Cohors II Flavia Bessorum

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The Cohors II Flavia Bessorum ( German  2nd cohort the Flavian the better ) was a Roman auxiliary unit . It is evidenced by military diplomas , inscriptions and brick stamps.

Name components

  • Bessorum : the better . The soldiers of the cohort were recruited from the people of the better on the territory of the Roman province of Thracia when the unit was established .

Since there are no references to the additions to the name milliaria (1000 men) and equitata (partially mounted), it can be assumed that it is a Cohors quingenaria peditata , a pure infantry cohort. The nominal strength of the unit was 480 men, consisting of 6 Centuries with 80 men each.

history

The cohort was stationed in the provinces of Moesia inferior and Dacia inferior (in that order). It is listed on military diplomas for the years AD 92 to 146.

The first evidence of unity in Moesia inferior is based on diplomas dated to 92. In the diplomas, the cohort is listed as part of the troops (see Roman forces in Moesia ) that were stationed in the province. Other diplomas, dated from 97 to 105, prove unity in the same province. The cohort possibly participated in the Dacian Wars of Trajan in part

At an unspecified point in time, the cohort was transferred to Dacia inferior , where it is first evidenced by a diploma dated 125/126. In the diploma, the cohort is listed as part of the troops (see Roman Armed Forces in Dacia ) that were stationed in the province. Other diplomas, dated 129 to 146, prove unity in the same province.

Locations

Locations of the cohort in Dacia Inferior may have been:

  • Bârseşti: Bricks marked COH II FL BES were found here.
  • Buridava ( Stolniceni ): Bricks with the stamp COH II FL BES were found here.
  • Cincşor Castle : an inscription and bricks with the stamps CB and C II FB were found here.
  • Fort Olteni : Bricks with the stamp C II FL BES were found here.
  • Rucăr: Bricks with the stamps COH II FL B and COH II FL BES were found here.

Members of the cohort

The following members of the cohort are known.

Commanders

  • Αντ. Κλ. Αλφ. Αριγνωτος, a πραιποσιτος (IGR 4.1213)
  • D (ecimus) Iunius []: he is named on the diploma of 116 as a commander.
  • L (ucius) [Car] vilius Rusticin [us], a prefect ( AE 1971, 379 )
  • M (arcus) Valerius []: he is named on a diploma of 92 ( ZPE-153-208 ) as a commander.

Others

  • L (ucius) Valerius Pi []: the diploma of 116 was issued to him.

See also

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

  1. ↑ According to John Spaul, the unit was probably set up under Vespasian.
  2. ↑ a b The name of the province is not preserved on the (incomplete) diploma from 116. According to Werner Eck , Andreas Pangerl, the province is very likely to be Moesia inferior , since the cohort was probably only moved to Dacia inferior as part of the reorganization under Hadrian .
  3. ↑ The name of the cohort was added to an (incomplete) diploma of 122 ( RMM 20 ).
  4. ↑ John Spaul assigns Mucatralis to the Cohors II Flavia Bessorum . The reading of the EDCS is m (iles) c (o) h (ortis) II F (laviae) B (rittonum) .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d John Spaul , Cohors², pp. 339, 342
  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 ).
  3. ↑ Military diplomas of the years 92 ( ZPE-148-269 , ZPE-153-208 ), 97 ( Chiron-2009-510 ), 99 ( ZPE-192-215 ), 105 ( CIL 16, 50 ), 116 ( Chiron-2009 -525 ), 125/126 ( AE 2009, 1035 ), 129 ( CIL 16, 75 ), 129/130 ( RMD 5, 376 ), 140 ( RMD 1, 39 ) and 146 ( RMD 4, 269 , ZPE-176 -225 ).
  4. ↑ a b Constantin C. Petolescu, Florian Matei-Popescu: The Presence of the Roman Army from Moesia Inferior to the North of the Danube and the Making of the Dacia Inferior province In: Editura Mega Cluj-Napoca, 2008, p. 357– 367, here pp. 359, 361 ( online ).
  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. 273 ( online ).
  6. ↑ Bricks from Bârseşti ( IDR-02, 00571 )
  7. ↑ Bricks from Buridava ( IDR-02, 00561 , IDR-02, 00562 )
  8. ↑ Inscription from Cincșor ( AE 1971, 379 )
  9. ^ Bricks from Cincșor : stamp CB ( AE 1994, 1500 ) and stamp C II FB ( CERom-06, 00386 , CERom-08, 00496 )
  10. ↑ Bricks from Olteni ( IDR-03-04, 00318 )
  11. ^ Bricks from Rucăr : stamp COH II FL B ( IDR-02, 00607 ) and stamp COH II FL BES ( AE 1977, 710 )
  12. ^ A b Werner Eck , Andreas Pangerl: Moesia and his troops II. New diplomas for Moesia, Moesia inferior and Moesia superior In: Chiron , Volume 39 (2009), pp. 505–589, here p. 528 ( online ).