Auxilia

• The Roman Auxiliaries were an Army of soldiers recruited from the Peregrini in the Provinces.
• Every Roman Legion had an Auxiliary Unit attached to it, often in the same fortress.

Description

• They were grouped into Cohorts of approximately 500 men and received Roman Citizenship after 25 years in service.
• The Auxilia were attached to each Roman Legion and by 23 CE, Tacitus stated that there were as many Auxiliaries as there were Legionaries in the Roman Army.

Syria

• As an example, between 88-91 CE, Laodicea in Syria had 18,500 Auxiliaries and this figure varied little throughout the second century CE.
• The Auxiliary units consisted of:
  • 6-12 Cavalry Wings of 500 men.
  • 22 Cohorts of 500 men. Some Cohorts and Wings numbered 1,000.
  • A Roman Camel Corps, the Ala I Ulpia Dromedariorum Milliaria.

Roman Navy

• The Roman Navy was also manned by Roman Auxiliaries.
• They received Roman Citizenship after 26 years, later extended to 28 years.