M U Z E U L J U D E E A N D E I S T O R I E I A R T Z A L U

BIBLIOTHECA MVSEI POROLISSENSIS XIII

IDENTITI CULTURALE
LOCALE I REGIONALE
N CONTEXT EUPEAN
Studii de arheologie i antropologie istoric

Local and regional cultural identities

in European context
Archaeology and historical anthropology

Editors:
HOREA POP, IOAN BEJINARIU,
SANDA BCUE-CRIAN, DAN BCUE-CRIAN

I N M E M O R I A M A L E X A N D R I V. M A T E I

Editura MEGA | Editura POROLISSVM

Cluj-Napoca, 2010

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FLORIAN MATEI-POPESCU

Cohortes Augustae Nervianae Pacenses Brittonum

FLORIAN MATEI-POPESCU

Institutul de Arheologie Vasile Prvan, Bucureti, Romnia

florian.matei@gmail.com

Cuvinte cheie: armata roman, auxilia, cohortes, Brittones, Moesia.

Keywords: Roman army, auxilia, cohortes, Brittones, Moesia.
Rezumat: La nceputul domniei lui Traian, trei uniti purtnd numele de Augusta Nerviana Pacensis
Brittonum sunt atestate printre trupele auxiliare ale armatei romane. S-a presupus c aceste uniti
au fost recrutate din teritoriul coloniei romane de la Gloucester, cunoscut sub numele de colonia
Nerviana Glevensium. Prezena numelui Augusta Nerviana n legtur cu mai multe uniti auxiliare
ale armatei romane pare a infirma aceast ipotez. Aceste trei cohorte fost recrutate de mpratul
Nerva i au fost trimise la Dunrea de Jos, probabil n legtur cu pregtirile pentru bellum Dacicum.

Cohors I Augusta Nerviana Pacensis milliaria Brittonum (TABLE I)

t appears for the irst time on the military diploma from May 13, 105, copied
ater an imperial constitution for the auxiliary units of Moesia inferior province.1
On another military diploma from September 25, 111 a I milliaria Britonum cohort
appears.2 In RMD IV, it has been sustained that two cohorts are identical. F. Marcu has
argued against.3 Ater the administrative reforms from Hadrians time, the unit became
part of the army of the Dacia inferior province.4 It seems that it took part in Trajans
Dacian expeditions.5 Probably from this time dates the tile stamp discovered at Buridava
(Stolniceni) of the type CORSMB (co(h)ors M(illiaria) B(ritonum)).6 Recently, a brick
stamp having the inscription COH I B, discovered within the small Roman fort of
Dolno Rjahovo, was published. Brick stamps bearing the same inscription were found in
Tutrakan (Transmarisca).7 L. F. Vagalinski took into the consideration the I Batavorum
milliaria cohort. C. C. Petolescu argued against in A and he puts the stamps in the
connection with I Britonum milliaria cohort. As on the military diplomas, with only
two exceptions, the diplomas from 111 and 116 for Moesia inferior, the unit is atested
with its full name, this is a strong argument against the idea that I milliaria Britonum
and I Augusta Nerviana Pacensis milliaria Britonum should be equated. Moreover on the
imperial constitution for Dacia inferior, the unit is always atested with its full name. As
for the possible history of the I milliaria Britonum previous and ater the moment when
it is atested in Moesia inferior there are no sure elements at all to be taken into consideration. However, it could be equated with the cohors I F(lavia ?) M(illiaria) Brytonum
1

RGZM, no. 10.

