\'Hyginus\' Cavalry Units

[Mark Hygate]

Now, if I happen to believe that an Ala D is 6 turmae total, then could this possibly be that these are all the equites from 3 alae? They might have thought that 5 or 6 Decurions and 5 'others' were all that were needed to manage them

We're getting awfully far away from the evidence, Mark. You've chucked Arrian ("a cavalry ala has 512 men") out the window. Hyginus ("an ala quingenaria has 16 turmae ... and 64 spare horses") is about to follow him, but he's hanging onto the ledge! :wink: Did you really mean that the 424 equites ("horsemen") from three alae are the total complement?! Or did you mean that, all together, they make up the equivalent of a single ala? :?

Edit: Also, re. your four cavalrymen to a room, I'm not sure that there would be space for four horses in the front room. They seem to be just the right size for three horses.

Actually, I'm fairly comfortable that we aren't too far from the evidence - but that's for me to argue and defend.

I must try to get hold of a copy of Arrian, I only wish one were online, but I've not found it yet. Cheesman, however, is and, whilst I had looked at a fair amount of the data already in it, I am reading carefully at present; I was most interested in his note that Arrian's reference to Ala and 512 men was as part of a digression and comment on earlier Greek organisations - so, not dismissed, but certainly queried.

I have read, and reviewed, Hyginus a few times already and noted 2 distinct things. Firstly his statement - "...on account of my inexperience of military affairs...": to which I can only comment - too right! :lol: Secondly, that, compared to Polybius' camp layouts and all we have seen in the 'standardised' playing-card camps and forts; that treatise is one of the most difficult and crazily complex systems I have ever seen. Nothing I have ever learned of the 'Roman systems' could support it. At best I would see it as a mathematical puzzle to set clever students. I simply don't believe that anyone would make something so complicated - when I genuinely do believe there is an alternate. hock:

So, yes, I do believe there were indeed 432 'equites' (regular soldiers) in 3 x 6 x 3 x 8 sections in 3 Ala D. It's consistent with my theory that Quingenary and Milliaria are nothing to do with 500 or 1000, except by fortuitous circumstance in a couple of cases.

As to 4 per room - yes, and disregarding any thoughts of modern animal welfare, knowing that horses then were generally smaller, looking at the picture in your book and feeling confident that, whilst fitting 30 horses into those 9 room sets, I would separate the 3 squads into 3 rooms each - simply because of the military need for 'room inspections' (sic). If you wanted to fit 32 or 36 or 42 horses in, whilst I don't argue for it, then it would get even tighter.

From Cheesman as well, I've even found another possible reason for the 2 pairs of 16 Decurions in those lists: if only 6 turma, then you need 18 'officers' - that would be the 16 Decurions; the praefectus alae; and the subpraefectus alae (perhaps known under another name). I'd never seen that last; has it been refuted/disclaimed in the last 94 years?