This article lists , non-legionary auxiliary regiments of the imperial Roman army, attested in the epigraphic record, by Roman province of deployment during the reign of emperor Hadrian ( AD 117–138).
The index of regimental names explains the origin of the names, most of which are based on the names of the subject tribes or cities of the empire where they were originally recruited. (As time went by, they became staffed by recruits from anywhere, especially from the province where they were deployed.)
Types of regiment
During most of the Principate era, until AD 212, auxiliary regiments, called by the Romans, were formations kept separate from the legions, who were recruited from Roman citizens only. were mostly recruited from the peregrini, the vast majority of subjects in the Roman Empire who did not hold Roman citizenship. (in AD 212, all the inhabitants of the empire were granted Roman citizenship).
There were three basic types of auxiliary regiment: , which contained only cavalry and consisted nominally of 480 soldiers or simply , which contained only infantry and consisted nominally of 480 soldiers , which contained infantry with an attached cavalry contingent and consisted nominally of 600 soldiers, of which 480 were infantry and 120 were cavalry
A number of regiments, of all three types, were designated (sagitt), indicating that their members were equipped as archers. After about AD 80, about 12 percent of regiments were enlarged from the size and designated , which nominally consisted of 1000 soldiers, but in reality consisted of 720 soldiers, 800 soldiers, and 1040 soldiers respectively.
Contents of tables
Table I below lists auxiliary regiments during Hadrian's rule, for which there is the most comprehensive evidence. The table does not show regiments that were attested to in the 1st century but that, according to Holder, were dissolved by AD 117, nor those that were probably founded after AD 138. The precise number of regiments that existed during Hadrian's rule is disputed. The regiments are listed by the Roman province where they were deployed c. AD 130. Boldface entries: denotes a unit of double strength eq: denotes a part-mounted unit c.R: denotes a unit composed of Roman citizens sagitt: denotes a unit composed of archers
Ethnic composition of regiments
The rule of the first emperor, Augustus, (30 BC–AD 14) saw the foundation of the majority of the regiments attested in Hadrian's time. In the earlier part of this period, regiments were raised from and named after individual tribes, for example , and . Later, units were raised from and named after broad national groups, for example , , and .
There is very little evidence concerning the organisation and policies of auxiliary recruitment. The ethnic origins of auxiliary recruits are attested in only a tiny fraction of cases. For example, the must have recruited a calculated 8,000 soldiers over its probable lifespan of about 250 years but the origins of only two rankers are known. Conclusions about auxiliary recruitment drawn by scholars from the available evidence are regarded as tentative.
According to Holder, during the Julio-Claudian dynasty (AD 14–68), regimental ethnic identity was preserved to some extent, with evidence of continued recruitment from the original people. By the time of Hadrian, however, a regiment's name, in most cases, probably represented the ethnic origin of few, if any, of its members. This is because during the Flavian dynasty (AD 69–96), as a matter of deliberate policy, most regiments were deployed in provinces far from their original home and drew the majority of their recruits from local natives and the rest from all parts of the empire. In most cases, therefore, a regiment's name had become an identification tag devoid of ethnic significance. A regiment deployed long-term in the same province would thus, over time, acquire the ethnic character of its host population.
There are exceptions to this rule: A minority of regiments remained stationed in their original home province, e.g., , still attested in Dalmatia in AD 130. Regiments founded a relatively short period before AD 130, for example which was stationed in Roman Britain in AD 130 would probably still have contained mostly Dacian recruits at this time, as it had been established by Hadrian only about a decade earlier. Some specialised regiments, such as Syrian archers and the elite Batavi show some evidence of continued preferential recruitment from their original province.
