Cohors II Ituraeorum

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The Cohors II Ituraeorum [sagittariorum or sagittaria] [equitata] ( German  2nd cohort from Ituräa [the archer] [partly mounted] ) was a Roman auxiliary unit . It is evidenced by military diplomas , inscriptions, papyri and the Notitia dignitatum . In an inscription it is referred to as Cohors II Ituriatica , in the Notitia dignitatum as Cohors secunda Ituraeorum .

Name components

  • II : The Roman number stands for the ordinal number, the second ( Latin secunda ). Hence the name of this military unit is pronounced as Cohors secunda ...
  • Ituraeorum : from Ituraea . The soldiers of the cohort were recruited in the Iturea region when the unit was established .
  • sagittariorum or sagittaria : the archer. The addition appears in an inscription.
  • equitata : partially mounted. The unit was a mixed association of infantry and cavalry. The addition appears in two inscriptions.

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 stationed in the province of Aegyptus . It is listed on military diplomas for the years 83 to 206 AD.

The first evidence of unity in Aegyptus is based on an inscription that is dated to 39 AD. The cohort is documented for the first time in the province for the year 83 through a diploma. In the diploma, the cohort is listed as part of the troops (see Roman Forces in Aegyptus ) that were stationed in the province. Further diplomas, dated from 98/105 to 206, prove unity in the same province.

The unit is mentioned for the last time in the Notitia dignitatum with the designation Cohors secunda Ituraeorum for the location Aiy. She was part of the troops that were under the High Command of the Comes limitis Aegypti .

Locations

Cohort locations in Aegyptus may have been:

  • Aiy: The unit is listed in the Notitia dignitatum for this location.
  • Pselkis ( Ad-Dakka ): an inscription and papyrus were found here.
  • Syene : two inscriptions were found here.
  • Talmis ( Kalabsha ): Inscriptions have been found here.

Members of the cohort

The following members of the cohort are known.

Commanders

Others

  • [?], a soldier
  • [?], a στρατιοτος (soldier) (SB 4601)
  • C (aius) Iulius Suavis, a Decurio ( CIL 3, 14147.7 )
  • Φελικος (SB 4601)
  • Γαιος [Α] νδιστιος Καπιτωλεινος (SB 8521)
  • Marinius, a centurion (ANRW II, 10,1,791)
  • M (arcus) Spedius Corbulo, a foot soldier: the diploma of 105 was issued to him.
  • [Πτ] ολεμαιος, a στρατιοτος (SB 4603)
  • Σαβινος, a centurion (SB 4616)
  • Valeri (us) Ammonian (us) (ANRW II, 10,1,791)
  • Valerius Clemens, a veteran

Wax tablet P.Mich. VII 436

On a wax tablet dated 138, an unknown soldier announced the birth of his son Numissius to the authorities . The name of the unit has not been preserved, but it could have been the Cohors II Ituraeorum .

Papyrus BGU XI 2024

The papyrus, dated November 204, is a receipt from a centurion for the delivery of barley.

Papyrus SB IV 7362

In the papyrus dated June 11, 188, the case of the 52-year-old veteran Valerius Clemens is recorded , who had been honorably discharged from the unit a few years earlier. When he was released, however (for unknown reasons), he was not given a military diploma . Therefore, when he was registered as a Roman citizen, he had to bring a letter from the former governor of Egypt, Titus Pactumeius Magnus , in which the latter confirmed that Clement had served in the cohort and was legally dismissed on December 31, 177. In addition, Clemens had to summon three named veterans who testified that no false information was given.

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 inscription (ANRW II, 10,1,790) is dated 24/22 BC. Dated. If the dating is correct, the cohort would have been set up under Augustus and moved to Aegyptus .
  2. ↑ Both John Spaul and Cornelia Römer assign the papyrus to the Cohors II Ituraeorum . According to the Berlin papyrus database, the σπεί [ρης τρίτ] ης Ἰτουρέων mentioned in the papyrus is probably the Cohors III Ituraeorum .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b inscription with sagittariorum ( AE 2000, 386 ).
  2. ↑ Inscriptions with equitata ( CIL 3, 14147,2 ) or ιππικ (SB 4601, 4603).
  3. ↑ Military diplomas of the years 83 ( CIL 16, 29 ), 98/105 ( RMD 5, 341 ), 105 ( RMD 1, 9 ), 156/161 ( CIL 16, 184 ), 179 ( RMD 3, 185 ) and 206 ( AE 2012, 1960 ).
  4. ^ A b c d John Spaul , Cohors², pp. 437, 444-445.
  5. ^ 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. 174 Table 16 ( PDF ).
  6. ↑ Inscription ( CIL 3, 14147,1 )
  7. ↑ a b Cornelia Römer : Diploma for a foot soldier from Koptos of March 23, 179 In: Zeitschrift für Papyrologie und Epigraphik Volume 82 (1990), pp. 137–153, here pp. 147–148 ( PDF ).
  8. ^ Notitia dignitatum in partibus Orientis XXVIII ( online ).
  9. ↑ Margaret M. Roxan : Pre-Severan auxilia named in the Notitia Dignitatum In: British Archaeological Reports , Volume 15 (1976), pp. 59-80, here p. 73.
  10. ^ Richard Alston: Soldier and Society in Roman Egypt: A Social History , Routledge, 2002, ISBN 978-1134664764 , p. 179 Appendix I.
  11. ↑ Inscription from Pselkis ( CIL 3, 14147,7 ).
  12. ↑ a b c p.mich.7.436 = HGV P.Mich. 7 436 = Trismegistos 78521 = michigan.apis.2128. Papyri.info, accessed June 27, 2019 .
  13. ↑ Inscriptions from Syene ( CIL 3, 14147.1 , CIL 3, 14147.2 ).
  14. ↑ Inscriptions from Talmis (SB 4601, 4603, 4616, 8521).
  15. ↑ a b bgu.11.2024 = HGV BGU 11 2024 = Trismegistos 9561. Papyri.info, accessed on June 27, 2019 (English).
  16. ↑ Florian Matei-Popescu: Auxiliaria I In: Muzeul Olteniei Craiova. Oltenia. Studiişi comunicări. Arheologieşi Istorie Veche. Vol. XVI (2008), pp. 105-111, here pp. 105-106 ( online ).
  17. ↑ a b Michael Alexander Speidel : Honesta Missio. On discharge certificates and related texts. , Special print from: MA Speidel, Heer und Herrschaft im Römischen Reich der Hohen Kaiserzeit, Stuttgart 2009, pp. 317–346, here pp. 338, 342–343 ( online ).
  18. ↑ P. 21507 R: Receipt of a centurion for delivery of barley for troops. Berlin papyrus database, accessed on June 27, 2019 (English).
  19. ↑ sb.4.7362 = HGV SB 4 7362 = Trismegistos 14014 = michigan.apis.1695. Papyri.info, accessed June 27, 2019 .