Cohors I Aelia Hispanorum

The building inscription of a riding and drill hall that the cohort built in Netherby (RIB 978)

The Cohors I Aelia Hispanorum [Antoniniana] [Severiana Alexandriana] [milliaria] [equitata] ( German 1st Aelian cohort of Hispanics [the Antoninian] [the Severian Alexandrian] [1000 men] [partly mounted] ) was a Roman auxiliary unit . It is evidenced by military diplomas and inscriptions.

Name components

Aelia : The honorary designation refers either to Emperor Hadrian , whose full name is Publius Aelius Hadrianus , or to Antoninus Pius , whose full name as Roman Emperor Titus Aelius Hadrianus is Antoninus Augustus Pius .

Hispanorum : The soldiers of the cohort were recruited in the territory of the Roman province of Hispania when the unit was established . The following inscription can be dated to 222 AD. (RIB 978)

[...] coh (ors) I Ael (ia)
Hispanorum ↀ eq (uitata) [...]

Antoniniana : the Antoninian. The addition appears only in an inscription. (RIB 977)

Severiana Alexandriana : the Severian Alexandrian, an honorific designation that refers to Severus Alexander (222-235). The addition appears only in an inscription. (RIB 979)

milliaria : 1000 men. Depending on whether it is 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. In the inscriptions, the symbol is used instead of milliaria . The addition appears in several inscriptions. (RIB 968, 978, 980) ${\ displaystyle \ infty}$

equitata : partially mounted. The unit was a mixed association of infantry and cavalry. The addition appears in several inscriptions. (RIB 968, 978, 980)

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

During Trajan's reign there were likely two cohorts called Cohors I Hispanorum in the province of Britannia . One of these was expanded to a Cohors milliaria at the beginning of Hadrian's reign and stationed in Maryport .

For the beginnings of the Cohors I Aelia Hispanorum there are the following assumptions:

the cohort was reorganized under either Hadrian or Antoninus Pius and came to Britain during a campaign.
or it emerged from the Cohors I Hispanorum , which was stationed in Maryport .
or it emerged from the Cohors Hispanorum Tironum .

The first evidence of unity in Britain is based on military diplomas dated to 178. In the diplomas, the cohort is listed as part of the troops (see British Army ) that were stationed in Britain under the governor Ulpius Marcellus .

The unit is mentioned for the last time on two inscriptions that are dated to 222. (RIB 968, 978)

Locations

Castra Exploratorum ( Netherby ): Inscriptions prove the presence (of parts) of the cohort for the period between 213 and 222 in Netherby.

Commanders

The altar that Marcus Aurelius Salvius had erected (RIB 968)

The following commanders of the unit are known by inscriptions. They were all in the rank of tribune .

Aelius Nu [.] (Around 219) (RIB 980)
Marcus Aurelius Salvius
[.] Maximus (around 214–216) (RIB 977)

Other cohorts with the designation Cohors I Hispanorum

There were at least 9 other cohorts named Cohors I Hispanorum :

Cohors I Hispanorum (based in Britannia)
Cohors I Hispanorum (based in Maryport, Britannia)
Cohors I Hispanorum (based in Volubilis , Mauretania Tingitana )
Cohors I Hispanorum equitata (based in Egypt)
Cohors I Hispanorum equitata (based in Cyrenaica )
Cohors I Hispanorum veterana equitata
Cohors I Flavia Hispanorum (based in Mauretania Caesariensis )
Cohors I Flavia Hispanorum equitata (pia fidelis)
Cohors I Flavia Ulpia Hispanorum milliaria equitata civium Romanorum

Web links

Commons : Cohors I Aelia Hispanorum - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Cohors Primae Hispanorum equitata. roman-britain.co.uk, accessed January 31, 2017 .
2193 - Cohors I Aelia Hispanorum. Roman Inscriptions of Britain (RIB), accessed January 28, 2017 .

Individual evidence

↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Paul A. Holder: Auxiliary units entitled Aelia In: Zeitschrift für Papyrologie und Epigraphik . Volume 122 (1998), pp. 253-263, here pp. 253, 260-261 ( PDF ).
↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Margaret M. Roxan : THE AUXILIA OF THE ROMAN ARMY RAISED IN THE IBERIAN PENINSULA. (PDF 23.5 MB) discovery.ucl.ac.uk, 1973, pp. 182-187 (179-184), 192 (189), 201 (198), 214 (211), 221 (218), 227 ( 224), 230 (227), 233 (230) , accessed on January 31, 2017 (English).
^ 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. 159 ( PDF p. 157 table 1 ).
↑ military diplomas of the year 178 ( AE 2006, 1837 , RMD 04,293 and 04,294 RMD).

[pah-1] ↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Paul A. Holder: Auxiliary units entitled Aelia In: Zeitschrift für Papyrologie und Epigraphik . Volume 122 (1998), pp. 253-263, here pp. 253, 260-261 ( PDF ).

[mmr-2] Margaret M. Roxan : THE AUXILIA OF THE ROMAN ARMY RAISED IN THE IBERIAN PENINSULA. (PDF 23.5 MB) discovery.ucl.ac.uk, 1973, pp. 182-187 (179-184), 192 (189), 201 (198), 214 (211), 221 (218), 227 ( 224), 230 (227), 233 (230) , accessed on January 31, 2017 (English).

[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. 159 ( PDF p. 157 table 1 ).

[MD-4] tary diplomas of the year 178 ( AE 2006, 1837 , RMD 04,293 and 04,294 RMD).