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Auxilia Cohorts and the Claudian Invasion of Britain - Tim Edwards - 11-03-2009
Does anyone have an online resource for Auxilia units suggested to have supported the Claudian invasion of Britain?
I've thus far been unable to find much. Does anyone know of any older posts which discuss this?
I understand our knowledge will be patchy, especially as the epigraphical record will be thin. Can identify any relevant diplomae?
Re: Auxilia Cohorts and the Claudian Invasion of Britain - Gaius Julius Caesar - 11-03-2009
Well, the Batavians weredefinately there!
I am sure a book I was reading last year had some mention of the units involved, if I can just dig it up again....
Re: Auxilia Cohorts and the Claudian Invasion of Britain - Praefectusclassis - 11-03-2009
Diplomas would be hard as the oldest one dates to 51 (or 53, I forget) AD. Did you try Holder's The Roman Army in Britain?
Jasper
Re: Auxilia Cohorts and the Claudian Invasion of Britain - PhilusEstilius - 11-03-2009
In the ALA2 by John Spaul he gives the 9 Alae that supported the 4 invasion Legions for the year 50AD these are:--
Augusta Proculeiana ( from Germania )
1 Britannica ( ditto )
Classiana ( ditto )
1 Tungrorum ( raised in Germania )
Indiana ( from Germania )
Sabiniana ( from Pannonia )
Tampiana ( ditto )
1 Thracum ( from Germania )
Vettonum ( raised in Hispania )
Spaul also has done a book on the Auxilia Cohorts but it's one I don't have, however here you have 9 Auxiliary units that would have been there.
Re: Auxilia Cohorts and the Claudian Invasion of Britain - Graham Sumner - 11-03-2009
Quote:Did you try Holder's The Roman Army in Britain?
You could also have a look at Guy De La Bedoyere's 'Eagles over Britannia'.
Graham.
Re: Auxilia Cohorts and the Claudian Invasion of Britain - Centurio - 11-03-2009
A quote from G. Webster. The Roman Invasion of Britain. London, 1993, pp. 86-87:
The auxiliary units
"The identification of auxiliary units is a more difficult matter, since the names of units are very rarely given by the ancient historians. One has to rely on inscriptions, of which there are very few of this early period. It is possible to draw up extensive lists of units in Britain during the second century from the discharge certificates, known as diplomata,in the form of bronze plates,23 but the earliest one from Britain is dated to AD 98, and by then many changes in unit dispositions had taken place.
Assuming that the auxiliary strength was kept in reasonable balance with that of the legions, there may have been at least 40 units of quingenary size (i.e. 500 men) allocated for the garrison of Britain, but in the early years of the conquest there were probably more. Fortunately, one can make an excellent start in identifying particular units if one accepts Mark Hassall’s well-considered argument for eight Batavian cohorts being included in the initial force. The later attachments of these units to XIV Gem suggests that they may have accompanied this legion from the Rhineland, and as will be seen presently, made the vital breakthrough in the great two-day battle of the Medway, by forcing a crossing of the river, as they were trained to do. The evidence from the tombstones is limited to the monuments from Colchester, (RIB 201) and Gloucester (RIB 121), both are Thracian units, Ala I Thracum and Coh VI Thracum respectively, since both appear to belong to an early phase of the occupation. The use of these Thracian troops at the invasion period may seem strange, in view of the serious trouble in Thrace in AD 26 when some of the tribesmen revolted against the introduction of the military levy. Their main grievances were that their clan system would be disrupted, with the young men forced to serve in distant places far away from home. Seventeen years after Poppaeus Sabinus had so crushingly reduced the rebels, regular Thracian troops were part of the Roman army for some years. Longinus, the duplicarus at Colchester, had served 15 years at the time of his death, which must have been a year or so after AD 43. An auxiliary of a Thracian cohort also died at Wroxeter (RIB 291) presumably between c. AD 50 and 56, but the number of the unit has been lost in damage to the edge of the stone, so it could have been the Gloucester unit moved from here when Legio XX was transferred from Colchester in AD 48.
The only other possible invasion units are those on the two stones at Cirencester, and one at Bath. The former two record the presence of the Ala Indiana and Ala Thracum (RIB 108 and 109), either brigaded together as a large mobile task-force, or one succeeding the other, the Thracian unit could be that from Colchester, moved forward by Scapula. The Bath stone (RIB 159) records a serving trooper of the Ala Vettonum, the unit later to occupy Brecon Gaer in Wales, but the granting of citizenship signified by the letters CR (civium Romanorum) after the man’s name seems to show that this stone cannot be earlier than Vespasian."
Hope it's helpful.
Re: Auxilia Cohorts and the Claudian Invasion of Britain - Tim Edwards - 11-04-2009
Ah, a rapid and constructive response!
Questions:
Jasper - I don't have this book. If you have a copy on your shelves I'd be very greatful if you could dig out the relevant info.
Brian - Fascinating list - One that poses more questions than it answers!
Does Spaul give his evidence for each unit? Where was I Brittanica recruited? (may sound like a daft question, but it suggests a formed Ala of british cavalry pre AD50!) I assume Classiana has a naval connection? (For cavalry?!!)
Graham - Similarly, I dont have Guy's book. What units does he mention as part of the claudian invasion?
