What happened to the auxilia after 212?

[taira1180]

Hi! I have a doubt: what happened to the auxilia units after the edit of Caracala? Since everyone was a citizen, the distintion between auxilias and legiones should fade away (i read once that prior of that many, citizens already enlisted themselves in the auxilia)... Were the old units maintained as if nothing happened?

[Robert Vermaat]

Hi! I have a doubt: what happened to the auxilia units after the edit of Caracala? Since everyone was a citizen, the distintion between auxilias and legiones should fade away (i read once that prior of that many, citizens already enlisted themselves in the auxilia)... Were the old units maintained as if nothing happened?

Oh, the units were maintained alright. No doubt not every auxilia because a citizen outright – I suppose you still had to live inside the Empire to be classed a citizen, while non-Romans from outside the Empire could still serve in the auxilia?

Anyway, during the chaos of the mid-3rd century all this went to hell in a handbasket, and after that nothing was the same.
The auxilia unit that we encounter during the late 3rd and early 4th centuries are new elite formations of probably Germanic soldiers, that had little connection with the old auxilia class but for the name and the foreign composition.

[taira1180]

Yes, i know, i was always intrigued as how units rated as second classes would changed themselves in auxilia palatina. Maybe because in the constant warfare of the III century, they adquired an elite status? Or maybe it's an entire different process

[Robert Vermaat]

Yes, i know, i was always intrigued as how units rated as second classes would changed themselves in auxilia palatina.

Erm... I think you might find that the Flavian auxilia canoot easily be ranked as 'second class'! their tactical role was different and their pay lower (?), but that did not meant they were seen or used as 'second class troops'.

[taira1180]

Yes, i know, i was always intrigued as how units rated as second classes would changed themselves in auxilia palatina.

Erm... I think you might find that the Flavian auxilia canoot easily be ranked as 'second class'! their tactical role was different and their pay lower (?), but that did not meant they were seen or used as 'second class troops'.

I didn't express myself clearly: by second class, i didn't mean as worst units to fight, but as lower status.

[Jona Lendering]

their pay lower (?)

Essentially, I repeat one sign from your message: "?". I seem to remember that there is considerable doubt about the amount of pay - was it 5/6th or lower, or higher? Does anybody know what's the current status quaestionis, if there is any?

BTW, what's the English word for status quaestionis?

[Peroni]

M. A Spiedel says 5/6 (250 sestercii per day as opposed to the 300 sestercii per day for the legionaries and cavalry).

The Cohors Voluntariorum cR would receive the same as the legions thanks to the will of Augustus.

[L C Cinna]

Another question is the Constitutio Antoniniana itself. It is not quite clear who actually gained citizenship and who didn't. Heuss in Roemische Geschichte on page 597 doubts that the Constitutio was anything revolutionary (citing two ancient sources) but rather a way to get more money out of a social situation which had already changed.

So to find an answer to the question I guess we have to start to search earlier already. We have auxiliary units granted the CV much earlier already. I remember seeing gravestones of auxiliary soldiers who probably were roman citizens when they joined the army already(will go and search and add later).

Most soldiers were recruited from families of former soldiers. If such a father died the oldest son usually got the land while the younger ones got practically nothing(remember the families of many ordinary former aux soldiers were not poor but below the middle classes. they were farmers or something like that). The sons could and would often join the army. The roman army had more than enough volunteers during the 1st and 2nd century and especially during the Antonine periode where there were no major wars or losses for long periods.
As the number of legionaries is limited and people with connections are prefered for many poor provincial farmer's sons there probably was no space in a legion. Still even with less pay they'd probably be in a better situation in an ala or another aux unit then if they'd be working on someone else's farm.
So I think there would be a big increase in especially first and 2nd generation citizens among the auxiliaries during the 2nd century CE.

From a military aspect the "standard" foot auxilia's jobs were never too different from that of the legions anyway and if you look at texts like Tacitus Agricola, Iosephus Judaean War, or at monuments like Trajan's column or the column of Marcus Aurelius you see the heavy auxiliaries do most of the fighting.

If you consider those two factors the Constitutio actually doesn't make the big difference and secondly as there were more citizens in the auxilia now and they did more or less the same jobs as the legions it's not a surprise that they sooner or later melt together and the names like legio or auxilia say nothing about the status of the individual soldier but about the structure of the units maybe.

[Petra Rocks]

their pay lower (?)

Essentially, I repeat one sign from your message: "?". I seem to remember that there is considerable doubt about the amount of pay - was it 5/6th or lower, or higher? Does anybody know what's the current status quaestionis, if there is any?

BTW, what's the English word for status quaestionis?

I don't know Dutch, but from context and the way they sound similar I think "status quo" is about right.

[L C Cinna]

Here's a list from "Am Rande des Imperiums" from the Limesmuseum in Aalen:

I only write down the numbers they give for Septimius Severus, Caracalla and Maximinus Thrax as these are important for the time we're talking about. if anyone wants numbers under Augustus and Domition as well I will add them.

Septimius/Caracalla/Maximinus(in sesterci)

Miles legionis 2400/3600/7200
Eques legionis 2800/4200/8400
Centurio legionis 36000/54000/108000
Cent.p.o. 72000/108000/216000
Primuspilus 144000/216000/432000

Auxilia>
Miles cohortis 2000/3000/6000
Eques cohortis x/3600/7200
Eques alae 2800/4200/8400
centurio cohortis 10000/15000/30000
decurio cohortis 12000/18000/36000
decurio alae 14000/21000/42000

differences between the ranks are not that high, payment for centuriones is quite different.

note that there are many people with ranks like duplicarius and triplicarius a.s.o. which earn more.(another example from the book under Septimius an eques in the ala II Flavia would earn 2800, a sesquiplicarius 4200, duplicarius 5600, vexilarius 8400, decurio 14000)

another important thing are the donativa which vary.

I used some prices for wine and bread some time ago and calculated how much they could buy per year at that time and then compared to modern average prices (well not a great method so I won't give numbers) but I have to say payment was really good. lowest ranks are about the same as a modern worker, everything higher is very very good.sesquiplicarius is already modern upper middleclass.

and that without donativa and booty