Ala Gallorum Indiana
Encyclopedia
The Ala
Gallorum Indiana ("Indus's Wing of Gauls") was a Gaul
ish auxiliary
cavalry unit in the Roman army
, named after its first commander, Julius Indus
, a nobleman of the Treveri
who helped put down a Gaulish rebellion in 21
.
The Ala Indiana is thought to have participated in the Roman conquest of Britain
, and by the mid-to-late 1st century was posted at Corinum (Cirencester
). In 98
it is recorded in Germania Inferior
, and in 134
in Germania Superior
.
The only mention of this ala in Britain is the tombstone
of an eques from Cirencester with a style dating around 70.
Ala (Roman military)
An Ala was the term used during the mid- Roman Republic to denote a military formation composed of conscripts from the socii, Rome's Italian military allies. A normal consular army during this period consisted of 2 legions, composed of Roman citizens only, and 2 allied alae...
Gallorum Indiana ("Indus's Wing of Gauls") was a Gaul
Gaul
Gaul was a region of Western Europe during the Iron Age and Roman era, encompassing present day France, Luxembourg and Belgium, most of Switzerland, the western part of Northern Italy, as well as the parts of the Netherlands and Germany on the left bank of the Rhine. The Gauls were the speakers of...
ish auxiliary
Auxiliaries (Roman military)
Auxiliaries formed the standing non-citizen corps of the Roman army of the Principate , alongside the citizen legions...
cavalry unit in the Roman army
Roman army
The Roman army is the generic term for the terrestrial armed forces deployed by the kingdom of Rome , the Roman Republic , the Roman Empire and its successor, the Byzantine empire...
, named after its first commander, Julius Indus
Julius Indus
Julius Indus was a nobleman of the Gaulish Treveri tribe. In 21 AD he helped the Romans put down a rebellion of the Treveri and Aedui. He went on to lead the Ala Gallorum Indiana cavalry unit which may have been involved in the Roman invasion of Britain, and was certainly posted at Corinum in the...
, a nobleman of the Treveri
Treveri
The Treveri or Treviri were a tribe of Gauls who inhabited the lower valley of the Moselle from around 150 BCE, at the latest, until their eventual absorption into the Franks...
who helped put down a Gaulish rebellion in 21
21
Year 21 was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Augustus and Caesar...
.
The Ala Indiana is thought to have participated in the Roman conquest of Britain
Roman conquest of Britain
The Roman conquest of Britain was a gradual process, beginning effectively in AD 43 under Emperor Claudius, whose general Aulus Plautius served as first governor of Britannia. Great Britain had already frequently been the target of invasions, planned and actual, by forces of the Roman Republic and...
, and by the mid-to-late 1st century was posted at Corinum (Cirencester
Cirencester
Cirencester is a market town in east Gloucestershire, England, 93 miles west northwest of London. Cirencester lies on the River Churn, a tributary of the River Thames, and is the largest town in the Cotswold District. It is the home of the Royal Agricultural College, the oldest agricultural...
). In 98
98
Year 98 was a common year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Augustus and Traianus...
it is recorded in Germania Inferior
Germania Inferior
Germania Inferior was a Roman province located on the left bank of the Rhine, in today's Luxembourg, southern Netherlands, parts of Belgium, and North Rhine-Westphalia left of the Rhine....
, and in 134
134
Year 134 was a common year starting on Thursday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Ursus and Varus...
in Germania Superior
Germania Superior
Germania Superior , so called for the reason that it lay upstream of Germania Inferior, was a province of the Roman Empire. It comprised an area of western Switzerland, the French Jura and Alsace regions, and southwestern Germany...
.
The only mention of this ala in Britain is the tombstone
Roman military tombstones
The archaeology of death in the Roman period provides great detail into the lives and practices of the Imperial Roman army.- Tombstone form :The most familiar form of commemoration in death is the standing stone stelae; stone slabs taller than they are wide upon which they are inscribed with simple...
of an eques from Cirencester with a style dating around 70.