Oleg - Thanks again, interesting that we have more evidence for cavalry. I suppose they were setting up more inscriptions.
Thankyou all,
Re: Auxilia Cohorts and the Claudian Invasion of Britain - Praefectusclassis - 11-04-2009
Classiana has no naval relation, it comes from its first praefect, an otherwise unknown Classius.
I have The Roman Army in Britain somewhere, but it refuses to make itself known at the moment...
Re: Auxilia Cohorts and the Claudian Invasion of Britain - Centurio - 11-04-2009
Quote:Oleg - Thanks again, interesting that we have more evidence for cavalry. I suppose they were setting up more inscriptions.
Thankyou all,
Well, it's not surprising if they were paid better.
Re: Auxilia Cohorts and the Claudian Invasion of Britain - D B Campbell - 11-04-2009
It's worth noting that we don't actually know what regiments took part in the invasion, so it's really a matter of which regiments could have taken part, might have taken part, are likely to have taken part ...
Quote:Jasper - I don't have this book. If you have a copy on your shelves I'd be very greatful if you could dig out the relevant info.It's a useful book, but it's now 27 years old! You'd be better with Michael Jarrett's "Non-legionary troops in Britain (Part One)", Britannia 25 (1994). Paul Holder writes that only two regiments are directly attested as taking part in the invasion: ala I Thracum and ala I Hispanorum. Strictly speaking, we don't know that ala I Thracum took part, but it's a good bet, based on early inscriptions from Cirencester (RIB 109) and Colchester (RIB 201). By ala I Hispanorum, Holder presumably means the ala Vettonum (which appears as Hisp Vett on RIB 403). One of its commanders recorded that he had been highly decorated as "praefectus equitum alae I Hispanorum in Britannia" (ILS 2730), so presumably during the invasion.
Quote:Does Spaul give his evidence for each unit?Yes, though some caution should be exercised, and all references cross-checked! (He, too, seems to have missed the Hispanorum / Vettonum link.) But, hats off ... he looked at a lot of regiments, which must've made him cross-eyed.
Quote:Where was I Brittanica recruited? (may sound like a daft question, but it suggests a formed Ala of british cavalry pre AD50!)Britannica actually indicates service in Britain, rather than formation in Britain (which would be Brittonum, "of Britons"). Again, there's no particular evidence for this regiment in Britain, other than the fact that its name indicates that, at some point, it served in Britain, and we've no idea where it was stationed during the reign of Claudius (so it may as well be Britain).
Quote:interesting that we have more evidence for cavalry. I suppose they were setting up more inscriptions.That's certainly part of it. But the sheer rarity of Claudian inscriptions (compared to later) is the main problem.
Michael Jarrett planned to do all sorts of analysis on the data in Part Two of his article (cited above), but died in the meantime. (I presume the paper was never written.)
Re: Auxilia Cohorts and the Claudian Invasion of Britain - john m roberts - 11-04-2009
I think it's cool that there was a cohort called Indiana. I was just in Indianapolis. :?
Re: Auxilia Cohorts and the Claudian Invasion of Britain - Graham Sumner - 11-05-2009
Quote:Graham - Similarly, I dont have Guy's book. What units does he mention as part of the claudian invasion?
As Duncan say's, very little for any unit in the invasion force. The only unit known is Legio II Augusta and that is only due to a mention in the career of Vespasianus.
Quote:Well, the Batavians were definately there!
Sorry Byron if they were they have left no trace. I think the first mention for any of them in Britain for certain is at Vindolanda much later. Again as Duncan said the only 'evidence' is really lack of evidence for specific units elsewhere so the assumption is therefore they must be in Britain, or "they were in Britain later so therefore they must have arrived with the invasion force" and finally some units were used to cross rivers, so thats the evidence for the Batavians!
It always used to be said that four specific Legions were involved but even that is now thought to be guesswork. The answer as it so often is, is we really do not know.
Graham.
Re: Auxilia Cohorts and the Claudian Invasion of Britain - jho - 11-05-2009
M.W.C. Hassall, 'Batavians and the Roman conquest of Britain', Britannia i (1970, 131-6), links the "Keltoi" who according to Dio crossed the Medway and later the Thames in the face of strong enemy opposition during the invasion of 43 with the Batavians because Tacitus later refers to their "long" service in Britain.
Re: Auxilia Cohorts and the Claudian Invasion of Britain - Gaius Julius Caesar - 11-05-2009
Well, I can only go by what I have read. Obviously the 'definately' was a bit strong... :roll:
The XIIIIth was supposed to be there, which had strong association with the Batavians, (apparently.....)
So, all this assumption based history is really a drag.....hard to tell who you can believe when you read things in black and white, then get told, we don't really know..... :?
Re: Auxilia Cohorts and the Claudian Invasion of Britain - PhilusEstilius - 11-05-2009
Tim.
As Duncan has pointed out Britannica may only have been a name taken after service in Britain it's original name was Ala 1 Flavia Augusta, however Spaul tells us that it was in Britain during the trib' pot X of Caudius which is 50AD.
This then may raise yet another question for if it had served in Britain and is recorded as having come from Germania, it may make us think that it had been here in 43AD went to Germania and came right back again so soon to be here in Britain in 50AD.