Ala I Hispanorum Auriana

The military diploma of Mogetissa dated June 30, 107 AD ( CIL 16, 55 )

The Ala I Hispanorum Auriana ( German  1st Ala of the Hispanic des Aurius ) was a Roman auxiliary unit . It is evidenced by military diplomas , inscriptions and brick stamps. In the inscriptions she is mostly referred to as Ala Auriana .

Name components

• Hispanorum : the Hispanic . The Ala soldiers were recruited from the various Hispanic tribes when the unit was established.

• Auriana : of Aurius. One of the first commanders was likely an otherwise unknown Aurius , after whom the Ala was named. The Mons Aureus in the province of Pannonia is given as an alternative explanation for the name .

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 Illyricum (or Pannonia ), Noricum and Raetia (in that order). It is listed on military diplomas for the years AD 61 to 159/160. Tacitus mentions the Ala Auriana in his Historiae (Book III, Chapter 5).

The unit was probably set up under Augustus . During his reign she may have been stationed in the Rhineland. Under Tiberius (14–37) or Claudius (41–54) the Ala was relocated to the Danube near Aquincum . Unity is evidenced in the province of Illyricum by a diploma dated 61.

According to Tacitus, the Ala was part of a troop of several auxiliary units around 69, which, under the leadership of Sextilius Felix , the governor of Noricum , was to secure the province of Noricum for the later Emperor Vespasian (69-79) during the turmoil of the Four Emperor's Year . Presumably the unit remained in Noricum afterwards .

At an unspecified date, the unit was relocated to the province of Raetia , where it is first evidenced by a diploma dated 86. In the diploma, the Ala is listed as part of the troops (see Roman Armed Forces in Raetia ) that were stationed in the province. Other diplomas, dated 107 to 159/160, prove unity in the same province.

The Ala probably took part in the campaigns of Mark Aurel (161-180). The unit then returned to the province of Raetien, where it was stationed in the Weissenburg Castle until 254 .

Locations

Locations of the Ala in Noricum were possibly:

• Augustianis ( Traismauer )

Locations of the Ala in Pannonia may have been:

• Aquincum ( Budapest ): The tombstone of Reginus was found here.

Locations of the Ala in Raetia were possibly:

• Biriciana ( Weißenburg ): Several inscriptions, the diploma of Mogetissa and bricks with the stamp AL AUR ( CIL 3, 11994 ) were found here.
• Submuntorium ( Mertingen ): The dedicatory inscription by Marcus Scandilius Fabatus was found here.
• Unterkirchberg ( Illerkirchberg )

Members of the Ala

The following members of the Ala are known:

Commanders

[] Bassus: he is named on the diploma of 122/157 as a commander. C (aius) Iulius Ianua [rius], a prefect ( CIL 5, 4095 ); he was also prefect of the Ala I Hispanorum Aravacorum and the Ala I Pannoniorum . Lucius Domitius Severus , a prefect Marcus Insteius Coelenus : he is named on the diploma of 107 as a commander.

M (arcus) P [] ius Regius, a prefect ( Wagner 2, 88 ) M (arcus) Scandilius Fabatus, a prefect ( AE 1978, 583 ) P (ublius) Valerius Priscus Urc [i] tanus, a prefect ( CIL 6, 3654 ); he was also prefect of the Cohors I Asturum et Callaecorum , the Cohors I Apamenorum and the Ala I Flavia as well as the tribune of the Cohors I Italica . Sextus Graesius Severus : he is named on a diploma of 157 as a commander.

