Cohors I Flavia Civium Romanorum (Syria)

The Cohors I Flavia Civium Romanorum [equitata] ( German 1st cohort the Flavian of the Roman citizens [partly mounted] ) was a Roman auxiliary unit . It is evidenced by military diplomas and inscriptions.

Name components

Flavia : the Flavian. The honorary designation refers to the Flavian emperors Vespasian , Titus or Domitian .

Civium Romanorum : the Roman citizen. The soldiers of the cohort were recruited from Roman citizens when the unit was established.

equitata : partially mounted. The unit was a mixed association of infantry and cavalry.

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 Syria Province . It is listed on military diplomas for the years AD 88-153.

The first evidence of unity in the province of Syria is based on a diploma dated 88. In the diploma, the cohort is listed as part of the troops (see Roman forces in Syria ) that were stationed in the province. Another diploma, dated 153, proves unity in the same province.

Presumably because of the Bar Kochba uprising around 132/135, a vexillation of the cohort was relocated to the province of Syria Palestine . After the end of the uprising, it remained in Syria Palestine , where it was expanded into a full cohort of the same name.

A vexillation of the unit took part in the Parthian War of Lucius Verus (161-166). It is listed in the inscription ( CIL 3, 600 ) as part of the units that were under the direction of Marcus Valerius Lollianus . The inscription says that Lollianus was the commander in Mesopotamia over sections of selected riders of the Alen [..] and the cohorts .

Locations

The locations of the cohort are not known.

Members of the cohort

The following members of the cohort are known:

Commanders

L (ucius) Calusius Marcus, a tribune ( AE 1985, 415 )
Ti (berius) Claudius Helvius Secundus, a prefect ( AE 1925, 44 )

Further cohorts with the designation Cohors I Flavia Civium Romanorum

There was another cohort with this name, the Cohors I Flavia Civium Romanorum (Syria Palaestina) . She is documented by military diplomas from 139 to 160 and was stationed in the province of Syria Palestine .

Remarks

↑ ^a ^b ^c The scenario given here follows the remarks by Peter Weiß . He considers the repeated change of a single unit between Syria and Syria Palestine to be improbable and therefore assumes two different cohorts with this designation: the Cohors I Flavia Civium Romanorum (Syria) , which was stationed in the province of Syria and the Cohors I Flavia Civium Romanorum (Syria Palestine) , which was stationed in the province of Syria Palestine . John Spaul , however, assumes only one cohort that was stationed in these two provinces. The inscriptions listed by John Spaul are assigned to the Cohors I Flavia Civium Romanorum (Syria) .

Individual evidence

^ ^A ^b 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 978-1841710464 , pp. 26-27.
^ 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. 172 table 14 ( PDF p. 174 ).
↑ ^a ^b ^c Peter Weiß : The auxiliaries of the Syrian army from Domitian to Antoninus Pius. An interim balance sheet after the new military diplomas In: Chiron Communications of the Commission for Ancient History and Epigraphy of the German Archaeological Institute Volume 36 (2006), pp. 249–298, here pp. 278, 295.

↑ Military diplomas of the years 88 ( CIL 16, 35 ) and 153 ( Chiron-2006-267 ).

↑ Rudolf Haensch , Peter Weiß : A difficult way. The road construction inscription by M. Valerius Lollianus from Byllis. In: Communications from the German Archaeological Institute. Roman department . Volume 118, 2012, pp. 435–454, here pp. 435–454, here p. 441–442 and p. 448–449 ( online ).

[GE-5] The scenario given here follows the remarks by Peter Weiß . He considers the repeated change of a single unit between Syria and Syria Palestine to be improbable and therefore assumes two different cohorts with this designation: the Cohors I Flavia Civium Romanorum (Syria) , which was stationed in the province of Syria and the Cohors I Flavia Civium Romanorum (Syria Palestine) , which was stationed in the province of Syria Palestine . John Spaul , however, assumes only one cohort that was stationed in these two provinces. The inscriptions listed by John Spaul are assigned to the Cohors I Flavia Civium Romanorum (Syria) .

[jsp-1] A ^b 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 978-1841710464 , pp. 26-27.

[js-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. 172 table 14 ( PDF p. 174 ).

[pw-3] Peter Weiß : The auxiliaries of the Syrian army from Domitian to Antoninus Pius. An interim balance sheet after the new military diplomas In: Chiron Communications of the Commission for Ancient History and Epigraphy of the German Archaeological Institute Volume 36 (2006), pp. 249–298, here pp. 278, 295.

[MD-4] Military diplomas of the years 88 ( CIL 16, 35 ) and 153 ( Chiron-2006-267 ).

[rh-6] Rudolf Haensch , Peter Weiß : A difficult way. The road construction inscription by M. Valerius Lollianus from Byllis. In: Communications from the German Archaeological Institute. Roman department . Volume 118, 2012, pp. 435–454, here pp. 435–454, here p. 441–442 and p. 448–449 ( online ).