Cohors I Batavorum (Britannia)

Three of the altars in Carrawburgh

A building inscription from Carvoran

The Cohors I Batavorum [Marsacorum] [Antoniniana] ( German 1st cohort of the Batavians [the Marsaker ] [the Antoninian] ) was a Roman auxiliary unit . It is evidenced by military diplomas , inscriptions and the Notitia dignitatum . In the Notitia dignitatum it is referred to as Cohors prima Batavorum .

Name components

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

I : The Roman number stands for the ordinal number, the first ( Latin prima ). Hence the name of this military unit is pronounced as Cohors prima ...

Batavorum : the Bataver . The soldiers of the cohort were recruited from the Batavian people when the unit was established.

Marsacorum : the Marsaker . The addition appears in the military diploma of 152/153.

Antoniniana : the Antoninian. An honorific designation that refers to Caracalla (211-217) or Elagabal (218-222). The addition appears in an inscription.

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 province of Britannia . It is listed on military diplomas for the years AD 98-178. Tacitus mentions cohorts of the Batavians both in the Historiae and in his work Agricola (Chapter 36).

The first evidence of unity in Britain is based on a diploma dated 98. In the diploma, the cohort is listed as part of the troops (see Roman Forces in Britannia ) that were stationed in the province. Other military diplomas, dated 122 to 178, prove unity in the same province. The diploma of 152/153 shows that the cohort, together with the Cohors I Baetasiorum, had been temporarily moved from Britain to the province of Mauretania Tingitana to take part in the suppression of an uprising.

The unit is mentioned for the last time in the Notitia dignitatum with the designation Cohors prima Batavorum for the Procolitia location. It was part of the troops under the command of the Dux Britanniarum under the direction of a tribune .

Locations

Cohort locations in Britain may have been:

Brocolitia (Carrawburgh): several inscriptions have been found here. In addition, the unit is listed in the Notitia dignitatum for that location.
Magnis (Carvoran): two inscriptions were found here.

An inscription was found on Hadrian's Wall near Camboglanna Fort (Castlesteads). Another inscription was found in Castlecary . Lead seals marked CIB were found in Brough under Stainmore .

Members of the cohort

The following members of the cohort are known:

Commanders

Aelius Tertius , a prefect
Aulus Cluentius Habitus , a prefect
Burrius [] stus, a prefect ( RIB 1553 )
Lucius Antonius Proculus , a prefect

Marcus Flaccinius Marcellus , a prefect
Marcus Hispanius Modestinus , a prefect
Marcus Simplicius Simplex , a prefect
T (itus) D () Cosconianus, a prefect ( RIB 1534 )

Others

[?] ( RIB 1562 )
[?], a signer ( RIB 1560 )
Aulus Maximus ( AE 2002, 896 )

Longi [], a Bucinator ( RIB 1559 )
Martius, a Centurion ( RIB 2015 )

Web links

Commons : Cohors I Batavorum (Britannia) - Collection of images, videos and audio files

2255 - Cohors I Batavorum. Roman Inscriptions of Britain (RIB), accessed September 10, 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

↑ The Marsakers lived in the northern part of Germania inferior near the Batavians. According to Werner Eck , Andreas Pangerl, Paul Holder, so many members of this tribe were probably accepted into the unit at one point in time that the official name of the unit was expanded to include this addition.
↑ Cohorts of the Batavians probably took part in the conquest of Britain under Claudius around 43 AD. According to Tacitus, eight cohorts of Batavians involved in the Batavian revolt under Julius Civilis to 69/70. Whether these cohorts were dissolved or continued to exist after the uprising is a matter of dispute. It is possible that cohorts from Batavern were reorganized after the uprising. Under Gnaeus Iulius Agricola , four cohorts of the Batavians 83 took part in the battle of Mons Graupius .
↑ According to Werner Eck , Andreas Pangerl, Paul Holder, however, probably only vexillations from the two units were moved to Mauretania Tingitana and not the entire units.
↑ ^a ^b According to John Spaul , the building inscriptions found at Carvoran and Castlesteads suggest that the cohort was involved in the construction of Hadrian's Wall .
↑ John Spaul assigns the lead seal to the Cohors I Batavorum . The reading of EDCS is C (ohortis) IB () // Iul (ius) C / Mar .

Individual evidence

↑ Inscription with Antoniniana ( RIB 1544 )

↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d John Spaul , Cohors², pp. 205-206, 209-210

^ 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. 157 ( PDF ).

↑ Military diplomas of the years 98 ( ZPE-189-233 ), 122 ( AE 2008, 800 , CIL 16, 69 ), 124 ( CIL 16, 70 ), 135 ( CIL 16, 82 ), 152/153 ( ZPE-199- 187 ) and 178 ( RMD 3, 184 , RMD 4, 293 , RMD 4, 294 ).

↑ Werner Eck , Paul Holder , Andreas Pangerl: A constitution from the year 152 or 153 for Lower Saxony and British troops, delegated to Mauretania Tingitana In: Zeitschrift für Papyrologie und Epigraphik , Volume 199 (2016), pp. 187-201, here p 196 ( online ).

^ Notitia dignitatum in partibus Occidentis XL ( online ).

↑ Inscriptions from Brocolitia ( AE 1962, 261 , RIB 1534 , RIB 1535 , RIB 1536 , RIB 1544 , RIB 1545 , RIB 1546 , RIB 1553 , RIB 1559 , RIB 1560 , RIB 1562 )

↑ Inscriptions from Magnis ( RIB 1823 , RIB 1824 , RIB 1824 )

↑ Inscription from Camboglanna ( RIB 2015 )

↑ Inscription from Castlecary ( RIB 2154 )

↑ Lead seal with the stamp CIB ( RIB 2411.99 )

[NA1-1] The Marsakers lived in the northern part of Germania inferior near the Batavians. According to Werner Eck , Andreas Pangerl, Paul Holder, so many members of this tribe were probably accepted into the unit at one point in time that the official name of the unit was expanded to include this addition.

[GE1-6] Cohorts of the Batavians probably took part in the conquest of Britain under Claudius around 43 AD. According to Tacitus, eight cohorts of Batavians involved in the Batavian revolt under Julius Civilis to 69/70. Whether these cohorts were dissolved or continued to exist after the uprising is a matter of dispute. It is possible that cohorts from Batavern were reorganized after the uprising. Under Gnaeus Iulius Agricola , four cohorts of the Batavians 83 took part in the battle of Mons Graupius .

[GE2-8] According to Werner Eck , Andreas Pangerl, Paul Holder, however, probably only vexillations from the two units were moved to Mauretania Tingitana and not the entire units.

[ST1-11] According to John Spaul , the building inscriptions found at Carvoran and Castlesteads suggest that the cohort was involved in the construction of Hadrian's Wall .

[ST2-16] John Spaul assigns the lead seal to the Cohors I Batavorum . The reading of EDCS is C (ohortis) IB () // Iul (ius) C / Mar .

[IN-ANT-2] Inscription with Antoniniana ( RIB 1544 )

[jsp-3] John Spaul , Cohors², pp. 205-206, 209-210

[js-4] 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. 157 ( PDF ).