Numerus Brittonum (Niederbieber)
The Numerus Brittonum [Antoninianorum] ( German Number of the British [the Antoninianische] ) was a Roman auxiliary unit . It is documented by inscriptions.
The nominal strength of the unit was probably 160 men, consisting of two Centuries with 80 men each. They were probably all foot soldiers.
Name components
- Brittonum : the British. The soldiers of the numerus were recruited in the province of Britannia when the unit was established .
- Antoninianorum : the Antoninian. An honorific designation that refers to Caracalla (211-217) or Elagabal (218-222). The addition occurs in the inscriptions ( CIL 13, 7749 , CIL 13, 7752 ).
history
The British probably came to Germania superior around 100 AD , possibly even under Domitian (81–96). Presumably the numbers formed from them were used at the Neckar-Odenwald-Limes for monitoring tasks in order to relieve the auxiliary units already stationed here.
The number is documented for the first time by the inscriptions ( CIL 13, 7749 , CIL 13, 7752 ) that were found in the Niederbieber fort and that are dated to 211/222. It is unknown where the unit was previously; Öhringen and the numerus fort in Welzheim are being considered as possible stationing locations . In Niederbieber, the unit was then stationed together with the Numerus Exploratorum Germanicianorum Divitiensium .
The last evidence of the number is based on the inscription ( CIL 13, 7753 ), which is dated to 239.
Locations
Locations of the Numerus in Germania superior were:
- Niederbieber Castle : Several inscriptions were found here.
Members of the number
The following members of the number are known:
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See also
Web links
literature
- Alexander Heising : Perspectives on Limes Research using the example of Niederbieber Castle. In: Peter Henrich (Ed.): Perspektiven der Limesforschung. 5th colloquium of the German Limes Commission. Theiss, Stuttgart 2010, ISBN 978-3-8062-2465-8 , (= contributions to the Limes World Heritage Site, 5), pp. 56–71 ( online ).
- Marcus Reuter : Studies on the numbers of the Roman Army in the Middle Imperial Era , Dissertation, In: Reports of the Roman-Germanic Commission 80, 1999, pp. 359-569.
- Tatiana Alexandrovna Ivleva: Britons abroad: the mobility of Britons and the circulation of British-made objects in the Roman Empire , Dissertation, Leiden University 2012 ( online ).
Remarks
- ↑ a b According to Marcus Reuter , the British recruited for the first time came to Germania superior as a closed contingent and were only then divided into the individual units. He is assuming 1500 to 2000 Britons in this first contingent.
- ↑ a b In the two inscriptions ( CIL 13, 7749 , CIL 13, 7752 ) there is only an A after Brittonum (or after B ) . According to Marcus Reuter, this A could also stand for a location, possibly even for Aurelianensium . In the latter case, the unit in Niederbieber would be identical to the Numerus Brittonum Aurelianensium . Alternatively, it has also been suggested that the A be part of the name below; so is the reading of the inscription ( CIL 13, 7749 ) at the EDH n (umeri) Brittonum A (ulus) Ibliomarius Oppius . Only in the case of the reading of A as Antoninianorum the dating of the inscriptions on 211/222 is possible.
- ↑ In the inscription ( CIL 13, 7753 ) the Numerus Brittonum is not explicitly mentioned, but according to Marcus Reuter the consecration stone is generally assigned to the Numerus Brittonum due to its location in the fort .