Ala I Batavorum

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The Ala I Batavorum [milliaria] [civium Romanorum] [pia fidelis] ( German  1. Ala of the Batavians [1000 men] [of the Roman citizens] [loyal and loyal] ) was a Roman auxiliary unit . It is evidenced by military diplomas and inscriptions.

Name components

  • I : The Roman number stands for the ordinal number, the first ( Latin prima ). Hence the name of this military unit is pronounced as Ala prima ...
  • Batavorum : the Bataver . When the unit was established, the Ala soldiers were recruited from the Batavian people in the Roman province of Gallia Belgica .
  • milliaria : 1000 men. The addition appears in military diplomas from 112 to 158 and in an inscription.
  • civium Romanorum : the Roman citizen. The soldiers of the unit had been granted Roman citizenship at one point in time. However, this did not apply to soldiers who were accepted into the unit after this point in time. They received Roman citizenship only with their honorable farewell ( Honesta missio ) after 25 years of service. The addition occurs in the military diplomas from 101 to 115.
  • pia fidelis : loyal and loyal. Domitian (81-96) gave the Roman armed forces in Germania inferior who remained loyal to him after the suppression of the uprising of Lucius Antonius Saturninus the honorary designation pia fidelis Domitiana . The addition occurs in the military diplomas from 112 to 115.

The unit was an ala milliaria . The nominal strength of the Ala was 720 men, consisting of 24 towers with 30 riders each.

history

The Ala was stationed in the provinces of Germania inferior , Pannonia superior, and Dacia superior (in that order). It is listed on military diplomas for the years AD 98-179. Tacitus mentions unity in his Historiae (Book IV, Chapter 18).

The first evidence of an Ala Batavorum can be found in Tacitus, who mentions this unit with its Prefect Claudius Labeo . Since this is Ala Batavorum but the Batavian revolt under Julius Civilis joined, it was probably disbanded after the suppression of the uprising. The Ala I Batavorum milliaria is therefore probably a later re-establishment; However, it is also conceivable to merge two units or to expand an existing Ala quingenaria to form an Ala milliaria .

Ala was first proven in 98 in the province of Germania inferior by a diploma . In the diploma, the Ala is listed as part of the troops (see Roman Armed Forces in Germania ) that were stationed in the province. Another diploma, dated 101, proves unity in the same province. The Ala stayed in the province before 89, as they received the honorary title pia fidelis after the suppression of the uprising by Lucius Antonius Saturninus .

At an unspecified time, the unit was moved to the province of Pannonia superior , where it is first evidenced by a diploma dated 112. The diploma lists the Ala as part of the troops (see Roman Forces in Pannonia ) that were stationed in the province. Another diploma, dated 115, proves unity in the same province.

Between 115 and 136/138 the unit was relocated to the province of Dacia superior , where it is documented for the first time by a diploma dated 136/138. In the diploma, the Ala is listed as part of the troops (see Roman Armed Forces in Dacia ) that were stationed in the province. Other diplomas, dated 142 to 179, prove unity in the same province.

The last evidence of the Ala is based on two inscriptions dated to 253.

Locations

Locations of the Ala in Dacia may have been:

Members of the Ala

The following members of the Ala are known:

Commanders

  • [] Rufus: he is named on the diploma of 98 as a commander.
  • Aurelius Valentinus
  • Claudius Labeo, a prefect

Others

  • Claventius Silvanus, a veteran ( AE 1990, 990 )
  • Dasa (n) tus [S] cenobarbi, a horseman ( CIL 3, 7800 )
  • M (arcus) Ulpius Victor, a soldier: the diploma of 115 was issued to him.

See also

literature

Remarks

  1. ↑ The unit was possibly originally an Ala quingenaria with a nominal strength of 480 men. By 112 AD at the latest, however , it had been expanded into an Ala milliaria .
  2. ↑ a b John Spaul assigns Bithus and Silvanus to Ala I Batavorum , while Marcus Reuter assigns them to the Numerus Exploratorum Batavorum .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Inscription ( CIL 3, 5331 ).
  2. ^ A b Paul A. Holder: Exercitus Pius Fidelis: The Army of Germania Inferior in AD 89 In: Zeitschrift für Papyrologie und Epigraphik . Volume 128 (1999), pp. 237-250, here pp. 237, 243, 247 ( PDF ).
  3. ↑ a b c d John EH Spaul , Ala², pp. 62-64.
  4. ^ Jörg Scheuerbrandt : Exercitus. Tasks, organization and command structure of Roman armies during the imperial era. Dissertation, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg im Breisgau 2003/2004, pp. 158, 162, 169 tables 2, 6, 11 ( PDF ).
  5. ↑ Military diplomas of the years 98 ( RMD 4, 216 ), 101 ( RMM 9 ), 112 ( RMD 4, 223 ), 115 ( ZPE-180-287 ), 136/138 ( RMD 5, 384 ), 142 ( ZPE-181 -173 ), 158 ( CIL 16, 108 ) and 179 ( RMD 2, 123 ).
  6. ↑ a b Jan Kees Haalebos : Traian and the auxiliary troops on the Lower Rhine A military diploma of the year 98 AD from Elst in the Over-Betuwe (Netherlands) In: Saalberg Jahrbuch, 2000/50, pp. 31-72 , here p. 42-43 ( online ).
  7. ^ A b c Jan Kees Haalebos, Willem JH Willems : Recent research on the limes in the Netherlands , pp. 247–262, here pp. 255–257 ( PDF ).
  8. ↑ Inscriptions ( Tyche-2014-125a , Tyche-2014-125b ).
  9. ^ Ovidiu Țentea, Florian Matei-Popescu: Alae et Cohortes Daciae et Moesiae. A review and update of J. Spaul's Ala and Cohors In: Acta Musei Napocensis 39-40 / I Cluj-Napoca, 2002-2003 (2004), pp. 259-296, here p. 262 ( online ).
  10. ↑ Ioan Piso : On the reform of Gallienus on the occasion of two new inscriptions from the camp baths of Potaissa In: Tyche , Volume 29 (2014), pp. 125–146, here p. 144 ( online ).
  11. ↑ Werner Eck , Andreas Pangerl: L. Minicius Natalis in another military diploma for Pannonia superior In: Zeitschrift für Papyrologie und Epigraphik , Volume 180 (2012), pp. 287–294, here p. 293 ( online ).