RMD IV 222.
3
Marcu 2004, 221: However, if the title Nerviana Pacensis describes the initial recruiting area (see
inra), in conjunction with the moment of the units creation, it is diicult to explain the lack of this title in
the diploma.
4
Petolescu 2002, 90, no. 25.
5
Strobel 1984, 125.
6
CIL III 1421625 = IDR II 560; Petolescu 2002, 90, no. 25.
7
AE 2004, 1267 (L. F. Vagalinski, Novensia 15, 2004, p. 3945, non vidi).
2

396 | FLORIAN MATEI-POPESCU

Malvensis, atested by an inscription from hessalonica in the middle of the third century.8 As a series of
cohorts Flaviae Britonum is atested, the irst one in Noricum9 and the other one in Moesia inferior,10
the unit from Dacia Malvensis should be the one atested previously in Moesia inferior under the name I
milliaria Britonum, being probably created by Domitian.
Cohors II Augusta Nerviana Pacensis Brittonum milliaria (TABLE II)
It appears for the very irst time also on the same imperial constitution for Moesia inferior, from May
13, 105.11 Before 114, the unit was moved on the territory of Pannonia inferior,12 probably together with ala
I Flavia Gaetulorum, in order to replace the units sent to expeditio Parthica. Sometime before the year 131,13
it was once again moved to the newly created Dacia Porolissensis province. When exactly this happened is
impossible to tell, as the military diploma fragment, dated 118/120 or 126/128, can be assigned both to
Pannonia inferior or Dacia Porolissensis.14 Nevertheless, the unit came together with the other units from
Pannonia inferior (ala Siliana, ala Tungrorum Frontoniana, ala I Hispanorum Campagonum) and Pannonia
superior (ala Batavorum milliaria, ala Bosporanorum, and cohors I Aelia Gaesatorum milliaria), deployed
in Dacia (both in Dacia superior and Porolissensis) before April 14, 123, the very irst atestation of the
Dacia Porolissensis province.15 In this province, the cohors II Augusta Nerviana Pacensis Britonum milliaria
remained in the second and in third century, being accommodated within the Buciumi Roman fort.16 here
it is atested in Caracallas time with the Antoniniana pia idelis title.17 While stationing in Moesia inferior the
soldier Didaecutis (Didaecutius in the irst publication; the lecture Didaecutis belongs to D. Dana), possible
of Dacian origin, was recruited. he name of his wife Diurpae Dotu[il.] and also the name of his daughter,
Dimidusis, proved the Dacian origin of soldiers family. He was released from duty sometime within 133140,
when the unit was already in Dacia Porolissensis.18
Cohors III Augusta Nerviana (Pacensis milliaria ?) Brittonum
his unit appears on a fragment of a Roman military diploma from 115, for the auxiliary units of Moesia
Superior: III AVG NERVIAN BRITON (ext.) and III AVG NERV BRITON. It seems to be the same unit
atested also by a military diploma fragment from 103104: [ NERVIA]NA BRITONVM (ext.).19 It
was one of the units translatae in expeditione Parthica, as the text shows. he unit probably appears also on
a fragmentary diploma from 112: [III AVG NERVIANA B]RITONVM. Curiously, the epithet Pacensis,
which is present on all other diplomas of the cohorts I and II is missing from here. With the discovery of
another fragment of the same diploma the missing of Pacensis from units title was assured. his unit, together
with a cohors Flavia unatested elsewhere, were probably destroyed in the expeditio Parthica.
Conclusions
P. Holder supposed that the cohorts bearing this name were raised within the colonia Nerviana
Glevensium (Gloucester), which could have borne also the name Augusta Nerviana Pacensis,20 as it was the
case of another colony raised by Nerva in Mauretania Caesarensis, colonia Nerviana Augusta Martialis veteranorum Sitifensium. Britones were recruited from the territory of the colony, as M. Ulpius Quintus from VI
8

AE 1894, 112 = CIL III 13704 = ILS 9009 = IDRE II 357; PME, A 218.
Ubl 2003, 112. However the author equates the cohort with the one from Dacia Malvensis, although it is atested in
Noricum until 267.
10
Matei-Popescu 2004, 196197, no. 15.
11
RGZM, no. 10.
12
Lrincz 2001, 32; 81; 111; 158, no. 1415; 241, no. 279 (Alisca).
13
Wei 2002. 248251, no. 5 = RMD V 378.
14
RMD V 370.
15
RGZM, no. 22.
16
Petolescu 2002, 9091, no. 26; Gudea 1997, 3134 and 5253, atested in Buciumi by inscriptions and brick and tile stamps.
17
A 1960, 361 = ILD 634. See also A 1978, 690 = ILD 633.
18
Dana, Matei-Popescu 2009, 222223.
19
Eck, Pangerl 2005; Eck, Pangerl 2008, 363370, no. II, 10; Eck, Pangerl 2009, 567569, no. 19. See also a short fragment
which is also to be dated in the reign of Trajan, Eck, Pangerl 2009, 570571, no. 20.
20
Holder 1980, 4041. For this Roman colony see E. Hbner, RE VII, 1912, 14241425; Wacher 1975, 137155; Frere
1978, 146147. See also the funerary epitaph of a soldier M. Ulpius Ner. Glevi (CIL VI 3346 = ILS 2365) and another inscription
from Aquae Sulis (Bath) where a decurio coloniae Glevensis appears (CIL VII 54).
9

