Ala I Claudia Gallorum Capitoniana

The Ala I Claudia Gallorum Capitoniana ( German 1st Claudian Ala of the Gauls of the Capito ) was a Roman auxiliary unit . It is evidenced by military diplomas and inscriptions. In the diplomas from 97 to 111 she is referred to as Ala I Claudia Gallorum .

Name components

Claudia : the Claudian. The honorary title refers to Claudius (41–54).

Gallorum : the Gaul . The soldiers of the Ala were recruited from the various tribes of the Gauls when the unit was formed.

Capitoniana : of the Capito. The Gauls' cavalry units were often named after one of their first commanders. Caius Herennius Capito is named here as the namesake .

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 the provinces of Moesia inferior and Dacia inferior (in that order). It is listed on military diplomas for the years 97 to 146 AD.

The unit was probably set up under Augustus , probably after the defeat of Varus . The Ala may have received the honorary title Claudia during the conquest of Thrace under Claudius.

The first evidence in the province of Moesia inferior is based on a diploma dated 97. In the diploma, the Ala is listed as part of the troops (see Roman Armed Forces in Moesia ) that were stationed in the province. Other diplomas, dated from 99 to 111, prove unity in the same province.

At an unspecified date the unit was transferred to the province of Dacia Inferior , where it is first evidenced by a diploma dated 122. In the diploma, the Ala is listed as part of the troops (see Roman Armed Forces in Dacia ) that were stationed in the province. Further diplomas, dated 129/130 to 146, prove the unity in the same province.

The last evidence of the Ala is based on the inscription ( CIL 8, 8828 ) which is dated to 233/235.

Locations

Locations of the Ala in Dacia may have been:

Boroșneu Mare : bricks with the stamp ALA GAL were found here ( AE 1967, 419 ).

Members of the Ala

The following members of the Ala are known:

Commanders

C (aius) Herennius Capito, a prefect ( AE 1941, 105 )
Gaius Paconius Felix : he is named on the diploma of 122 as a commander.

P (ublius) Cutius Aburianus, a prefect ( CIL 6, 3517 )

Others

Aurel (ius) Antonius ( CIL 6, 3191 )
Bollico, a soldier: the diploma of 122 was issued to him.
Helvius Crescens, a Decurio ( CIL 8, 8828 )
Iulius Saturio, a Missicius ( AE 1912, 187 )

L (ucius) Cas (sius) Caen (o), a Decurio ( AE 1976, 296 )
M (arcus) Aurel (ius) M [] ( CIL 6, 03239a )
Primus [] ( AE 1967, 425 )

Ala I Gigurrorum

In the inscription ( AE 1976, 296 ) a part was read earlier as AL I GIG and interpreted as al (ae) I Gig (urrorum) . The Gigurrer were a tribe of the Asturians and this Ala would therefore originally have been established from members of this tribe. A more recent reading came to the conclusion that al (ae) I Cl (audiae) G (allorum) is to be preferred at this point, so that the existence of an Ala I Gigurrorum is doubtful.

Remarks

↑ ^a ^b Iulius Saturio was a freedman from the Gallic tribe of the Haedu . After Suetonius , released slaves were recruited only once, namely after the defeat of Varus as soldiers.
↑ According to Ovidiu Țentea, Florian Matei-Popescu , this inscription is an indication that the Ala may have been moved to the province of Mauretania Caesariensis under Septimius Severus . John Spaul thinks this is possible, but unlikely.

Individual evidence

^ ^A ^b ^c ^d 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. 80-81, 247-248.

^ 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. 166, 171 tables 9, 13 ( PDF p. 168, 173 ).

↑ Military diplomas of the years 97 ( RMD 3, 140 ), 99 ( ZPE-192-215 ), 105 ( CIL 16, 50 ), 111 ( RMD 4, 222 ), 121 ( RMD 5, 350 ), 122 ( RMM 20 ) , 129/130 ( RMD 5, 376 ), 134 ( AE 2007, 1760 ), 138 ( AE 2003, 2044 ), 140 ( RMD 1, 39 ) and 146 ( RMD 4, 269 , ZPE-176-225 ).

^ 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. 264 ( online ).

↑ Margaret M. Roxan : The Auxilia of the Roman Army raised in the Iberian Peninsula Volume 1. (PDF 23.5 MB) discovery.ucl.ac.uk, 1973, pp. 349-353 (352-356) , accessed on July 20, 2018 (English).

↑ Margaret M. Roxan: The Auxilia of the Roman Army raised in the Iberian Peninsula Volume 2. (PDF 9.8 MB) discovery.ucl.ac.uk, 1973, p. 710 (131) , accessed on July 20, 2018 (English).

[GE1-4] Iulius Saturio was a freedman from the Gallic tribe of the Haedu . After Suetonius , released slaves were recruited only once, namely after the defeat of Varus as soldiers.

[GE2-5] According to Ovidiu Țentea, Florian Matei-Popescu , this inscription is an indication that the Ala may have been moved to the province of Mauretania Caesariensis under Septimius Severus . John Spaul thinks this is possible, but unlikely.

[jsp-1] A ^b ^c ^d 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. 80-81, 247-248.

[js-2] 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. 166, 171 tables 9, 13 ( PDF p. 168, 173 ).