Cohors sexta Delmatarum equitata ("6th part-mounted Cohort of Dalmatae") was a
Roman auxiliary mixed infantry and cavalry regiment.
The Delmatae
It is named after the
Dalmatae, an
Illyrian-speaking tribe that inhabited the
Adriatic
The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Sea) ...
coastal mountain range of the eponymous
Dalmatia
Dalmatia (; hr, Dalmacija ; it, Dalmazia; see #Name, names in other languages) is one of the four historical region, historical regions of Croatia, alongside Croatia proper, Slavonia, and Istria. Dalmatia is a narrow belt of the east shore of ...
. The ancient geographer
Strabo
Strabo''Strabo'' (meaning "squinty", as in strabismus) was a term employed by the Romans for anyone whose eyes were distorted or deformed. The father of Pompey was called "Pompeius Strabo". A native of Sicily so clear-sighted that he could see ...
describes these mountains as extremely rugged, and the Dalmatae as backward and warlike. He claims that they did not use money long after their neighbours adopted it and that they "made war on the Romans for a long time". He also criticises the Dalmatae, a nation of pastoralists, for turning fertile plains into sheep pasture. Indeed, the name of the tribe itself is believed to mean "shepherds", derived from the Illyrian word ''delme'' ("sheep"). The final time this people fought against Rome was in the
Illyrian revolt
The (Latin for 'War of the Batos') was a military conflict fought in the Roman Empire, Roman province of Illyricum (Roman province), Illyricum in the 1st century AD, in which an alliance of native peoples of the two regions of Illyricum, Roman D ...
of 6–9 AD. The revolt was started by Dalmatae auxiliary forces and soon spread all over
Dalmatia
Dalmatia (; hr, Dalmacija ; it, Dalmazia; see #Name, names in other languages) is one of the four historical region, historical regions of Croatia, alongside Croatia proper, Slavonia, and Istria. Dalmatia is a narrow belt of the east shore of ...
and
Pannonia
Pannonia (, ) was a province of the Roman Empire bounded on the north and east by the Danube, coterminous westward with Noricum and upper Italy, and southward with Dalmatia and upper Moesia. Pannonia was located in the territory that is now wes ...
. The resulting war was described by the Roman writer
Suetonius
Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus (), commonly referred to as Suetonius ( ; c. AD 69 – after AD 122), was a Roman historian who wrote during the early Imperial era of the Roman Empire.
His most important surviving work is a set of biographies ...
as the most difficult faced by Rome since the
Punic Wars
The Punic Wars were a series of wars between 264 and 146BC fought between Roman Republic, Rome and Ancient Carthage, Carthage. Three conflicts between these states took place on both land and sea across the western Mediterranean region and i ...
two centuries earlier. But after the war, the Dalmatae became a loyal and important source of recruits for the Roman army.
Origins and service history
According to Holder, a total of 12 ''cohortes Delmatarum'' appear to have been raised after the suppression of the Illyrian revolt in two series, of 7 and 5 respectively. All these units were in existence by the time of emperor
Claudius
Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (; 1 August 10 BC – 13 October AD 54) was the fourth Roman emperor, ruling from AD 41 to 54. A member of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, Claudius was born to Nero Claudius Drusus, Drusu ...
(r. 41–54)
[Holder (1980) 112] Of these, 9 appear to have survived into the 2nd century.
[Spaul (2000) 302-14]
The regiment was probably raised by founder-emperor
Augustus (r. 30BC-14AD) after 9 AD. It was certainly in existence by the time of
Claudius
Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (; 1 August 10 BC – 13 October AD 54) was the fourth Roman emperor, ruling from AD 41 to 54. A member of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, Claudius was born to Nero Claudius Drusus, Drusu ...
(r. 41–54).
There is no
diploma
A diploma is a document awarded by an educational institution (such as a college or university) testifying the recipient has graduated by successfully completing their courses of studies. Historically, it has also referred to a charter or offici ...
evidence for this regiment and the remaining inscriptions cannot be accurately dated. However, it is certain that it was serving in
Mauretania Caesariensis
Mauretania Caesariensis (Latin for "Caesarean Mauretania") was a Roman province located in what is now Algeria in the Maghreb. The full name refers to its capital Caesarea Mauretaniae (modern Cherchell).
The province had been part of the Kingd ...
in the 1st century. It is unlikely to have continued there into the 2nd century, as it is missing in a diploma list for 107. All its surviving inscriptions have been found on one site,
Cherchel (Algeria), presumably its regular base.
[Spaul (2000) 310] Given the complete absence of later evidence, it is likely that the regiment was disbanded or destroyed in action by the end of the 1st century.
Known personnel
The names of one ''
decurio'' (cavalry officer) and 2 ''caligati'' (rankers) are attested, all Illyrians.
See also
*
List of Roman auxiliary regiments
Citations
References
* Holder, Paul. (1980). ''Studies in the Auxilia of the Roman Army''. Oxford, England: B.A.R. .
* Spaul, John. (2000). ''Cohors 2: The Evidence for and a Short History of the Auxiliary Infantry Units of the Imperial Roman Army''. Oxford: Archaeopress. {{ISBN, 978-1-84171-046-4.
Auxiliary equitata units of ancient Rome