Cohortes Augustae Nervianae Pacenses Brittonum | 397

Victrix legion inscription shows. He could have been the child of a Brito who received the citizenship from
Trajan. Nevertheless, a possible recruitment in the reign of Domitian can not be completely ruled out, as the
epithet Augusta can be connected with the reign of this emperor.21 Although, since other three units with the
name Augusta Nerviana are atested: ala I Nerviana Augusta milliaria idelis and cohors I Augusta Nerviana
velox in Mauretania Caesarensis and cohors I Augusta Nerviana Germanorum milliaria in Britannia, the name
of the three units of Britones has nothing to do with the Roman colony from Gloucester and also with
Domitian. heir name relates only with Nerva, as all the atested units bore the name Nerviana Augusta (see
also the name of the colony from Sitiis). Into this context, the title Pacensis, obviously part of the name of the
cohorts, remains however a mistery.
he regiments were sent in Lower Danube area, together with the pedites singulares Britanniciani (and
probably ala I Hispanorum Campagonum and cohors I Alpinorum, both atested in Moesia superior in the
time of Trajan), in order to take part in bellum Dacicum. Interesting to point out that two units, pedites singulares Britanniciani and cohors III Augusta Nerviana Pacensis were deployed in Moesia superior and the other
two units were deployed in Moesia inferior. It seems that each province received two units with a thousand
soldiers. he exact moment of the transfer could be inferred following mention of the veterana name for the
previous III Britonum cohort from Moesia superior. As on the diplomas from 10022 and 10123 such name
was missing and on the diploma from 115, where both units were mentioned, the veterana name appeared in
the connection with III Britonum, probably this name came into use when III Augusta Nerviana Britonum
was deployed in Moesia superior.24 Nevertheless, taking into consideration the year 105, when the other
two units appeared in Moesia inferior, we can sustain that the units were transferred within the time gap of
101105. As III Augusta Nerviana Britonum is atested in Moesia superior already in 103104, the transferr
occurred sometime probably between 101 and 103.
he presence of the units on military diplomas in the reign of Trajan has to do with the release of
soldiers and junior and non-commissioned oicers transferred from other units, as a possible recruitment
in the years 8081 seems too early. When new cohorts were raised, the centuriones and the principales were
moved from older units to join the new ones, as Tacitus states, regarding the Usiporum cohort.25
TABLE I
The Name of the Unit on extrinsecus and intus
(1) I AVGVSTA NERVIANA PACENSIS BRITTONVM (extrinsecus and
intus)
(3) I MILLIARIA BRITTONVM (extrinsecus); I BRITTONVM (intus)
(2) I MILLIA[RIA] BRITTONVM (extrinsecus); I [BRITTONVM] (intus)
(on the last place) [I ? BR]ITT AVG NERV [PAC?] (extrinsecus, recipient); I
[BRITT AVG NERV PAC?]
(2) [I AVG PAC NERV?B]RITT (extrinsecus); [I] AVG PAC [NERV? BRITT
] (intus)
(5) I AVG NERV PAC BRITT (extrinsecus); I AVG PAC BRITT (intus)
(4) I AVG PAC NERV BRITT (extrinsecus)

