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Vexillatio Equitum, Equites, Numerus Equitum
#13
(09-14-2017, 09:40 AM)Robert Vermaat Wrote: My guess would be that the new-style ranks belonged to the new-style units

That would be my guess too, but we're suffering from shortage of sources as usual!

P.Oxy. LV 3793, 9 (ChLA 18 660) lists some men of Ala Tertia Assuriorum (Assyriorum?), dated c.AD319-326. The ala is still commanded by a Prefect and has decurions, but there's also a rank called catafractarius.

ChLA 43 1248, from AD401 (I think) also has a catafracta(rius) prou(ectus) decur(io), and an eq(ues) prou(ectus) catafra(ctarius), so it seems catafractarius was a late cavalry rank in the alae between ordinary trooper and decurion.

This papyrus also mentions a scholam catafractariorum, which I would take to be an association of catafractarii within the unit, rather than a separate unit!

The only old-style unit I can find that featured one of the 'new' ranks is P. Dura 82 (ChLA 7 337), from c.AD230, in which a couple of circitores appear alongside the decurions and a sesquiplicarius in the cavalry section of Cohors XX Palmyrenorum.

(I also notice that P. Dura 92 (ChLA 7 347) of the same approximate date appears to feature a numerus equitum with 389 men in it - this is presumably the mounted section of XX Palmy again. It does seem to have 30 decurions though...!)
Nathan Ross
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RE: Vexillatio Equitum, Equites, Numerus Equitum - by Nathan Ross - 09-14-2017, 04:13 PM

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