List of Roman auxiliary regiments


This article lists auxilia, 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.
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.

Types of regiment

During most of the Principate era, until AD 212, auxiliary regiments, called auxilia by the Romans, were formations kept separate from the legions, who were recruited from Roman citizens only. Auxilia were mostly recruited from the peregrini, the vast majority of subjects in the Roman empire who did not hold Roman citizenship..
There were three basic types of auxiliary regiment:
A number of regiments, of all three types, were designated sagittariorum, indicating that their members were equipped as archers. After about AD 80, about 12 percent of regiments were enlarged from the quingenarie size and designated milliarie, 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.
The rule of the first emperor, Augustus, 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 Campagonum, Trevirorum and Bessorum. Later, units were raised from and named after broad national groups, for example Hispanorum, Gallorum, and Thracum.
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
cohors II Gallorum veterana equitata 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, 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, 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:

List of '''' non-ethnic regimental names by province of deployment

Britannia

Germania Inferior

Germania Superior

Raetia/Noricum

Pannonia

Moesia Superior

Moesia Inferior

Dacia

Cappadocia

[Syria Coele], [Syria Phoenice], [Syria Palestina] (former Iudea">Judea (Roman province)">Iudea) and [Arabia Petraea]

Aegyptus

[Mauretania Tingitana], [Mauretania Caesariensis], [Numidia] and [Africa Proconsularis]