List of in the reign of Hadrian
List of non-ethnic regimental names by province of deployment
Britannia
+ Britannia ALAE XXX COHORTES COHORTES COHORTESAgrippina MiniataI Hispanorum AsturumII AsturumAugusta Gallorum PetrianaAugusta Gallorum ProculeianaGallorum PicentianaII Gallorum SebosianaGallorum et Thracum classianaI Pannoniorum (Sabiniana)I Pannoniorum TampianaI ThracumI TungrorumHispanorum VettonumAugusta VocontiorumI AquitanorumII Asturum IV BreucorumI Augusta BracarumIII BracaraugustanorumI Baetasiorum I Batavorum I CeltiberorumI Aelia classicaI Ulpia Cugernorum I Aelia DacorumI DelmatarumII DelmatarumIV DelmatarumI FrisiavonumII Gallorum veterana IV Gallorum V GallorumVI GallorumI Hispanorum I Aelia Hispanorum I Lingonum II Lingonum III Lingonum IV Lingonum I MenapiorumI MorinorumI nauticarumI Nerviana Germanorum RIB 2093/2097, RIB 2116bI NervanorumI NerviorumII NerviorumIII NerviorumIV NerviorumVI NerviorumII PannoniorumV RaetorumVI RaetorumI SunucorumI ThracumII Thracum veteranaVII ThracumI TungrorumII Tungrorum c.L. I Vangionum I Vardulorum II Vasconum I Hamiorum
Germania Inferior + Germania Inferior ALAE XXX COHORTES COHORTESAfrorum veteranaLonginiana GallorumGallorum et Thracum classianaMoesica felixI Noricorum Sulpicia I ThracumII AsturumIII BreucorumVI Breucorum VI BrittonumI civium Romanorum II civium Romanorum I classicaII HispanorumI Flavia Hispanorum VI ingenuorum I Latobicorum et Varcianorum I LucensiumI Pannoniorum et Delmatarum I Raetorum VI RaetorumIV Thracum II Varcianorum XV voluntariorum
Germania Superior + Germania Superior ALAE XXX COHORTES COHORTESGallorum IndianaI ScubulorumI Aquitanorum veteranaIII Aquitanorum IV Aquitanorum I Asturum equitata I BiturigumAugusta Cyrenaica II Augusta CyrenaicaI Flavia DamascenorumIII Delmatarum V DelmatarumI Germanorum I HelvetiorumII Hispanorum Ituraeorum I Ligurum et Hispanorum II Raetorum VII Raetorum IV VindelicorumXXIV voluntariorum XXVI voluntariorumXXX voluntariorum XXXII voluntariorum
Raetia/Noricum + Raetia/Noricum ALAE XXX COHORTES COHORTESI Hispanorum AurianaI CommagenorumII FlaviaI Flavia gemina I Flavia singulariumII Aquitanorum eq c.R.I AsturumII BatavorumIX Batavorum V BracaraugustanorumI Breucorum V Breucorum III BritannorumI Aelia BrittonumI RaetorumII RaetorumII ThracumIII Thracum III Thracum veteranaIV Tungrorum veteranaI Flavia Canathenorum
Pannonia + Pannonia (Superior and Inferior) ALAE XXX COHORTES COHORTESI Hispanorum AravacorumI Flavia Britannica I Brittonum I CananefatiumI civium Romanorum I Augusta IturaeorumI Praetoria singularium I Thracum victrixII Augusta ThracumUlpia contariorumI Thracum veterana III Augusta Thracum I Alpinorum I Alpinorum peditataCohors II Alpinorum equitataII Asturum et Callaecorum III Batavorum VII Breucorum I BrittonumV Callaecorum Lucensium I Campanorum voluntariorum II Augusta Dacorum I Lusitanorum CyrenaicaIII LusitanorumI Montanorum I Noricorum I Ulpia Pannoniorum I Thracum I Thracum GermanicaI Thracum Syriaca equitata eqII Augusta Thracum I Aelia Caesariensis I Aelia Gaesatorum
Moesia Superior + Moesia Superior ALAE XXX COHORTES COHORTESI Claudia nova miscellaneaGallorum FlavianaIII Brittonum veterana III campestris V Gallorum V Gallorum et PannoniorumV Hispanorum I Pannoniorum veterana I Antiochensium I Cretum
