British Auxillia

[WotWotius]

Ok I have one more question to ask the UNRV experts before I depart for a week

[Pertinax]

Ok I have one more question to ask the UNRV experts before I depart for a week

[WotWotius]

Is there any evidence for the British serving on the eastern front?

[Favonius Cornelius]

In the book I reviewed recently on rebellions in Britannia, I came away with the feeling that the Romans in general felt that Britannians were a bunch of country bumpkins not capable of much. I have the feeling that Britannians were not used much as soldiers beyond local uses and perhaps that Gaul garrison.

[longbow]

The Book im reading say's two Cavalry units and at least sixteen Infantry/mixed units were raised in Britain from defeated peoples during the first century.The majority of the Infantry were posted in Danubian provinces,Pannonia,Moesia,Dalmatia and Dacia,the cohors II Britannorum served at Regensburg on the Danube river.

From the second century Numeri Brittonum (Irregular units) are known to be on the German frontier,these British Auxiliary units totalled around 12,000 men,with supplementary recruitment requiring an average of between 500 and 750 men per year to make up the numbers completing service or dying.

By the time of Hadrian it is probable that most recruitment of the Britons was directed to established units allready based in Britain and the 'ethnic' units on the Danube lost there British 'Charachter'.There was 30,000 auxilia in Brtiains garrisons,this implies an anual top up of 1200-1500 men or 12,000-15,000 per decade.

An Imperial Possession.

 

Longbow

[WotWotius]

The Book im reading say's two Cavalry units and at least sixteen Infantry/mixed units were raised in Britain from defeated peoples during the first century.The majority of the Infantry were posted in Danubian provinces,Pannonia,Moesia,Dalmatia and Dacia,the cohors II Britannorum served at Regensburg on the Danube river.

From the second century Numeri Brittonum (Irregular units) are known to be on the German frontier,these British Auxiliary units totalled around 12,000 men,with supplementary recruitment requiring an average of between 500 and 750 men per year to make up the numbers completing service or dying.

By the time of Hadrian it is probable that most recruitment of the Britons was directed to established units allready based in Britain and the 'ethnic' units on the Danube lost there British 'Charachter'.There was 30,000 auxilia in Brtiains garrisons,this implies an anual top up of 1200-1500 men or 12,000-15,000 per decade.

An Imperial Possession.

 

Longbow

 

The book I'm reading states that, according to the epigraphical evidence, the majority of auxillia stationed at Hadrian's Wall were in fact from overseas.

Roman Britain, Peter Salway

 

It was interesting what you said about British troops stationed on the Danube. Do you know of any British inscriptions from that area?

[DecimusCaesar]

What type of auxillary forces would be stationed in Britain? especially during the Later Empire?

 

I knew something about a Vexillation of Sarmatian Auxilia being stationed in Britain during one time, and I remember hearing about infantry troops from eastern Europe being stationed in southern or middle England at one time (although this was years ago and it might be a misunderstanding).

 

I have also read of vexillations of cavalry auxillia being stationed in numerous places around north Wales such as at Segontium in Caernarfon , what would be the composition of these troops and from which provinces of the Empire would they have come from originally?

[WotWotius]

Click here for a list of the inscriptions found along Hadrian's wall. If you trawl through them, you may be surprised at just how (dare I say the most condescending statement ever!) 'multi-cultured' they were on the wall.

 

I cannot seem to find it, but I seem to remember there being a very well preserved tombstone of a North Africa auxiliary. The tombstone does appear to promote the idea of multiculturalism among the British frontier because, as well as being written in Latin, Aramaic test is also given so that his Syrian sweetheart can also read it. So a North African, unofficially married to a Syrian woman, both living in Britain; and people thought foreigners in the UK was a new thing.

 

I think this may be the tombstone.

[DecimusCaesar]

Thanks! I read an article recently about 'black' soldiers serving on Hadrian's Wall on the BBC website. It never mentioned if they actually meant 'semitic' Africans from North Africa or genuine black Africans from the south. The reason I'm not sure is that they mentioned Septimius Severus as being a 'black' African emperor, when he was semitic.

[Pertinax]

Thanks! I read an article recently about 'black' soldiers serving on Hadrian's Wall on the BBC website. It never mentioned if they actually meant 'semitic' Africans from North Africa or genuine black Africans from the south. The reason I'm not sure is that they mentioned Septimius Severus as being a 'black' African emperor, when he was semitic.

We have, buried deep , a thread on this very subject: the BBC seem to have been desparate to put forward a PC agenda on nil evidence

 

http://www.unrv.com/forum/index.php?showto...=black+soldiers

 

however I seem to remember even more detailed postings, which I currently cannot find.

[Pantagathus]

however I seem to remember even more detailed postings, which I currently cannot find.

Yeah, we disected that crap all the way down to sub-atomic particles...

[Primus Pilus]

however I seem to remember even more detailed postings, which I currently cannot find.

 

Thankfully... I do remember getting a bit heated in the exchanges.

[Favonius Cornelius]

however I seem to remember even more detailed postings, which I currently cannot find.

 

Thankfully... I do remember getting a bit heated in the exchanges.

 

 

Bah, the thread deserved it.

[WotWotius]

The Book im reading say's two Cavalry units and at least sixteen Infantry/mixed units were raised in Britain from defeated peoples during the first century.The majority of the Infantry were posted in Danubian provinces,Pannonia,Moesia,Dalmatia and Dacia,the cohors II Britannorum served at Regensburg on the Danube river.

From the second century Numeri Brittonum (Irregular units) are known to be on the German frontier,these British Auxiliary units totalled around 12,000 men,with supplementary recruitment requiring an average of between 500 and 750 men per year to make up the numbers completing service or dying.

By the time of Hadrian it is probable that most recruitment of the Britons was directed to established units allready based in Britain and the 'ethnic' units on the Danube lost there British 'Charachter'.There was 30,000 auxilia in Brtiains garrisons,this implies an anual top up of 1200-1500 men or 12,000-15,000 per decade.

An Imperial Possession.

 

Longbow

 

One must keep in mind that British auxillia were a minority in the Roman army; however, there are still a few example of their presence in the military.

 

During the early period of occupation, the evidence for British auxillia is scant. Most of what is known is based on assumption. In the Agricola, for example, Tacitus' Boudica complains about the hardships of the 'levy', and Tacitus himself mentions the 'levy and tribute' imposed on the ruling Britons; Tacitus also places similar woes into the mouth of the freedom fighter Calgacus. The only solid evidence we have for British auxillia during this early period

[DecimusCaesar]

The Book im reading say's two Cavalry units and at least sixteen Infantry/mixed units were raised in Britain from defeated peoples during the first century.The majority of the Infantry were posted in Danubian provinces,Pannonia,Moesia,Dalmatia and Dacia,the cohors II Britannorum served at Regensburg on the Danube river.

 

That's rather interesting considering that around the time Vespasian and Titus, German auxilia from the Rhine were transferred to Britain. Men from Germanic tribes like those of the Batavian and Tungrian, were uprooted to places like Vindolanda and some even served on Hadrain's Wall later on. All the while we have British Auxillia serving in German territory.

 

According to the Notitia Dignitatum there was an Auxilia band called the 'Seguntiensis' serving in Illyricum, near Aquileia. I have heard it mention that the 'Seguntiensis' was made up of British troops. Is there any truth to this? Afterall by the fourth and fifth centuries' we can be pretty sure that British troops would have become reliable.