Cohors III Brittonum

The Cohors III Brittonum [veterana or veteranorum] [equitata] ( German 3rd cohort of the British [the veteran] [partly mounted] ) was a Roman auxiliary unit . It is evidenced by military diplomas and inscriptions.

Name components

Brittonum : the British. The soldiers of the cohort were recruited from the various British tribes in the Roman province of Britannia when the unit was established . The auxiliary units set up in Britain have three different names: Britannica , Britannorum and Brittonum . The reasons why different names were chosen are unclear.

veterana or veteranorum : the veteran or the veteran . The addition was usually given whenever a new unit with the same name was stationed in a province; but this is not the case in this case. Possibly the addition was given to the cohort to distinguish it from other units that were only temporarily stationed in the province. According to John Spaul , it is probably the longest serving of the cohorts stationed in the province of Moesia Superior. The addition appears in many of the diplomas from 115 to 161; in the inscription ( CIL 11, 393 ) it appears in the variant veteranor (um) .

equitata : partially mounted. The unit was a mixed association of infantry and cavalry. The addition appears in the inscription ( CIL 11, 393 ).

Since there is no evidence of the addition of milliaria (1000 men) to the name , the unit was a Cohors (quingenaria) equitata . The nominal strength of the cohort was 600 men (480 infantry and 120 horsemen), consisting of 6 centuries of infantry with 80 men each and 4 tower cavalry with 30 horsemen each.

history

The cohort was probably stationed under the Flavians in the province of Pannonia . When exactly the unit was transferred to the province of Moesia superior is uncertain; possibly around 92/93 or 97 AD. The first evidence of unity in Moesia Superior is based on military diplomas dated to the year 100. In the diplomas, the cohort is listed as part of the troops (see Roman forces in Moesia ) that were stationed in the province. Further diplomas, dated 101 to 161, prove unity in the same province.

Locations

Locations of the cohort in Pannonia were possibly:

Solva : the tombstone of Prosostus was found here.

Locations of the cohort in Moesia Superior may have been:

The castles of Drobeta and Kostol are located near the Trajan's Bridge on both sides of the Danube. The unit may have been stationed in one of the two forts while the bridge was being built.

Members of the cohort

The following members of the cohort are known:

Commanders

[] llinus, the preposition of a vexillation ( CIL 3, 7594 ). It is possible that this inscription refers to the Cohors II Flavia Brittonum .
C (aius) Nonius Caepianus, a prefect ( CIL 11, 393 ). He was also Prefect of Ala I Asturum and Praepositus des Numerus Equitum Electorum Ex Illyrico .

[] idiu [s] Novatus, a prefect ( AE 1994, 1392 )
Marcus Blossius Vestalis : he is named on the diplomas of 151 and 153 as the commander of the cohort.
Q (uintus) Clodius Secundus: he is named on one of the diplomas of 157 (RMM 37) as the commander of the cohort.

Others

Himerus, a foot soldier: one of the diplomas of 157 (RMM 37) was issued to him.
Prosostus, a horseman ( AE 1997, 1262 )

Sentius Valentus, a foot soldier: the diploma of 153 was issued to him.
Siasus, a foot soldier: the diploma of 151 was issued to him.

Further cohorts with the designation Cohors III Brittonum

There was another cohort, the Cohors III Augusta Nerviana Brittonum . It is documented by military diplomas from 101/115 to 115 and was stationed in the province of Moesia superior .

Individual evidence

^ ^A ^b ^c ^d John Spaul: Cohors² The evidence for and a short history of the auxiliary infantry units of the Imperial Roman Army , British Archaeological Reports 2000, BAR International Series (Book 841), ISBN 978-1-84171-046-4 , Pp. 189, 203.
↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Tatiana Alexandrovna Ivleva: Britons abroad: the mobility of Britons and the circulation of British-made objects in the Roman Empire Dissertation, Leiden University 2012, pp. 128-133, 534-539 ( online ).
^ 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. 164 table 8 ( PDF, p. 166 ).
↑ Military diplomas for the years 100 ( AE 2008, 1731 , AE 2008, 1733 , AE 2008, 1734 , AE 2008, 1735 , CIL 16, 46 , ZPE-192-218 ), 101 ( AE 2008, 1732 ), 111/112 ( AE 2008, 1738 ), 115 ( AE 2005, 1723 ), 126 ( AE 2006, 1864 ), 133 ( RMD 4, 247 ), 135 ( ZPE-203-227 ), 145/154 ( Chiron-2008-371 ), 151 ( RMM 31 ), 153 ( Chiron-2008-377 ), 157 ( Chiron-2008-383 , RMD 5, 418 , RMM 37 , ZPE-165-237 ), 158/159 ( RMD 5, 419 ), 159 ( CIL 16, 111 ) and 161 ( RMD 1, 55 ).
^ 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. 278 ( online ).

[jsp-1] A ^b ^c ^d John Spaul: Cohors² The evidence for and a short history of the auxiliary infantry units of the Imperial Roman Army , British Archaeological Reports 2000, BAR International Series (Book 841), ISBN 978-1-84171-046-4 , Pp. 189, 203.

[tai-2] ↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Tatiana Alexandrovna Ivleva: Britons abroad: the mobility of Britons and the circulation of British-made objects in the Roman Empire Dissertation, Leiden University 2012, pp. 128-133, 534-539 ( online ).

[js-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. 164 table 8 ( PDF, p. 166 ).

[MD-4] Military diplomas for the years 100 ( AE 2008, 1731 , AE 2008, 1733 , AE 2008, 1734 , AE 2008, 1735 , CIL 16, 46 , ZPE-192-218 ), 101 ( AE 2008, 1732 ), 111/112 ( AE 2008, 1738 ), 115 ( AE 2005, 1723 ), 126 ( AE 2006, 1864 ), 133 ( RMD 4, 247 ), 135 ( ZPE-203-227 ), 145/154 ( Chiron-2008-371 ), 151 ( RMM 31 ), 153 ( Chiron-2008-377 ), 157 ( Chiron-2008-383 , RMD 5, 418 , RMM 37 , ZPE-165-237 ), 158/159 ( RMD 5, 419 ), 159 ( CIL 16, 111 ) and 161 ( RMD 1, 55 ).

[ot-fmp-5] 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. 278 ( online ).