Ala I Thracum Herculana

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The inscription of Lucius Iulius Vehilius Gratus Iulianus ( CIL 6, 31856 )

The Ala I Thracum Herculana [Antoniniana] ( German  1. Ala of the Thracians Herculana [the Antoninian] ) was a Roman auxiliary unit . It is evidenced by military diplomas , inscriptions, papyri and ostraka . According to John Spaul , the Ala is identical to the Ala Macedonica listed in the inscription ( AE 1982, 856 ).

Name components

  • Thracum : the Thracian . The soldiers of the Ala were recruited from the Thracian people on the territory of the Roman province of Thrace when the unit was established .
  • Herculana : The unit may have been named after one of its first commanders. According to John Spaul, a C. Iulius Heracles could be considered as the namesake . The addition occurs in the inscriptions in different variants, such as Herculiana ( CIL 3, 600 ), Herculania ( CIL 12, 1357 ) and other variants in Greek.
  • Antoniniana : the Antoninian. An honorary title that refers to Caracalla (211-217). The addition appears in a papyrus.
  • Macedonica : from Macedonia or the Macedonian. The unit was probably stationed in the province of Macedonia at an early stage , from which its name was derived.

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 Cappadocia , Syria, and Aegyptus (in that order). It is listed on military diplomas for the years 94 to 206 AD.

The first evidence of unity in the province of Cappadocia is based on a diploma dated 94. The diploma lists the Ala as part of the troops (see Roman Forces in Cappadocia ) that were stationed in the province. Further diplomas, dated from 99 to 100, prove the unit in the same province (or in the province of Galatia et Cappadocia ).

At an unspecified point in time, the Ala was transferred to the province of Syria , where it is first proven by a diploma dated 133/134. This move may have occurred in connection with the suppression of the Bar Kochba uprising . In the diploma, the unit is listed as part of the troops (see Roman Armed Forces in Syria ) that were stationed in the province. Further diplomas, dated 153 to 156/157, prove unity in the same province.

A vexillation of the Ala took part in the Parthian War of Lucius Verus (161-166). It is listed in the inscription ( CIL 3, 600 ) as part of the units that were under the direction of Marcus Valerius Lollianus . The inscription says that Lollianus was the commander in Mesopotamia over sections of selected riders of the Alen [..] and the cohorts .

The Ala was relocated to the province of Aegyptus between 180 and 185 . It is documented for the first time in the province by a diploma. In the diploma, the Ala is listed as part of the troops (see Roman forces in Aegyptus ) that were stationed in the province.

The last evidence of unity in Aegyptus is based on a papyrus dated to 216.

Locations

Locations of the Ala in Syria were:

  • Palmyra : the unit was at least temporarily stationed in Palmyra.

Locations of the Ala in Aegyptus may have been:

Members of the Ala

The following members of the Ala are known:

Commanders

  • [?] (IGRR III, 1420). He was also the commander of the Cohors I Germanorum (Cappadocia) .
  • C (aius) Lucilius []. He is named on the diploma of 94 as the commander of the cohort.
  • C (aius) Sappius Flavus, a prefect ( CIL 12, 1357 )
  • Iulius Iulianus, a επαρχος (around 167/168)
  • Κλωδιος Κελσος, a επαρχος

Others

  • [] Dorisae, a soldier: the diploma of 94 was issued to him.
  • Catto, a rider ( AE 1982, 856 )
  • M (arcus) Antonius Valens, a horseman: the diploma of 206 was issued to him.
  • Vibius Apollinaris, a horseman ( AE 1933, 209 )

More Alae with the name Ala I Thracum

There were five other alae with this designation:

See also

Web links

Commons : Ala I Thracum Herculana  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ 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. 142-143.
  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. 172 table 14 ( PDF p. 174 ).
  3. ↑ Military diplomas of the years 94 ( RMM 7 ), 99 ( ZPE-192-238 ), 100 ( ZPE-150-234 ), 133/134 ( AE 2007, 1238 ), 153 ( AE 2006, 1841 ), 156/157 ( CIL 16, 106 ) and 206 ( AE 2012, 1960 ).
  4. ↑ Florian Matei-Popescu: Two Fragments of Roman Military Diplomas Discovered on the Territory of the Republic of Moldova Dacia, NS, tome LI, Bucarest, 2007, pp. 153–159, here p. 156 ( online ).
  5. ↑ Rudolf Haensch , Peter Weiß : A difficult way. The road construction inscription by M. Valerius Lollianus from Byllis. In: Communications from the German Archaeological Institute. Roman department . Volume 118, 2012, pp. 435-454, here pp. 441-442, and pp. 448-449 ( online ).
  6. ↑ Werner Eck : Septimius Severus and the soldiers. The problem of soldier marriage and a new auxiliary diploma In: Studies on the history from antiquity to modern times , Harrassowitz Verlag, Wiesbaden 2011, pp. 63–77, here pp. 71–72 ( online )
  7. ^ Michael Alexander Speidel : The Development of the Roman Forces in Northeastern Anatolia. New evidence for the history of the exercitus Cappadocicus. , Special print from: MA Speidel, Heer und Herrschaft im Römischen Reich der Hohen Kaiserzeit, Stuttgart 2009, pp. 595–631, here pp. 604–606, 610 ( online ).
  8. ↑ O.Wilck. 961. Papyri.info, accessed April 3, 2018 .
  9. ↑ O.Wilck. 1012. Papyri.info, accessed April 3, 2018 .
  10. ↑ O.Wilck. 1013. Papyri.info, accessed April 3, 2018 .