Cohors III Ulpia Petraeorum

The Cohors III Ulpia Petraeorum [sagittariorum or sagittaria] [milliaria] [equitata] ( German 3rd cohort the Ulpische from Petra [the archers] [1000 men] [partly mounted] ) was a Roman auxiliary unit . It is evidenced by inscriptions and the Notitia dignitatum . In the Notitia dignitatum it is referred to as Cohors tertia Ulpia miliaria Petraeorum .

Name components

Cohors : The cohort was an infantry unit of the auxiliary troops in the Roman army .

III : The Roman number stands for the ordinal number, the third ( Latin tertia ). Hence the name of this military unit is pronounced as Cohors tertia ...

Ulpia : the Ulpian. The honorary designation refers to Emperor Trajan , whose full name is Marcus Ulpius Traianus .

Petraeorum : from Petra . The soldiers of the cohort were recruited from the city of Petra and its surroundings when the unit was set up . After the annexation of the kingdom of the Nabataeans (with the capital Petra ) by Trajan 106 the soldiers of the royal army were taken over into the Roman armed forces, whereby six Cohortes Petraeorum were newly established.

sagittariorum or sagittaria : the archer.

milliaria : 1000 men. Depending on whether it was an infantry cohort ( Cohors milliaria peditata ) or a mixed association of infantry and cavalry ( Cohors milliaria equitata ), the nominal strength of the unit was either 800 or 1040 men. The addition appears in an inscription in the form of the sign . ${\ displaystyle \ infty}$

equitata : partially mounted. The unit was a mixed association of infantry and cavalry.

The unit was a Cohors milliaria equitata . The nominal strength of the unit was therefore 1040 men, consisting of 10 Centurien infantry with 80 men each and 8 tower cavalry with 30 riders each.

history

The unit was set up under Trajan in the province of Arabia Petraea and then transferred to the province of Cappadocia to take part in the Parthian War of Trajan around 114 in Armenia. After the war ended, the cohort stayed in the province of Cappadocia. The unit's cavalry was then part of the armed forces (see Roman Armed Forces in Cappadocia ), which Arrian mobilized for his campaign against the Alans (ἔκταξις κατ᾽ Ἀλανῶν) around 135.

The unit is mentioned for the last time in the Notitia dignitatum with the designation Cohors tertia Ulpia miliaria Petraeorum for the Metita site . She was part of the troops under the command of the Dux Armeniae .

Locations

Locations of the cohort in Cappadocia were:

Metita: The unit is listed in the Notitia dignitatum for this location.

Members of the cohort

The following members of the cohort are known.

Commanders

C (aius) Castricius Vetulus, a tribune ( CIL 11, 6010 )
Λ. Αβουρνιος Τουοκιανος, a χιλίαρχος

Marcus Arruntius Frugi , a prefect
M (arcus) Sulpicius Felix, a tribune ( AE 1931, 36 ). He was also prefect of the Cohors I Germanorum (Cappadocia) .

literature

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

Remarks

↑ ^a ^b ^c According to Jörg Scheuerbrandt, the mounted archers of the unit were part of a cavalry corps during the march, which was formed from several units and which was at the beginning of the marching column; the foot soldiers of the cohort are not mentioned in Arrian's work.

Individual evidence

^ ^A ^b John Spaul , Cohors², pp. 438, 449-451.
↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e 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. 618, 621, 625 ( online ).
↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d 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. 62, 66, 68 ( PDF ).
↑ Inscription with milliaria ( AE 1931, 36 ).
^ Notitia dignitatum in partibus Orientis XXXVIII ( online ).
↑ Margaret M. Roxan : Pre-Severan auxilia named in the Notitia Dignitatum In: British Archaeological Reports , Volume 15 (1976), pp. 59-80, here p. 73.

[NA1-4] According to Jörg Scheuerbrandt, the mounted archers of the unit were part of a cavalry corps during the march, which was formed from several units and which was at the beginning of the marching column; the foot soldiers of the cohort are not mentioned in Arrian's work.

[jsp-1] A ^b John Spaul , Cohors², pp. 438, 449-451.

[mas-2] 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. 618, 621, 625 ( 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, pp. 62, 66, 68 ( PDF ).

[IN-MIL-5] Inscription with milliaria ( AE 1931, 36 ).

[ND-6] Notitia dignitatum in partibus Orientis XXXVIII ( online ).

[mmr-7] Margaret M. Roxan : Pre-Severan auxilia named in the Notitia Dignitatum In: British Archaeological Reports , Volume 15 (1976), pp. 59-80, here p. 73.