Province
MI

Date and Bibliography

13. 05. 105; RGZM no. 10

MI
MI
DI

25. 09. 111; RMD IV 222

116; Eck, Pangerl 2006, p. 99102, no. 3
119/129; RMD V 374

DI

10. 12. 129/09.12. 130

DI
DI

13.12. 140; RMD I 39

146; RMD IV 269

Province
MI

Date and Bibliography

13. 05. 105; RGZM no. 10

MI
PI

99/110; RMD IV 221

1. 09. 114; RMD IV 228

PI

1. 09. 114; CIL XVI 61

TABLE II
The Name of the Unit on extrinsecus and intus
(6) II BRITTONVM AVGVSTA NERVIANA PACENSIS (extrinsecus and
intus)
(?) [...?] (extrinsecus); II BRITTO[NVM...?] (intus)
(5) [II NERV]IA PACENSIS BRITTON (extrinsecus); II AVG NER PAC
BRIT (intus)
(5) II AVG NERVIA PACENSIS BRITTON (extrinsecus); II AVG NERV PAC
BRIT (intus)
21

Holder 1980, 15, 26 and 110, as in that moment the irst atestation was the Lower Pannonian diploma from 114.
CIL XVI 46; Eck, Pangerl 2008, 326329, no. I, 1.
23
Eck, Pangerl 2008, 329337, no. II, 2; RMD III 143.
24
On the fragmentary diploma from 112 the titles was restored using the number of leters on a line criteria as follows: [III
BRITONVM ET III AVG / NERVIANA B]RITONVM (Eck, Pangerl 2008, 355360, no. II, 8). We should probably ind a
room for vet(erana) also.
25
Tacitus, Agr., 28, 1: occiso centurione ac militibus, qui ad tradendam disciplinam immixti manipulis exemplum at rectores
habebantur.
22

398 | FLORIAN MATEI-POPESCU

The Name of the Unit on extrinsecus and intus
(5) [II AVG NERVIA ? PACENSI]S BRITTON (extrinsecus); [...?] (intus)
(5) [II AVG ? NERV]IA PACENSIS BRITTON (extrinsecus); II AVG NER
PAC BRIT (intus)
(?) [...?] (extrinsecus); [II AVG NERV ? PA]C BRI
(5) II AVG NERVIAN PACENS BR[...?] (extrinsecus); [II]AVG NERV PAC
[...?] (intus)
(?) II AVG NERV [?] (extrinsecus)

Province
PI
PI
PI/DP ?
DP
DP

(?) II AVG NERV [?] (intus tabella II)

DP

(?) [II ? A]VG NERV PAC[...?] (intus tabella II)

(6) II AVG NERV PACENS BRIT (extrinsecus)
(6) [...?] (extrinsecus); I AVG NERV [...?] (intus)
(6) II NERV BRITT (extrinsecus); II NERV BRIT[TO]N (intus)

DP
DP
DP
DP

Date and Bibliography

1. 09. 114; RMD II 87
1. 09. 114; RMD V 345/152+228 =
RGZM 17/18
118/120 or 126/128; RMD V 370
10. 12. 130/9. 12. 131; RMD V 378
135; Eck, MacDonald, Pangerl 2004,
3841, no. 3
133140, Eck, MacDonald, Pangerl 2004,
4648, no. 6
138/142; RMD I 40 = RMD V Appendix Ia
24. 09. 151; RMD V 404
27. 09. 154; RMD I 47/CIL XVI 110
21. 07. 164; RMD I 64

References

RGZM
ILD
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Dana, Matei-Popescu 2009

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D. Dana, Fl. Matei-Popescu, Soldats dorigine dace dans les diplmes militaires, Chiron 39,
209256.
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W. Eck, A. Pangerl, Neue Diplome fr die Auxiliartruppen in den msischen Provinzen von
Vespasian bis Hadrian, Dacia, N. S. 50, 2006, 93108.
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S. Frere, Britannia. A History of Roman Britain, London, Henley and Boston, 1978.
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N. Gudea, Castrul roman de la Buciumi. Das Rmergrenzkastell von Buciumi, Zalu, 1997.
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B. Lrincz, Die rmischen Hilfstruppen in Pannonien whrend der Prinzipatszeit. Teil I:
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