Eastern Auxiliaries - Linguistic question

[Theodosius the Great]

But what's the use of translating for instance 'cohors III equitata' into Greek?

I thought it may have been a more practical use given that Greek was the lingua franca of the Eastern provinces. Most of the local recruits would only learn a smattering of Latin to understand the commands being barked at them by their centurions, IIRC. For an Auxiliary to recognize his comrads on the battlefield would it not perhaps be easier to read their insignia if written in Greek ?

Besides native clothing and weapons, another item gave me the idea that Greek might have been used instead of (or even with) Latin : the 'FELIX' belt from the Lyon burial. Greek versions of the belt are known. Belts were very personal items, I understand, but were also highly symbolic of their wearer's status as a soldier. Anyway, thats why I thought there was an outside chance for Greek.

The names of Roman units are frequently found translated into greek (from the top of my head, there's L. Antonius M. Antonii Polemonis filius Cor[nel]ia Zeno, who is a military tribune in ???[??]/??? ?? ???????????? (Legio XII Fulminata) - inscription is AE 1987, 929 = SEG 37.855 (Apollonia Salbake, Asia)). And there are 'official' documents, such as Roman military papyri from Egypt, that are in greek - with unit names translated, sometimes ingeniously, as in the example above.

This evidence reinforces my train of thought which led me to ask my question. Greek eventually replaced Latin as the army's official language in the early 7th century which suggested to me that the latter never struck deep roots in the East, even within the army (or, at least, the Auxiliaries).

If I recall there was a discussion about a shield boss I think it was the Dubitatus one, and Peroni put forward another one that was an Auxiliary type that had a name legend in Greek.
If I recall there was a discussion about a shield boss I think it was the Dubitatus one, and Peroni put forward another one that was an Auxiliary type that had a name legend in Greek.

Would this be the same boss found in Bishop and Coulton, plate 7b ? If so, it's dated to the Dacian wars and bears "an inscripttion to a member of the equites singulares...". Unless I'm mistaken it does look Greek. I wonder what it says. Can't be simply a name since the inscription runs for ten lines.


~Theo