Dromedarii were camel-riding auxiliary forces recruited in the desert provinces of the Late

Roman Empire The Roman Empire ( la, Imperium Romanum ; grc-gre, Βασιλεία τῶν Ῥωμαίων, Basileía tôn Rhōmaíōn) was the post- Republican period of ancient Rome. As a polity, it included large territorial holdings around the Medite ...

in Syria. They were developed to take the place of

horse The horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') is a domesticated, one-toed, hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of ''Equus ferus''. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million ...

s, where horses were not common. They were also successful against enemy horses, as horses are typically afraid of camels' scents. Camels were seen as exotic and useful creatures, known for their ability to move over desert terrain. It is noted that dromedaries were used less often than bactrians, though the title "Dromedarii" may imply that dromedaries were used more often. However, the Romans could not distinguish between bactrians and dromedaries, thus using both as a means of transportation. This is very similar to the camel cavalry used often by the Ottoman Empire. It is noted that camel cavalry was more commonplace as a result of the desert terrain during the Muslim conquests. A 1,000-strong dromedarii unit,

ala I Ulpia Dromedariorum milliaria Ala, ALA, Alaa or Alae may refer to: Places * Ala, Hiiu County, Estonia, a village * Ala, Valga County, Estonia, a village * Ala, Alappuzha, Kerala, India, a village * Ala, Iran, a village in Semnan Province * Ala, Gotland, Sweden * Alad, Seydu ...

, was established by

Trajan Trajan ( ; la, Caesar Nerva Traianus; 18 September 539/11 August 117) was Roman emperor from 98 to 117. Officially declared ''optimus princeps'' ("best ruler") by the senate, Trajan is remembered as a successful soldier-emperor who presid ...

in Syria. A small number of dromedarii is recorded as part of the

Cohors XX Palmyrenorum The Cohors XX Palmyrenorum ("20th Cohort of Palmyrenes") was an auxiliary cohort of the Roman Imperial army. It was a '' cohors equitata milliaria'', mixed infantry and cavalry regiment, originally recruited from the inhabitants of Palmyra in Roman ...

based in Dura-Europos in Roman Syria.

Notes

References

* * Late Roman military units Types of cavalry unit in the army of ancient Rome Camel cavalry {{AncientRome-mil-stub