Serving in home province.

[Quintus Maximus]

Hello all,

First of all apologies if this question has already been answered elsewhere.

I understand that it was unlikely that a soldier would be recruited to serve in his own province once conquered due to the risk of rebellion. My question is this though if one of the southern english tribes such as the Durotriges were conquered could they then be recruited as auxillaries to man garrisons further north in Britain or were the likely to be sent to Gaul etc?

 

 

 

[caldrail]

Given the unstable nature of political and military security in the north of England - which the Romans never completely suppressed - the risks of sending british tribesmen north as auxillaries would not seem particularly clever. Off he goes with his fellow recruits to Gaul, etc, with a few sestercii travelling money and serving soldiers as guides.

[Pompieus]

According to Cheeseman, Holder and Spaul all Auxiliary units attested as serving in Britain were originally recruited elsewhere (mainly Spain, Gaul and Illyria).  Evidence of the 18 or so Alae and Cohortes known to have been recruited in Britain (Britonum/Britanica/Britanorum) is also found elsewhere (Mauritania, Germany and the Danube).

This applies mainly to the 1st & 2nd centuries AD.  Later, local recruiting became the norm and evidence of soldiers origins becomes rare.  But some units like the oriental archers, and possibly units from Britain, received drafts of men from home well into the 2nd century AD.

Edited March 13, 2019 by Pompieus