Cohors I Raetorum (Moesia)

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The Cohors I Raetorum [equitata] [Gordiana] ( German  1st cohort of the Raetians [partly mounted] [the Gordian] ) was a Roman auxiliary unit . It is documented by military diplomas , inscriptions and Arrian's work Ἔκταξις κατὰ Ἀλάνοον .

Name components
  • 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 ...
  • Raetorum : the Rhaetians . The soldiers of the cohort were during installation of the unit from the people of Rhaetians in the area of the Roman province Raetia recruited. According to Tacitus, the Raetians' auxiliary troops were set up at two different times: after the conquest of Raetia around 15 BC. And around 70 AD as a result of the Helvetian uprising.
  • equitata : partially mounted. The unit was a mixed association of infantry and cavalry.
  • Gordiana : the Gordian. A title of honor that refers to Gordian III. (238-244) refers. The addition appears in an inscription.

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 Moesia , Moesia inferior , Cappadocia, and Asia (in that order). It is listed on military diplomas for the years AD 75 to 148.

The unit was probably initially stationed in the province of Syria ; she was probably part of the armed forces that came with Gaius Licinius Mucianus from the east of the Roman Empire. After that she was stationed in the province of Moesia . The first evidence in Moesia is based on a diploma dated 75. In the diploma, the cohort is listed as part of the troops (see Roman Armed Forces in Moesia ) that were stationed in the province. Another diploma, dated 92, attests to unity in Moesia inferior .

At an unspecified point in time, the cohort was relocated to the province of Galatia et Cappadocia . The first evidence in the province is based on a diploma dated 99. In the diploma, the cohort is listed as part of the troops (see Roman Armed Forces in Cappadocia ) that were stationed in the province. Another diploma, dated 101, proves unity in the same province.

It is possible that the cohort was stationed in Asia minor for some time around 123 . Then she was part of the armed forces that Arrian mobilized for his campaign against the Alans (Ἔκταξις κατὰ Ἀλάνοον) around 135. Arrian mentions in his report a unit that he calls οἱ ἀπὸ τῆς πρώτης ῾Ραιτικῆς.

At an unspecified point in time, the cohort was relocated to the province of Asia . The first evidence in the province is based on a diploma dated 148. The unit is documented by inscriptions for the years 196 and 211/217 in the province.

The last evidence of unity is based on an inscription dated 238/244.

Locations

Cohort locations in Asia may have been:

  • Ephesus : an inscription was found here. The inscription shows that members of the unit were active in the stratura of the Officiums des Procurators during the reign of Caracalla (211-217) .
  • Eumeneia: several inscriptions have been found here. An inscription shows that the unit 196 camp was rebuilt after it was destroyed by an earthquake.

The unit was probably divided between the two places in the late 2nd century.

Members of the cohort

The following members of the cohort are known.

Commanders

Others

  • Αντωνεινος (Antonius), a στρατεωτης (IGR 4.729)
  • Aurelius Menander, a horseman
  • Aurelius Nicias, a horseman
  • Διοδωρος Φλ. Διοδορον, a στρατιωτης
  • Γ. Ιουβεντιος Ρουφος, a στρατιωτης
  • Γαιος Ιουλιος Μυρτιλος, a veteran
  • Hera, a foot soldier: the diploma of 75 was issued to him.
  • Ilus Gemelus, a rider and Custos armorum ( MAMA 11.33. )
  • Ιουλιος Παπιας (Iulius Papias), a horseman and custos armorum (IGR 4.736)
  • Κ. Ουιβιος Ρουφος, a veteran
  • Κλ. Τορκνατος (AE 1901,33)
  • Lualis, a foot soldier: the diploma of 148 was issued to him.
  • Μ. Σηιος Δημαγορας
  • Nicator, a Decurio

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 three cohorts: the Cohors I Raetorum (Germania) , which was stationed in the province of Germania inferior , the Cohors I Raetorum (Moesia) , which was stationed in the provinces of Moesia , Cappadocia and Asia , and the Cohors I Raetorum (Raetia) , which was stationed in the province of Raetia .
  2. ↑ The 75 discharged soldier Hera was presumably recruited at 50. Since Antioch is given as his origin in the diploma , the cohort was probably stationed in Syria around 50.
  3. ^ According to Margaret M. Roxan, Lualis was recruited around 123 (or a little earlier); Since Isaurier is indicated as his origin in the diploma , the cohort was probably stationed in Asia Minor around this time.
  4. ↑ According to Jörg Scheuerbrandt, the riders of the unit were part of a cavalry corps during the march, which was formed from several units and which was at the beginning of the marching column; the foot soldiers of the cohort are not mentioned in Arrian's work.
  5. ↑ a b c d e The exact assignment to one of the three units with the name Cohors I Raetorum is not possible or is controversial.
  6. ↑ a b c The assignment to the unit is assumed, but is not certain.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Farkas István Gergő: The Roman Army in Raetia , dissertation, University of Pécs Faculty of Humanities 2015, p. 158 ( PDF ).
  2. ↑ a b Inscription with Gordiana ( MAMA 11.28. ).
  3. ↑ Military diplomas of the years 75 ( RMD 1, 2 ), 92 ( ZPE-148-269 ), 99 ( ZPE-192-238 ), 101 (unpublished) and 148 ( RMD 2, 100 ).
  4. ^ A b John Spaul , Cohors², pp. 274-278.
  5. ↑ a b Jörg Scheuerbrandt : Exercitus. Tasks, organization and command structure of Roman armies during the imperial era. Dissertation, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg im Breisgau 2003/2004, pp. 64, 66, 68 ( PDF ).
  6. ^ 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. 603, 605, 618–619 ( online ).
  7. ↑ Florian Matei-Popescu: The Roman Army in Moesia Inferior , Conphys Publishing House, Bucharest, 2010, ISBN 978-973-750-177-6 , pp. 226-228 ( online ).
  8. ^ A b Margaret M. Roxan : Roman Military Diplomas 1978-1984 (= University of London, Institute of Archeology. Occasional Publications. Volume 9). With contributions by Helen Ganiaris and John C. Mann. Institute of Archeology, London 1985, ISBN 0-905853-16-4 , pp. 165-166, no. 100, note 8.
  9. ^ Inscription from Ephesus ( AE 1988, 1023 ).
  10. ↑ Inscriptions from Eumeneia ( AE 1995, 1511 as well as in Greek: IGR IV.728, IGR IV.729, IGR IV.736, MAMA 11.33. ).
  11. ↑ MAMA XI 28 (Eumeneia) Honorific statue-base for Aelius Asklepiodotos. Monumenta Asiae Minoris Antiqua, accessed March 17, 2020 .
  12. ↑ Michael A. Speidel: Imperial privileges, documents and the "military archy" of the age of the "soldier emperors". Some observations , In: U. Babusiaux / A. Kolb (eds.), "The right of 'soldiers emperors' Legal stability in times of political upheaval?", Berlin 2015, pp. 46–64, here pp. 52–53 ( online ).
  13. ^ A b c Julian Bennett : The Auxiliary Garrison of Asia Province , ANATOLICA XLII, 2016, pp. 151–169, here pp. 160–164 ( PDF ).