Cohors II Tungrorum

The altar of Albius Severus

The Cohors II Tungrorum [milliaria] [equitata] [cl] [Gordiana] [vexillatio] ( German  2nd cohort of the Tungerer [1000 men] [partly mounted] [cl] [the Gordian] [vexillatio] ) was a Roman auxiliary unit . It is documented by inscriptions.

Name components

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

• 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 ...

• Tungrorum : the Tungerer . The soldiers of the cohort were recruited from the Tungerer people in the Roman province of Gallia Belgica when the unit was established .

• 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 the military diplomas from 121/132 to 147 and inscriptions. In the military diplomas and an inscription, the symbol is used instead of milliaria . ${\displaystyle \infty }$

• equitata : partially mounted. The unit was a mixed association of infantry and cavalry. The addition occurs in inscriptions.

• cl : The addition occurs in inscriptions.

• Gordiana : the Gordian. A title of honor that refers to Gordian III. (238-244) refers. The addition appears in an inscription.

• vexillatio : a delegation from the cohort (see Vexillatio ). The addition occurs in the military diplomas from 121/132 to 147.

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

history

The cohort was stationed in the province of Britannia , a vexillatio from the unit probably also in Raetia (and possibly in Noricum ). On military diplomas for Raetia and Noricum , which are dated to 121/132 to 147 n. Chr., Vexillations from Tungrians cohorts are listed. Tacitus mentions cohorts of the Tungerer both in the Historiae (Book II, Chapter 14) and in his work Agricola (Chapter 36).

The unit was probably set up in the Julio-Claudian period in the area of ​​the civitas Tungrorum (in today's Belgium); she was stationed in the province of Germania inferior before AD 69 . In the civil war between Otho and Vitellius , the cohort fought on Vitellius's side; two cohorts of the Tungerer were sent by Fabius Valens to the province of Gallia Narbonensis to fight against the troops of Otho. After the Batavian Revolt , the Tunger cohorts came to Britain with the new governor, Quintus Petillius Cerialis . Under Gnaeus Iulius Agricola , two cohorts of the Tungerer 83 took part in the battle of Mons Graupius and were honored for it.

Unity is evidenced by numerous inscriptions in Britain, but not by a single military diploma . The first temporally certain evidence of the cohort in Britannia is an inscription dated 157/158. It is assumed that a vexillation from the cohort around 121/147 was sent to the province of Raetia (and possibly also to Noricum ). An inscription shows that soldiers from Raetia ( cives Raeti ) served in the cohort while it was stationed in Britain.

The last evidence of unity is based on an inscription dated 241.

Locations

Cohort locations in Britannia may have been:

• Blatobulgium (Birrens): several inscriptions have been found here.
• Camboglanna (Castlesteads): several inscriptions have been found here.
• Cramond : an inscription was found here.

Cohort locations in Raetia may have been:

• Abusina ( Eining ): several inscriptions have been found here.

Members of the cohort

The following members of the cohort are known:

Commanders

Albius Severus , a prefect Aurelius Optatus , a prefect Marcus Licinius Ripanus , a prefect Paconius Saturninus , a prefect

Publius Campanius Italicus , a prefect Sextus Severius Salvator , a prefect Gaius Silvius Auspex , a prefect Tiberius Claudius Claudianus , a prefect

Others

[?], a centurion of the Legio XX Valeria Victrix and Praepositus ( RIB 1999 ) [?], a centurion of the Legio XX Valeria Victrix ( RIB 2135 ) [] ullinus ( RIB 1977 ) Afutianus bassi, an ordinatus ( RIB 2115 ) Aurel (ius) Armiger, a decurio princeps ( RIB 1991 ) Firmus, a soldier ( IBR 00350a ) Frumentius, a soldier ( RIB 2109 ) G (aius) Iul (ius) Cupitianus, a Centurion and Praepositus ( RIB 1988 )

Gamidiahus, an architectus ( RIB 2096 ) Mes (sius) Opse [quens], a princeps ( RIB 1982 ) Ninicus, a Centurion ( IBR 00350a ) Pr (imus) emeritus, either a centurion or a decurion ( stake 00290 ) [P (ublius)] Ael (ius) Mart [i] n [us], a princeps ( RIB 1983 ) Sextilius Statutus, a Centurion ( IBR 00351 ) Vic () Severus, a princeps ( RIB 1981 )

See also

List of Roman auxiliary units Roman forces in Britannia

Roman forces in Noricum Roman forces in Raetia

Web links

Commons : Cohors II Tungrorum  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• 2178 - Cohors II Tungrorum. Roman Inscriptions of Britain (RIB), accessed July 24, 2019 . 

