Cohors I Numidarum

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Cohors I Numidarum [sagittariorum or sagittaria] [equitata] ( German  1st cohort of the Numidians [the archers] [partly mounted] ) was a Roman auxiliary unit . It is evidenced by a military diploma , an inscription and Arrian's work Ἔκταξις κατ᾽ Ἀλανῶν .

Name components

  • Numidarum : the Numid. The soldiers of the cohort were recruited in Numidia when the unit was set up .
  • sagittariorum or sagittaria : the archer.
  • 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 the provinces of Syria and Cappadocia (in that order). It is listed on a military diploma for the year 88 AD.

The only evidence of unity in Syria is based on a diploma dated to the year 88. In the diploma, the cohort is listed as part of the troops (see Roman forces in Syria ) that were stationed in the province. The cohort was probably withdrawn from the province soon after 88 because it does not appear on any of the other military diplomas for this province.

At an unspecified point in time, the cohort was moved to the province of Cappadocia , where it is recorded in the 2nd century. Around 135 she was part of the armed forces that Arrian mobilized for his campaign against the Alans (ἔκταξις κατ᾽ Ἀλανῶν). Arrian mentions in his report a unit under the command of a Verus , which he calls οι Νομαδες.

Possibly the unit is identical to the Cohors I Nomidarum equitata , which is found in the papyrus P.Mich. VII 455b is mentioned, which is dated to the first half of the 3rd century.

Locations

The locations of the cohort are not known.

Members of the cohort

The following members of the cohort are known.

Commanders

  • Γαιος Τιμοκραρους ΦΛαβιανος, a επαρχος (IGRR IV 964)
  • Verus: he is named by Arrian as the commander of the cohort.

Further cohorts with the designation Cohors I Numidarum

There was another cohort with this name, the Cohors I Flavia Numidarum . She is documented by military diplomas from 97 to 178 and was stationed in the provinces of Moesia inferior and Lycia et Pamphylia .

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. ↑ The scenario given here is based on two different cohorts: the Cohors I Numidarum , which was stationed in the provinces of Syria and Cappadocia , and the Cohors I Flavia Numidarum , which was stationed in the provinces of Moesia inferior and Lycia et Pamphylia .

Individual evidence

  1. ^ A b John Spaul , Cohors², pp. 466, 473.
  2. ↑ a b Jörg Scheuerbrandt : Exercitus. Tasks, organization and command structure of Roman armies during the imperial era. Dissertation, Albert Ludwig University Freiburg im Breisgau 2003/2004, pp. 64–66, 172 Table 14 ( PDF ).
  3. ^ Military diploma of the year 88 ( CIL 16, 35 ).
  4. ^ A b c Michael Alexander Speidel : The Development of the Roman Forces in Northeastern Anatolia. New evidence for the history of the exercitus Cappadocicus. , Special print from: MA Speidel, Heer und Herrschaft im Römischen Reich der Hohen Kaiserzeit, Stuttgart 2009, pp. 595–631, here pp. 602–603, 618 ( online ).
  5. ↑ ChLA XLII 1213. aquila.zaw.uni-heidelberg.de, accessed on June 19, 2019 .
  6. ↑ rom.mil.rec.1.53 = HGV ChLA 42 1213 = Trismegistos 42957. Papyri.info, accessed on June 20, 2019 (English).