Remarks on Roman army history . In: Germania 60 (1982), pp. 173-182.
  • Peter Herz: New Mainz stone inscriptions (1964–1976) . In: Mainzer Zeitschrift 73/74 (1978/79), pp. 275–290; here: p. 280.
  • Hans Ulrich Instinsky : Gravestone of a mounted archer of the Ala Parthorum et Araborum . In: Germania 36 (1958), pp. 72-77.
  • David L. Kennedy: Parthian Regiments in the Roman army in J. Fitz (ed.) Limes. Files of the XI International Limes Congress (Akadémiai Kiadó. Hungarian Academy of the Sciences), Budapest 1977, pp. 521-531 ( online ).
  • John EH Spaul : Ala². The Auxiliary Cavalry Units of the Pre-Diocletianic Imperial Roman Army. Nectoreca Press, Andover 1994, ISBN 0-9525062-0-3 .

Remarks

  1. ↑ According to John Spaul , the abbreviation vet does not stand for veterana , but for the Roman legionary camp Vetera .
  2. ↑ The scenario given here is based on three units: the Ala Parthorum (Cappadocia) , which was stationed in the province of Cappadocia , the Ala Parthorum (Germania) , which was stationed in Germania and the Ala Parthorum (Mauretania Caesariensis) , which was stationed in Mauretania Caesariensis was stationed.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b inscriptions with Parthorum et Araborum ( AE 1959, 188 , AE 1976, 495 ).
  2. ↑ a b c John EH Spaul , Ala², pp. 176-178.
  3. ↑ Inscription with veterana ( CIL 13, 10024,035 ).
  4. ↑ David L. Kennedy, Parthian Regiments, pp. 526-527.
  5. ^ Margarete Karras-Klapproth: Prosopographical studies on the history of the Parthian Empire on the basis of ancient literary tradition . Habelt, Bonn 1988, ISBN 3-7749-2367-1 , p. 175.
  6. ↑ Géza Alföldy : Roman army history. Contributions 1962–1985 Gieben, Amsterdam 1987, ISBN 90-70265-48-6 , p. 244.
  7. ↑ Werner Zanier: Roman three-winged arrowheads . In: Egon Schallmayer (Ed.): Saalburg Jahrbuch 44 (1988), pp. 5–27; here: p. 12.
  8. ↑ Corpus Signorum Imperii Romani : Germany II: Germania superior 5: Walburg Boppert: Military grave monuments from Mainz and the surrounding area No. 102, Mainz 1992.
  9. ^ Corpus Signorum Imperii Romani: Germany II: Germania superior 5: Walburg Boppert: Military grave monuments from Mainz and the surrounding area No. 29, Mainz 1992.
  10. ↑ Peter Herz: New Mainz stone inscriptions (1964–1976). In: Mainzer Zeitschrift 73/74 (1978/79), pp. 275–290; here: p. 280.
  11. ^ Norbert Hanel : Neuss . In: Reallexikon der Germanischen Altertumskunde 21 (Naualia - Østfold), de Gruyter, Berlin / New York 2002, ISBN 3-11-017272-0 , p. 121.
  12. ↑ Ángel Morillo Cerdán: New Research on Roman Camps of the Julio-Claudian Period in Northern Spain . In: Bonner Jahrbücher 200 (2000), pp. 1–24; here: p. 24.
  13. ↑ grave stone of the rider Antiochus Parthus of Mainz. Translation by Gerold Walser (1993): Antiochus Parthus, son of Antiochus, from Anazarba, rider of the Ala of the Parthians and Arabs, volunteer with triple pay, with 10 years of service, decorated with medals. His brother Belesippus set the stone . Source: Gerold Walser : Roman inscription art. Roman inscriptions for academic teaching and as an introduction to Latin epigraphy . Steiner, Stuttgart 1993, ISBN 3-515-06065-0 , p. 220. Translation of the same text by Peter Herz (1979/1982): Antiochus, son of Antiochus, a Parthian from Anazarbus [Cilicia], rider from ala Parthorum et Araborum, an evocatus and triple pay man who served ten years and received military awards. His brother Belesippus built [the tomb] . Source: Peter Herz: Neue Mainz stone inscriptions (1964–1976) . In: Mainzer Zeitschrift 73/74 (1978/79), pp. 275–290; here: p. 280.