In Roman times, the auxiliary troops or Alares (auxilia in Latin) were made up of soldiers from the Roman army who did not enjoy Roman citizenship because they came from allied peoples or were subject to Rome. For example:
* Jugurtha and the Numidian horsemen take part in the war against Numantia in Spain
* the Aedui, who had the status of friend of the Roman people, provided contingents to Julius Caesar during the Gallic Wars
The conquered peoples were also compelled to provide contingents, fighting as auxiliaries. This method of absorption was practiced during the Republic and under the Empire, as long as the Empire was in a position of strength.
Socii and allies...
Auxiliary status
Auxiliary troops originally fight with their traditional weaponry and are less well regarded than the legions, which they are supposed to support.
* The service time in the auxiliary units was 24 or 25 years, compared to 20 in the legions.
* The pay is less than that of the legionnaires
* In combat, auxiliary troops are usually engaged first, to save manpower from legions
* Roman testimonies give a very brutal character to the auxiliary troops:soldiers presenting severed heads on Trajan's Column, auxiliaries massacring captives in the Jewish War of Flavius Josephus)
Despite this, the service as an auxiliary remained attractive for the non-Roman peoples of the Empire, because it allowed them to acquire the prestigious title of Roman citizen at the end of their service. Under the empire, citizenship was granted after 25 years of service. At certain times, it was also given to the wife and children. The military diplomas, consisting of two small identical bronze tablets and bearing the imperial constitution granting citizenship to the soldier, allowed him to subsequently prove his citizenship. Several hundred of these diplomas have been found, providing important information on the auxiliaries. This advantage of auxiliary service was erased in 212 with the Edict of Caracalla generalizing Roman citizenship. Long before 212 however, there were a few auxiliary units formed from the start only with citizens, the cohortes voluntariorum.
Auxiliary troops constituted an important part of the Roman army, estimated at half of the workforce under Augustus, i.e. 150,000 men, a stable proportion during the first centuries of the Empire. Some provinces only had auxiliary troops in their garrison. These provinces were ruled by members of the equestrian order. This was the case, for example, of the two provinces of Mauretania, the provinces of Noricum and Rhaetia before 165, and certain provinces of Roman Dacia.
The different types of units
Auxiliary units could be of several types:
* the cohort (cohors) is the most common type. It can be composed only of infantry, but also have cavalry, in which case it receives the name of "cavalry cohort" (cohors equitata). depending on the numbers, there are two types of cohorts:
o the 50-year-old cohort, which has a theoretical strength of 500 men and is headed by a prefect.
o the military cohort, with a theoretical number of one thousand men from the 1st century, led by a tribune.
* the wing (ala) cavalry unit. Its workforce is theoretically five hundred men. It is headed by a prefect.
o There are a few military wings - less than ten -, located in provinces very exposed militarily, they can constitute elite troops, such as the ala Ulpia contariorum in Pannonia. They are directed by a prefect carrying out a fourth equestrian militia, insurance, generally, of a future beautiful career of procurator.
* the equites singulares (“horse bodyguards”) private guard of the emperor, this unit is made up of soldiers from a particular region, mainly from the northern regions. They appear under Vespasian. They are first 500 then probably increase to 1000 under Septimius Severus. They are stationed in the Castra Priora and the Castra Nova or Severiana, two barracks in Rome, both located on the Caelius. The equites singulares disappear under Gallien (254-268) can be replaced by the protectores.
* Numbers have no fixed distribution. Initially the term numeri could refer to any unit of soldiers, later it was used to designate auxiliary corps which were neither wings nor cohorts. They are usually commanded by prefects, but some are commanded by simple centurions. There are two main types of numbers:
o numeri d'exploratores, that is to say soldiers specialized in reconnaissance missions. They developed from the end of the second century and their garrisons were generally found on poorly stabilized or threatened borders (Upper Germania, Dacia, Mauretania).
o numeri that we call ethnic, which are initially composed of soldiers of the same origin. These soldiers retain the ways of fighting specific to their people, which allows the Roman army to acquire specializations. The Numidians are well known for their cavalry, the Palmyrenes for their archers, the Sarmatians for their heavy cavalry. Access to Roman citizenship was often more difficult for these soldiers than for other auxiliaries.
The commanders of these units, prefects and tribunes, belong to the equestrian order, the sulbaltern officers, centurions (infantry units) and decurions (cavalry units), are often Roman citizens and the bulk of the troops are peregrines, c ie non-citizen residents of the empire. After the edict of Caracalla, which granted all free men of the empire Roman citizenship, put an end to this hierarchy of civic status in the auxiliary units. The succession of command of these units was organized during the reign of Claudius:these are the three equestrian militias. Prefects first commanded an auxiliary cohort, before becoming tribunes in a legion, then commanding an auxiliary wing. Instead of the tribunate in a legion (Angusticlave tribunate), it was possible, in his second militia, to be a tribune of a milliary cohort. The most deserving of them could accede to the command of a mile wing. On the other hand, the posts of tribune of the units of the Praetorian Guard, as well as of the other units of the city of Rome, do not belong to the equestrian career and are separate from the course of the commanders of auxiliary units.
Denomination of units
Auxiliary unit names follow complex and sometimes changing rules. The first element is the type of unit:cohors or ala, often followed by a serial number (I, II, III, ...), then we sometimes find the name of the gens of the emperor who has created the unit:Flavia or Iulia, then the name of a people who formed the members of the primitive unit:Hamiorum or Hispanorum, then a nickname that highlights the character of the unit sagittatorium or equitata and finally a nickname linked to the reign of the current emperor:Severianum or Philippiana. It is rare for a unit to combine all of these elements. For the oldest units, created in the first decades of the empire, the unit sometimes took the name of its first commander, this was the case for the ala Indiana. Some units may also display in their titulary the mentions of the distinctions which have been granted to them:decoration (torquata), grant of citizenship (Civium Romanorum, often abbreviated C.R.).
* Ala I Flavia Numidica Severiana:Ala I Flavia Numidica is the permanent name of this unit, founded by the emperors of the Flavian dynasty with Numidian manpower and which received the name of the emperor Septimius Severus Severiana.
* the Cohors I Syrorum Sagittariorum cohort of Syrian archers.
When translating the name of these units into French, the type of unit is preceded by its order number:we will therefore speak of "Première wing flavienne numidique" or "Première cohorte de syrians archers".