Other locations

List of '''' ethnic regimental names

Regimental
name		Original
tribe/city		Roman
province		Original
territory
now in		Native
language		Further information
AfrorumAfriAfricaTunisiaBerber
AlpinorumSalassiAlpes TresVal d'Aosta, NW ItalyLigurianAlpine regiments of the Roman army
AntiochensiumAntiochensesSyriaAntakya, TurkeyAramaic
AquitanorumAquitaniGallia AquitaniaAquitaine, SW FranceAquitanian
ApamenorumApameniSyriaApamea, SyriaAramaic
AravacorumArevaciHispania TarraconensisBurgos pr SpainCeltiberian
AresacorumAresaciGermania Inferior?Germanic
AscalonitanorumAscalonitaniJudaeaAscalon, IsraelAramaic
AsturumAsturesHispania T.Asturias, N SpainCeltiberian
AthoitarumAutariataeDalmatiaBosniaIllyrian
AusetanorumAusetaniHispania T.N Barcelona pr SpainIberian
BaetasiorumBaetasiiGermania InferiorS NetherlandsW Germanic
BatavorumBataviGermania InferiorBetuwe, E NetherlandsW Germanic
BessorumBessiThraciaMid BulgariaThracian
BiturigumBiturigesGallia LugdunensisBerry, C FranceGaulish
BosporanorumBosporaniRegnum BosporiCrimea, S. RussiaGreek/Sarmatian
Bracarorum
Bracarum
Bracaraugustanorum		BracariHispania T.Minho, PortugalGallaecian
BreucorumBreuciDalmatiaN BosniaIllyrian
Brittonum
Britannorum		Brittones
BritanniaN BritainBrythonic
CallaecorumGallaeciHispania T.Galicia, NW SpainGallaecian-
CampagonumCampagonesHispania T.N SpainCeltiberian
CampanorumItaliaCampania, ItalyLatin
CanathenorumCanatheniSyriaCanatha, SyriaAramaic
CannanefatiumCananefatesGermania InferiorS Holland, NetherlandsW Germanic
CantabrorumCantabriHispania T.Cantabria N SpainCeltiberian
CeltiberorumCeltiberiHispania T.Guadalajara, SpainCeltiberian
ChalcidenorumChalcideniBithyniaChalcedon, TurkeyGreek
CilicumCilicesCiliciaIcel/Adana pr TurkeyLydian
CisipadensiumItalia Emilia-Romagna, ItalyLatin
CommagenorumCommageneCappadociaGaziantep pr TurkeyGreek
CorsorumCorsiSardiniaN Sardinia, ItalySardinian
CretumCretesCretaCrete, GreeceGreek
CugernorumCugerniGermania InferiorNW Rhineland, GermanyW Germanic
DardanorumDardaniMacedoniaS Serbia/KosovoIllyrian
DacorumDaciDaciaRomaniaDacian
DamascenorumDamasceniSyriaDamascus, SyriaAramaic
DelmatarumDalmataeDalmatiaDalmacja, CroatiaIllyrian
FrisiavonumFrisiavonesGermania InferiorN Brabant S NethW Germanic
GaesatorumGaesatiGallia BelgicaAlsace, FrGaulish
GaetulorumGaetuliMauretaniaAlgeriaBerber
GalatarumGalataeGalatiaAnkara pr C TurkeyGalatian
GallorumGaulsGallia LugdunensisNE FranceGaulish
HamiorumHamaSyriaHama, SyriaAramaic
HelvetiorumHelvetiiBelgicaSW SwitzerlandGaulish
HemesenorumEmesaSyriaHoms, SyriaAramaic
HispanorumHispaniHispania T.N SpainCeltiberian
IllyricorumIllyriciDalmatiaBosniaIllyrian
IturaeorumIturaeiSyriaS LebanonAramaic
LatobicorumLatobiciPannoniaC BosniaIllyrian
LemavorumLemaviHispania T.Galicia, SpainCeltiberian
LigurumLiguresItalia Liguria, ItalyLigurianAlpine regiments of the Roman army
LingonumLingonesBelgicaLangres, NE FranceGaulish
LucensiumLucensesHispania T.cLugo Galicia, PortugalGallaecian
LusitanorumLusitaniLusitaniaPortugalCeltiberian
MattiacorumMattiaciGermania SupRhineland Pfalz, GermanyW Germanic
MaurorumMauriMauretaniaAlgeriaBerber
MenapiorumMenapiiBelgicaW Flanders, BelgiumGaulish
MorinorumMoriniBelgicaPas-de-Calais, FranceGaulish
MontanorumMontaniPannoniaJulian Alps, SloveniaRaetianAlpine regiments of the Roman army
MusulamiorumMusulamiiMauretaniaE AlgeriaBerber
NerviorumNerviiBelgicaFlandres, FranceGaulish
NoricorumTaurisciNoricumMid AustriaAlpine regiments of the Roman army
NumidarumNumidaeNumidiaNE AlgeriaBerber
NurritanorumNurritaniSardiniacNuoro, N Sardinia, ItalySardinian
PannoniorumPannoniiPannoniaW HungaryIllyrian
ParthorumParthiCappadociaE TurkeyParthian
PetreorumNabataeiArabia Pet.cPetra, JordanArabic
PhrygumPhrygesGalatiaEskisehir, W TurkeyPhrygian
RaetorumRaetiRaetiaS Germany/SwitzerlandRaetian Alpine regiments of the Roman army
SardorumSardiSardiniaS Sardinia, ItaltySardinian
ScubulorumScubuliMacedoniacSkopje, MacedoniaIllyrian
SequanorumSequaniBelgicaFranche-Comté, FranceGaulish
SugambrorumSicambriGermania InferiorNW Rhineland, GermanyW Germanic
SunucorumSuniciGermania InferiorE NetherlandsW Germanic
SyrorumSyriSyriaSyriaAramaic
ThebaeorumThebaeiAegyptusThebes, EgyptEgyptian
Trachonitarum?Syria??
ThracumThracesThraciaBulgariaThracian
TrevirorumTreveriBelgicacTrier, GermanyGaulish
TungrorumTungriBelgicacTongeren, BelgiumGaulish
TyriorumTyriiSyriaTyre, S LebanonPhoenician
UbiorumUbiiGermania InferiorNW Rhineland, GermanyW Germanic
VangionumVangionesGermania SupMainz/Worms, GermanyW Germanic
VarcianorumVarcianiPannoniaE CroatiaIllyrian
VardulorumVarduliHispania T.Guipuzcoa, SpainOld Basque
VasconumVasconesHispania T.Navarra, SpainOld Basque
VettonumVettonesLusitaniaSalamanca pr SpainCeltiberian
VindelicorumVindeliciRaetiaBlack Forest, GermanyCeltic/GermanAlpine regiments of the Roman army
VocontiorumVocontiiGallia LugdunensisDauphiné, FranceGaulish

Glossary

Some regiments were named after other people, for example ala Sulpicia after its first, or early, praefectus. In the Augustan era, commanders of auxiliary units were often Roman legionary centurions, or native chieftains. For example, ala Gallorum Atectorigiana was probably once commanded by a Gallic chieftain named Atectorix. Later, emperor Claudius restricted auxiliary commands to the lower aristocratic class of equites only.

Imperial dedications

In the 4th century, Valeria referred to emperor Diocletian or one of his successors.

Raised during the Illyrian revolt

Names of regiments originally raised by emperor Augustus during the Illyrian revolt term|term=ingenuorum|content=ingenuorumdefn|defn=regiment originally composed of free-born Roman citizensterm|term=voluntariorum|content=voluntariorumdefn|defn=regiment originally composed of volunteers, in reality slaves freed in return for military service during the Illyrian revoltglossary endlang\|la|peregrini

Other non-ethnic regimental names

Unit Epithets

Some regiment names included additional descriptors:

Citations