Cohors prima Aquitanorum ("1st Cohort of Aquitani") was a

Roman auxiliary The (, lit. "auxiliaries") were introduced as non-citizen troops attached to the citizen legions by Augustus after his reorganisation of the Imperial Roman army from 30 BC. By the 2nd century, the Auxilia contained the same number of in ...

infantry regiment. It was probably originally raised in

Gallia Aquitania Gallia Aquitania ( , ), also known as Aquitaine or Aquitaine Gaul, was a province of the Roman Empire. It lies in present-day southwest France, where it gives its name to the modern region of Aquitaine. It was bordered by the provinces of Gallia ...

in the reign of founder-emperor

Augustus Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian, was the first Roman emperor; he reigned from 27 BC until his death in AD 14. He is known for being the founder of the Roman Pri ...

after the revolt of the Aquitani was suppressed in 26 BC.Holder (1980) 111 Unlike most

Gauls The Gauls ( la, Galli; grc, Γαλάται, ''Galátai'') were a group of Celtic peoples of mainland Europe in the Iron Age and the Roman period (roughly 5th century BC to 5th century AD). Their homeland was known as Gaul (''Gallia''). They s ...

, the Aquitani were not Celtic-speaking but spoke Aquitanian, a now extinct non

Indo-European language The Indo-European languages are a language family native to the overwhelming majority of Europe, the Iranian plateau, and the northern Indian subcontinent. Some European languages of this family, English, French, Portuguese, Russian, Dutch ...

closely related to

Basque Basque may refer to: * Basques, an ethnic group of Spain and France * Basque language, their language Places * Basque Country (greater region), the homeland of the Basque people with parts in both Spain and France * Basque Country (autonomous co ...

. There is scholarly controversy about whether there were one or two infantry ''cohortes'' called I Aquitanorum. This is because a regiment of that name is repeatedly attested both in Germania Superior and

Britannia Britannia () is the national personification of Britain as a helmeted female warrior holding a trident and shield. An image first used in classical antiquity, the Latin ''Britannia'' was the name variously applied to the British Isles, Great ...

. Holder sees them as two separate units, one of which carried the title ''veterana'' and was permanently based in Germania Sup., the other in Britannia. Spaul considers it more likely there was a single unit, which alternated between the two provinces, although this was unusual for auxiliary regiments. Holder's view is supported by the fact that none of the British inscriptions carry the title ''veterana'', whereas several of the German ones do, and so appears more likely. Holder is followed here: this article concerns the unit stationed in Britannia. For the unit in Germania Superior see cohors I Aquitanorum veterana. The regiment was probably stationed on the Rhine frontier from an early stage. It first appears in the datable epigraphic record in 82 AD in

Germania Germania ( ; ), also called Magna Germania (English: ''Great Germania''), Germania Libera (English: ''Free Germania''), or Germanic Barbaricum to distinguish it from the Roman province of the same name, was a large historical region in north- ...

, if this record does not relate to its namesake unit. The regiment is first attested in Britannia in 122, probably transferred to the island along with several other regiments to help in the construction of

Hadrian's Wall Hadrian's Wall ( la, Vallum Aelium), also known as the Roman Wall, Picts' Wall, or ''Vallum Hadriani'' in Latin, is a former defensive fortification of the Roman province of Britannia, begun in AD 122 in the reign of the Emperor Hadrian. R ...

(122–32). The regiment remained in Britain into the 4th century, as it left an inscription in the

Saxon Shore The Saxon Shore ( la, litus Saxonicum) was a military command of the late Roman Empire, consisting of a series of fortifications on both sides of the Channel. It was established in the late 3rd century and was led by the "Count of the Saxon Shor ...

fort of

Branodunum Branodunum was an ancient Roman fort to the east of the modern English village of Brancaster in Norfolk. Its Roman name derives from the local Celtic language, and may mean "fort of the raven". History The fort, built in the 230s, became later ...

(

Brancaster Brancaster is a village and civil parish on the north coast of the English county of Norfolk. The civil parish of Brancaster comprises Brancaster itself, together with Brancaster Staithe and Burnham Deepdale. The three villages form a more or l ...

, Norfolk). The regiments is attested in the following Roman forts in Britain: Bakewell, Brancaster (4th century), Brough-on-Noe (158), Carrawburgh.Spaul (2000) 142 Although a few names of ''praefecti'' (commanders) of the regiment have been preserved, none have a certain origin. One ''miles'' (common soldier) has a partially preserved origin "Cam-". This may be

Camulodunum Camulodunum (; la, ), the Ancient Roman name for what is now Colchester in Essex, was an important castrum and city in Roman Britain, and the first capital of the province. A temporary "strapline" in the 1960s identifying it as the "oldest re ...

(Colchester).

Citations

{{reflist

References

* Holder, Paul ''Studies in the Auxilia of the Roman Army'' (1980) * Holder, Paul ''Auxiliary Deployment in the Reign of Hadrian'' (2003) * Spaul, John ''COHORS 2'' (2000) Military of ancient Rome Auxiliary infantry units of ancient Rome

See also

Citations

References