Others

[] Iul (ius) Pintam [us], a Decurio ( AE 1972, 359 ) Asper, a horseman ( AE 1997, 1261 ) C (aius) Oppius Varus, a horseman ( CIL 3, 12347 ) Candidianus, a soldier ( CIL 3, 11749 ) Cl (audius) Romanus, a duplicarius ( CIL 3, 5899 ) Disapho, a soldier: one of the diplomas of 157 ( RMM 38 ) was issued to him. Firmus, a rider ( AE 1993, 1234 ) Fl (avius) Primus, a curator ( IBR 321 ) Fl (avius) Raeticus, an Optio ( CIL 3, 11911 ) Gemellus, a Decurio ( AE 1993, 1235 ) Justinus, a horseman ( AE 1993, 1235 )

Martianus, a Decurion ( CIL 3, 5925 ) Maximinus, a Decurio ( IBR 321 ) Mogetissa , a soldier: the diploma of 107 was issued to him. Prim (ius) Saturninus, a former Decurion ( IBR 264 ) Reginus, a Sesquiplicarius ( CIL 3, 14349.08 ); the tombstone was erected by his brother Receptus , a Sesquiplicarius of Ala II Asturum . Saltuinus, a horseman ( AE 1993, 1235 ) Silvanus, a Decurio ( AE 1993, 1235 ) Vindex, a Decurio ( AE 1993, 1234 ) Victor, a curator ( CIL 3, 5925 )

Another ala with the name Ala Auriana

There was another Ala with this name, the Ala II Ulpia Auriana . It is documented by inscriptions and was stationed in the province of Cappadocia .

See also

• List of Roman auxiliary units
• Roman forces in Raetia

Web links

Commons : Ala I Hispanorum Auriana  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Remarks

1. ↑ ^{a b} The scenario given here follows the remarks by Margaret M. Roxan . It assumes that the Ala was in the province of Pannonia (or Illyricum ) before the unit appeared in Noricum around 69 . The Ala then stayed in Noricum until it was moved to Raetia . Farkas István Gergő deviates from this, assuming that the unit was moved to the province of Pannonia after 69 , where it was stationed in Aquincum .
2. ↑ It is uncertain whether Iulius Pintamus Decurio was in the Ala I Hispanorum Auriana , as the name of the unit is missing in the inscription.
3. ↑ John Spaul assigns Caius Oppius Varus to the Ala I Hispanorum Auriana . The reading of the inscription ( CIL 3, 12347 ) in the Clauss-Slaby epigraphy database is Ala Au [g (usta)] .
4. ↑ ^{a b} The inscription was found in the Weissenburg Castle , where the Ala I Hispanorum Auriana and the Cohors IX Batavorum were stationed. An exact assignment of the listed soldier to one of these units is not possible because the name of the unit is missing in the inscription.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b c d} Farkas István Gergő: The Roman Army in Raetia Dissertation, University of Pécs Faculty of Humanities 2015, pp. 122–124, 244–259, 331–336, 442–460, 471–472 ( PDF p. 125 -127, 247-262, 334-339, 445-463, 474-475 ).
2. ^ ^{A b} 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. 58-60.
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. 160 table 4 ( PDF p. 162 ).
4. ↑ Military diplomas of the years 61 ( RMD 4, 202 ), 86 ( ZPE-163-239 ), 107 ( CIL 16, 55 ), 114/200 ( ZPE-178-247 ), 116 ( RMD 3, 155 , RMD 4, 229 ), 119/135 ( RMD 1, 25 ), 122/157 ( CIL 16, 105 ), 125/128 ( RMD 1, 32 ), 128/133 ( AE 2005, 1149 , AE 2005, 1150 ), 138 / 140 ( RMD 2, 94 ), 139/140 ( RMD 3, 164 ), 139/141 ( RMD 1, 59 ), 140 ( RMD 5, 387 ), 151/170 ( RMD 1, 51 ), 154/161 ( RMD 3, 175 ), 156 ( AE 2014, 975 , CIL 16, 183 ), 157 ( RMD 3, 170 , RMD 4, 275 , RMM 38 ) and 159/160 ( AE 2005, 1153 ).
5. ↑ 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. 101–110 (104–113) , accessed on June 22, 2018 (English). 
6. ↑ 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, pp. 620-623 (41-44) , accessed on June 22, 2018 (English).