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. ↑ ^{a b c d} At an unspecified point in time, a vexillation from a Tungrer cohort was transferred to the provinces of Raetia and Noricum , where it is proven by several diplomas for 121/132 to 147. Since the diplomas are incomplete, it is a matter of dispute which cohort was involved: Both the Cohors I Tungrorum and the Cohors II Tungrorum come into question ; the Cohors IV Tungrorum , on the other hand, is definitely proven by other diplomas for both Noricum and Raetia .
2. ↑ According to the RIB, the addition cl was originally interpreted as civium Latinorum . Both the EDCS and RIB complement cl to coram laudata . Instead, John Spaul suggests civium Liberorum as a supplement.
3. ↑ ^{a b} According to Robert Nouwen (1995), one of the two Tungerer cohorts mentioned by Tacitus was the Cohors II Tungrorum .
4. ↑ According to John Spaul, it is striking that the cohort is not listed on a single military diploma for the province of Britannia , not even on the diploma of 122 ( CIL 16, 69 ), which lists 37 cohorts. DJ Knight thinks it is possible that the whole cohort was withdrawn from Britain and divided between Noricum and Raetia ; this would explain the missing diplomas.
5. ↑ According to John Spaul and Farkas István Gergő, the soldiers from Raetia were included in the cohort while the vexillation was in the province of Raetia .
6. ^ Farkas István Gergő assigns the inscriptions to the Cohors II Tungrorum ; the name of the unit does not appear in any of the inscriptions.
7. ↑ ^{a b c d} The inscription was found in Eining Fort , where the Cohors III Britannorum , the Cohors IV Gallorum and (possibly) a vexillation of the Cohors II Tungrorum were stationed. An exact assignment of the listed soldier to one of these units is not possible because the name of the unit is missing in the inscription.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ inscriptions with milliaria ( RIB 1981 , RIB 1982 , RIB 2092 , RIB 2104 , RIB 2110 )
2. ↑ Inscriptions with equitata ( RIB 1981 , RIB 1982 , RIB 1983 , RIB 2092 , RIB 2104 , RIB 2110 )
3. ↑ Inscriptions with cl ( RIB 1981 , RIB 1982 , RIB 1983 , RIB 2092 , RIB 2104 , RIB 2110 )
4. ↑ ^{a b} inscription with Gordiana ( RIB 1983 )
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. 160 table 4 ( PDF ).
6. ↑ ^{a b c d} Farkas István Gergő: The Roman Army in Raetia Dissertation, University of Pécs Faculty of Humanities, 2015, pp. 168–169, 247–248, 253–254, 431–435, 446–447, 452, 481 -482 ( PDF ).
7. ↑ Military diplomas of the years 121/132 ( RMD 1, 25 ), 125/128 ( RMD 1, 32 ), 133 ( CIL 16, 174 ), 135/138 ( RMD 2, 93 ), 140/147 ( RMD 3, 166 ) and 147 ( CIL 16, 94 ).
8. ^ ^{A b} Robert Nouwen: The Vindolanda tablet 88/841 and the cohors I Tungrorum milliaria In: M. Lodewijckx (Ed.) Archeological and Historical Aspects of West-European Societies. Album amicorum Andre Van Doorselaer (Acta Archaeologica Lovaniensia Monographiae 8), 1995, pp. 123-134, here pp. 124-126 ( online ).
9. ↑ inscription ( RIB 2110 )
10. ^ Robert Nouwen: The Vexillationes of the Cohortes Tungrorum During the Second Century In: Proceedings of the XVIth International Congress of Roman Frontier Studies, Oxbow Monograph 91, 1997, pp. 461-465, here pp. 462-463 ( online ).
11. ^ DJ Knight: The Movement of the Auxilia from Augustus to Hadrian In: Zeitschrift für Papyrologie und Epigraphik , Volume 85 (1991), pp. 189-208, here p. 204 ( PDF ).
12. ↑ inscription ( RIB 2100 )
13. ↑ Inscriptions from Blatobulgium ( RIB 2092 , RIB 2094 , RIB 2096 , RIB 2100 , RIB 2104 , RIB 2107 , RIB 2108 , RIB 2109 , RIB 2110 , RIB 2115 )
14. ↑ Inscriptions from Camboglanna ( RIB 1977 , RIB 1981 , RIB 1982 , RIB 1983 , RIB 1987 , RIB 1988 , RIB 1991 , RIB 1992 , RIB 1993 , RIB 1999 )
15. ↑ Inscription from Cramond ( RIB 2135 )
16. ↑ Inscriptions from Abusina ( CIL 03, 11957a , CIL 03, 11957b , IBR 00350a , IBR 00351 , post 00290 )
17. ↑ John Spaul , Cohors², pp. 207-208, 228-230.