Roman Auxiliaries

The Difference between an Auxiliary and a Roman Legionary

  1. Supports
    • ‘Auxilia’ means ‘Supports’. Each Auxiliary Regiment was attached to a Legion, and was under the Command of the Legatus Legionis.
    • Six out of every Ten Roman Soldiers were Auxiliaries.
  2. Peregrini
  3. Volunteers
    • The Auxiliaries were not conscripts but almost all volunteers, like the Roman Legionaries.
  4. Oval Shields
    • the Auxiliaries had these instead of the Rectangular Legionary Shield.
  5. Roman Cavalry
    • this was almost entirely supplied by the Auxilia. The Alaris, cavalry soldier, earned 20% higher salary than the Auxiliary or Legionary foot soldier.
  6. Commanders
    • Under Claudius, the Prefect had to be an Equestrian, which excluded the Centurions who were Peregrini.

The Six types of Roman Auxiliary Units

  • There were three types of Auxiliary Regiment consisting of 500 men (Quingenaria) and three types consisting of 1,000 men (Milliaria).
  • By 23 CE, Tacitus stated that there were as many Auxiliaries as there were Legionaries. He wrote that there were 250 Auxiliary Regiments consisting of 50 Alae (‘Wings’ of Cavalry only), 120 Cohortes (Infantry), and 80 Cohortes Equitatae (Mixed Infantry with Cavalry).
  • Quingenaria (500 soldiers).
    1. Ala Quingenaria (Wing) All Cavalry Regiment with 480 Horse: 16 Turmae of 30 or 32 Horse in each.
      The commander of a Turmae was the Decurion.
    2. Cohors Quingenaria (Cohort) – All Infantry Regiment with 480 Foot Soldiers: 6 Centuriae of 80 men each.
    3. Cohors Equitata Quingenaria – Mixed Cavalry and Infantry Regiment with 480 Infantry and 120 Horse. Total 600 men. 6 Centuriae of 80 men each and 4 Turmae of 30 or 32 Horse.
  • Milliaria (1000 soldiers)
    1. Ala Milliaria had 720 or 768 men: 24 Turmae of 30 or 32 Horse each.
    2. Cohors Milliaria had 800 men: 10 Centauriae of 80 men each.
    3. Cohors Equitata Milliaria 800 infantry and 240 Horse. Total 1040 men: 10 Centuriae of 80 men each and 8 Turmae of 30 or 32 Horse.

Other Titles

  • Cohors Sagittaria
    • (meaning Arrow) meant this was a Regiment of Archers.
  • Cohors Peditata
    • This was a Regiment of Foot Soldiers.
  • Cohors Equitata
    • This was a Regiment of Horse.
  • ‘civium Romanorum’ c.R.
    • (Meaning: ‘of Roman Citizens’) This indicated Roman Citizenship had been granted by the Roman Emperor to serving members only, but the Title was kept by the Unit.

Specialised Units

Hadrian's Wall

  • The Auxiliary Soldiers
    • The Wall was manned by approximately 9,000 Roman Auxiliaries.
    • It was not manned by Legionaries from the three Roman Legions in Britannia, unlike the Antonine Wall to the North.
    • The Auxiliaries were attached to the Legio VI Victrix and collected their Pay from York.
  • York Legionary Fortress
    • Overall control was under the ‘Duke of the Wall’ based at his HQ in the Roman Legionary Fortress of the Legio VI Victrix in York.
  • Stanwix
    • The Forward HQ was the Fort at Stanwix on the Wall, and commanded by the Prefect of a Cavalry Regiment of 1,000 Horse.
  • The 16 Main Forts along the Wall
    • Usually 500 auxiliaries to a Fort. They also manned the small Mile Castles located between the Main Forts.
    • At each end of the Wall was a larger Cavalry Fort with 1,000 men.
    • Total: 9,000 Auxiliaries.

Tribute

The Receipt of Tribute was the Annual Payment from a Roman Province or Roman Client Kingdom, which was paid either in Money, Goods or Services, such as providing Auxiliaries to the Roman Army.

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