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Auxiliaries (Latin - auxilia, help) were troops in the Roman army of the Imperial period who provided specialist support to the legions. This function had been carried out by the allied troops, but these metamorphosed into the auxiliaries after the Marian reforms of the 1st c. BC. They were usually barbarians recruited from the empire or its frontiers, served 25 years on pay (as of 1st c.AD) 1/3 (or 5/6 according to a pay receipt discovered at Vindonissa - ie 250 Sesterces a year) that of the legionaries and a less arduous service regime. As Vegetius said
- "There is also another reason why the Legions have become attenuated: The labour of serving in them is great, the arms are heavier, the duties more frequent, the discipline more severe; to avoid this many flock to the Auxilia to take the oaths of service, where the sweat is less and the rewards come sooner".
Auxiliaries could afford to keep a common-law wife and erect an elaborate tombstone, and these perks increasingly attracted citizens too.
To avoid split loyalties, they were stationed away from their home area, under the command of a high-ranking Roman citizen serving as prefect or tribune who was answerable to the legionary commanders. Instead of a monetary grant at the end of their service, they were granted Roman citizenship for themselves and their heirs in perpetuity.
Cavalry
As they were recruited from barbarian areas particularly skilled in specialist types of cavalry warfare (eg the Batavians, whose riders and horses could swim rivers in full armour; also North Africa, Thrace and Scythia), these units were the highest-ranked auxiliary units and as such were commanded by a praefectus of equestrian rank. They operated as fighting cavalry independent of the legions and the non-combatant legionary cavalry (the latter largely being used for reconnaissance and communication alone). Examples include the Alarii Pannonii robur equitatus ("...Pannonian troopers, the flower of his cavalry...") mentioned by Tacitus (Annals xv.10 *).
They would be stationed on the wings of legion (ala literally means wing), for encirclement, forcing the enemy into direct confrontation with the infantry front line, preventing the legion from being outflanked and pursuing an enemy retreating in disarray. They rode pony-sized horses without stirrups, but a horned saddle allowed flexibility of movement and stability of seat. Their harness was decorated and the rider wore mail or scale armour over a jerkin, tight trousers, a neck scarf, a moderately decorated helmet (parade helmets were more extravagant *), an oval shield possibly attached to the harness, 2 hastae and 1 spatha (slashing sword, longer than infantry sword).
- ala quingenaria (literally, "wing of five hundred") had 512 enlisted soldiers organised in 16 turmae. Each turma was made up of 32 men and horses and commanded by a decurio. Overall command was in the hands of a high-ranking prefect. Approximately 80 alae quingenariae existed around 100 A.D.
- ala miliara ("wing of one thousand"), consisted of 24 turmae with 42 men each, making a total of 1,008 men and horses. These were vary rare elite units, with only seven of them existing around 100 A.D.
Infantry
6 or 10 centuries, each under a centurion. Equipment for non-specialist units (as shown right) would typically be scale or mail armour over a tunic, perhaps leather or woollen trousers, the same helmet sword and dagger as legionary troops but perhaps less ornamented, a stabbing spear (hasta) and an oval shield. Overall, these units enabled more flexible infantry tactics (eg skirmishing) than could be achieved by the heavy-infantry of the legions, and generally provided dispensible troops to wear down the enemy before sending in the legions.
- cohors quingenaria, 500, light infantry
- cohors milliaria, 1000, light infantry
- cohors equitata quingenaria, mixed infantry and cavalry
- cohors equitata milliaria, mixed infantry and cavalry
Specialists
- Balearic slingers
- Menapian spearmen and/or skirmishers
- Nabataean archers
- javelin throwers
- Syrian archers
- bargemen, who ferried troops up rivers
External links
Roman military history | Ancient military units | Military units by type
Auxiliartruppen | Troupes auxiliaires | Truppe ausiliarie | auxilia | turma | Auxilia-joukot
"Auxiliaries (Roman military)"