Cohors VI Brittonum

The Cohors VI Brittonum [pia fidelis] [equitata] ( German  6th cohort of the British [loyal and faithful] [partly mounted] ) was a Roman auxiliary unit . It is evidenced by military diplomas and inscriptions.

Name components

• Brittonum : the British. The soldiers of the cohort were recruited from the various British tribes in the Roman province of Britannia when the unit was established . The auxiliary units set up in Britain have three different names: Britannica , Britannorum and Brittonum . The reasons why different names were chosen are unclear.

• pia fidelis : loyal and loyal. Domitian (81-96) gave the Roman armed forces in Germania inferior who remained loyal to him after the suppression of the uprising of Lucius Antonius Saturninus the honorary designation pia fidelis Domitiana . The addition appears in the inscription ( AE 1972, 573 ).

• equitata : partially mounted. The unit was a mixed association of infantry and cavalry. The addition appears in the inscription ( AE 1972, 573 ).

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 first evidence of unity in the province of Germania inferior is based on a military diploma that is dated to AD 98. In the diploma, the cohort is listed as part of the troops (see Roman Armed Forces in Germania ) that were stationed in the province. Other diplomas, dated 127 and 152, prove unity in the same province.

Locations

A model of the small fort in Ockenburgh

Locations of the cohort in Germania Inferior were possibly:

• Ockenburgh: The shard with the names of Cae (lianus) and Tinilus was found in Ockenburgh. In the small fort at Ockenburgh, however, only one division of the unit can have been stationed, if at all.

• Naaldwijk: The main part of the cohort could have had its camp in the immediate vicinity, e.g. B. in Naaldwijk. However, there is no epigraphic or archaeological evidence for this.

Members of the cohort

The following members of the cohort are known:

Commanders

[D (ecimus) Ae] lius Menecratianus, a prefect ( CIL 8, 18126 ) [] Κρεπεριος, a επαρχος L (ucius) Terentius Rufus, a prefect (around 102) ( CIL 2, 2424 )

M (arcus) Gavius ​​Bassus, a prefect (around 100) ( AE 1972, 573 ) Q (uintus) Domitius Victor, a prefect ( CIL 8, 5363 )

Others

Cae (lianus), a soldier

Tinilus, a centurion

See also

• List of Roman auxiliary units
• Roman armed forces in Germania

Web links

Commons : Cohors VI Brittonum  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

1. ^ ^{A b c} 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 , Pp. 189, 204.
2. ^ Paul A. Holder: Exercitus Pius Fidelis: The Army of Germania Inferior in AD 89 In: Zeitschrift für Papyrologie und Epigraphik . Volume 128 (1999), pp. 237-250, here pp. 237, 244 ( PDF ).
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. 158 Table 2 ( PDF, p. 160 ).
4. ↑ ^{a b c} Tatiana Alexandrovna Ivleva: Britons abroad: the mobility of Britons and the circulation of British-made objects in the Roman Empire Dissertation, Leiden University 2012, pp. 133-137, 539-542 ( online ).
5. ↑ Military diplomas of the years 98 ( RMD 4, 216 ), 127 ( AE 2010, 1865 , RMD 4, 239 , RMM 24 ) and 152 ( RMM 35 , ZPE-148-262 ).