Moesia Inferior + Moesia Inferior ALAE XXX COHORTES COHORTESGallorum AtectorigianaI Claudia Gallorum CapitonianaI Vespasiana DardanorumI Flavia GaetulorumII Hispanorum AravacorumI Gallorum et Pannoniorum cataphractariaI LusitanorumI Thracum SyriacaI Sugambrorum tironumII LucensiumI Bracarorum I Lepidiana I Claudia Sugambrorum veterana I Flavia Numidarum II Bracaraugustanorum II Flavia Brittonum II Mattiacorum II Chalcidenorum I Cilicum
Dacia + Dacia (inc. Dacia Superior, Inferior and Porolissensis) ALAE XXX COHORTES COHORTES COHORTESI Asturum I Batavorum I Bosporanorum I Hispanorum Campagonum I Gallorum et Bosporanorum II Gallorum et Pannoniorum I Hispanorum II Pannoniorum II Pannoniorum veterana I Tungrorum Frontoniana
I Flavia Commagenorum numerus equitum IllyricorumI Afrorum I Batavorum II Flavia Bessorum I Bracaraugustanorum I Britannica II Britannorum I Flavia Brittonum I Ulpia Brittonum I Augusta Brittonum Nerviana II Augusta Brittonum Nerviana I Cananefatium I Flavia Commagenorum II Flavia Commagenorum IV BaeticaI Cypria II Gallorum II Gallorum Dacica II Gallorum Macedonica II Gallorum Pannonica III Gallorum I Hispanorum I Hispanorum veterana I Flavia Ulpia Hispanorum II Hispanorum scutata IV Hispanorum V LingonumI Aurelia Antonina Hemesenorum II Flavia Numidarum VIII Raetorum VI Thracum Ubiorum I Ubiorum I Vindelicorum
I Augusta Ituraerorum I Thracum I Tyriorum
Cappadocia + Cappadocia ALAE XXX COHORTES COHORTESII Ulpia AurianaI Augusta gemina colonorumI Ulpia DacorumII GallorumI Parthorum veteranaI Apula I BosporanorumI Claudia II ClaudiaI Hamiorum I Italica voluntariorum milliaria I NumidarumII Ulpia Petraeorum III Ulpia Petraeorum I Raetorum IV Raetorum III Augusta Cyrenaica
Syria Coele, Syria Phoenice, Syria Palestina (former Iudea) and Arabia Petraea ALAE XXX COHORTES COHORTES COHORTESI Flavia AgrippianaII Flavia AgrippianaGaetulorum veteranaI PhrygumVII PhrygumI Ulpia singularium I Thracum HerculaneaAugusta XoitanaI Ulpia dromedariorumGallorum et Thracum Antiana III BracarumIV BracarugustanorumIII Callaecorum BracarumIV Callaecorum LucensiumII CantabrorumII classicaI Ulpia DacorumIII DacorumI Damascena ArmeniacaII equitum eqII Ulpia equitatum eq I Flavia I GaetulorumI Ulpia GalatarumII Ulpia GalatarumVII Gallorum V gemella VI HispanorumII Ligurum et CorsorumI LucensiumI Augusta LusitanorumI MontanorumI Augusta PannoniorumII Ulpia PaphlagonumIII Ulpia Paphlagonum IV Ulpia PetreorumV Ulpia Petreorum VI Ulpia PetreorumI SebastenaI ThracumIII Augusta ThracumII Thracum SyriacaIII Thracum SyriacaIV Thracum SyriacaI Ascalonitanorum I Flavia Chalcidenorum I Damascenorum II Italica voluntariorum I Ulpia Petreorum I Ulpia I Augusta Thracum
Aegyptus + Aegyptus ALAE XXX COHORTES COHORTESAprianaAugusta SyriacaCommagenorumGallorum veteranaI Thracum MacedonicaVocontiorumI Ulpia Afrorum I Flavia Cilicum II IturaeorumIII IturaeorumI Aug. praetoria Lusitanorum I Macedonica I PannoniorumI Thebaeorum II Thebaeorumscutata I Apamenorum
Mauretania Tingitana, Mauretania Caesariensis, Numidia and Africa Proconsularis ALAE XXX COHORTES COHORTES COHORTESIII AsturumI Augusta I Augusta GallorumI Gallorum Tauriana victrixGemelliana I Flavia Numidica I Augusta Nerviana Ala I PannoniorumII Augusta ThracumI Hamiorum Parthorum I Syrorum II Syrorum I Flavia AfrorumII Flavia AfrorumI Asturum et CallaecorumIII Asturum II BreucorumII Brittonum I Chalcidenorum VI Commagenorum I Corsorum V Delmatarum c.R.Aelia expeditaI Flavia III Gallorum felixIV Gallorum II HamiorumI Flavia HispanorumII Hispanorum I Ituraeorum I Lemavorum VII Lusitanorum I Flavia Musulamiorum I NurritanorumII SardorumIV SugambrorumIV TungrorumI Syrorum II Syrorum
Other locations + Internal provinces & unknown locations