This page created 19 December 2015, and last modified: 20 December 2015 (dromodarii link added)

The following units of Alae are listed in the Notitia (the numbers after the names refer to Ingo Maier's numbering scheme):

Ala Theodosiana (52.8), under the Comes limitis Aegypti
Ala Arcadiana (52.9), also under the Comes limitis Aegypti
Ala secunda Armeniorum (52.10), also under the Comes limitis Aegypti
Ala tertia Arabum (52.12), also under the Comes limitis Aegypti
Ala octava Vandilorum (52.13), also under the Comes limitis Aegypti
Ala septima Sarmatarum (52.14), also under the Comes limitis Aegypti
Ala prima Aegyptiorum (52.15), also under the Comes limitis Aegypti
Ala veterana Gallorum (52.16), also under the Comes limitis Aegypti
Ala prima Herculia (52.17), also under the Comes limitis Aegypti
Ala quinta Raetorum (52.18), also under the Comes limitis Aegypti
Ala prima Tingitana (52.19), also under the Comes limitis Aegypti
Ala Apriana (52.20), also under the Comes limitis Aegypti
Ala secunda Assyriorum (52.21), also under the Comes limitis Aegypti
Ala quinta praelectorum (52.22), also under the Comes limitis Aegypti
Ala secunda Ulpia Afrorum (52.26), also under the Comes limitis Aegypti
Ala secunda Aegyptiorum (52.27), also under the Comes limitis Aegypti
Ala prima Abasgorum (56/7.20), under the Dux Thebaidos
Ala secunda Hispanorum (56/7.22), also under the Dux Thebaidos
Ala Germanorum (56/7.23), also under the Dux Thebaidos
Ala quarta Britonum (56/7.24), also under the Dux Thebaidos
Ala prima Hiberorum (56/7.25), also under the Dux Thebaidos
Ala Neptunia (56/7.26), also under the Dux Thebaidos
Ala tertia dromedariorum (56/7.27), also under the Dux Thebaidos
Ala octava Palmyrenorum (56/7.28), also under the Dux Thebaidos
Ala septima Herculia voluntaria (56/7.29), also under the Dux Thebaidos
Ala prima Francorum (56/7.30), also under the Dux Thebaidos
Ala prima Iovia catafractariorum (56/7.31), also under the Dux Thebaidos
Ala octava Abydum (56/7.32), also under the Dux Thebaidos
Ala secunda Herculia dromedariorum (56/7.33), also under the Dux Thebaidos
Ala prima Abasgorum (56/7.34), also under the Dux Thebaidos
Ala prima Quadorum (56/7.35), also under the Dux Thebaidos
Ala prima Valeria dromedariorum (56/7.36), also under the Dux Thebaidos
Ala prima miliaria Sebastena (59.15), under the Dux Palaestinae
Ala Antana dromedariorum (59.16), also under the Dux Palaestinae
Ala Constantiana (59.17), also under the Dux Palaestinae
Ala secunda felix Valentiana (59.18), also under the Dux Palaestinae
Ala prima miliaria (59.19), also under the Dux Palaestinae
Ala Idiota (59.20), also under the Dux Palaestinae
Ala nona miliaria (61.13), under the Dux Arabiae
Ala sexta Hispanorum (61.14), also under the Dux Arabiae
Ala secunda Constantiana (61.15), also under the Dux Arabiae
Ala secunda miliarensis (61.16), also under the Dux Arabiae
Ala prima Valentiana (61.17), also under the Dux Arabiae
Ala secunda felix Valentiniana (61.18), also under the Dux Arabiae
Ala prima Damascena (63.17), under the Dux Foenicis
Ala nova Diocletiana (63.18), also under the Dux Foenicis
Ala prima Francorum (63.19), also under the Dux Foenicis
Ala prima Alamannorum (63.20), also under the Dux Foenicis
Ala prima Saxonum (63.21), also under the Dux Foenicis
Ala prima Foenicum (63.22), also under the Dux Foenicis
Ala secunda salutis (63.23), also under the Dux Foenicis
Ala prima nova Herculia (65.16), under the Dux Syriae et Eufratensis Syriae
Ala prima Iuthungorum salutaria (65.17), also under the Dux Syriae et Eufratensis Syriae
Ala septima Valeria praelectorum (67.13), under the Dux Osrhoenae
Ala prima Victoria Iovia (67.14), also under the Dux Osrhoenae
Ala secunda Paflagonum (67.15), also under the Dux Osrhoenae
Ala prima Parthorum (67.16), also under the Dux Osrhoenae
Ala prima nova Diocletiana (67.17), also under the Dux Osrhoenae
Ala prima salutaria (67.20), also under the Dux Osrhoenae
Ala secunda nova Aegyptiorum (69.13), under the Dux Mesopotamiae
Ala octava Flavia Francorum (69.14), also under the Dux Mesopotamiae
Ala quintadecima Flavia Corduenorum (69.15), also under the Dux Mesopotamiae
Ala Rizena (71.8), under the Dux Armeniae
Ala Dale Ariza (?) (71.9), also under the Dux Armeniae
Ala Theodosiana (71.10), also under the Dux Armeniae
Ala felix Theodosiana (71.11), also under the Dux Armeniae
Ala prima Augusta Colonorum (71.13), also under the Dux Armeniae
Ala Auriana (71.14), also under the Dux Armeniae
Ala prima Ulpia Dacorum (71.15), also under the Dux Armeniae
Ala secunda Gallorum (71.16), also under the Dux Armeniae
Ala (unnamed) (71.17), also under the Dux Armeniae
Ala prima praetoria (71.18), also under the Dux Armeniae
Ala prima Iovia felix (71.23), also under the Dux Armeniae
Ala prima felix Theodosiana (71.24), also under the Dux Armeniae
Ala Herculea (130.3), under the Comes Tingitaniae
Ala Sirmensis (141.34), under the Dux Provinciae Pannoniae secundae ripariensis et Saviae
Ala prima Flavia Raetorum (147.11), under the Dux Raetiae primae et secundae
Ala secunda Valeria singularis (147.14), also under the Dux Raetiae primae et secundae
Ala secunda Valeria Sequanorum (147.21), also under the Dux Raetiae primae et secundae
Ala prima Asturum (154.19), under the Dux Britanniarum
Ala Sabiniana (154.21), also under the Dux Britanniarum
Ala secunda Asturum (154.22), also under the Dux Britanniarum
Ala Petriana (154.29), also under the Dux Britanniarum
Ala prima Herculea (154.38), also under the Dux Britanniarum

This makes 84 units or detachments of units, of which only ten are in the western half of the empire, while 74 are in the eastern half of the empire (Egypt or Asia; none in Europe). Of these, the Ala prima Abasgorum (56/7.20) and the Ala prima Abasgorum (56/7.34) would appear to be one and the same unit. Whether the Ala prima Francorum (56/7.30) is the same unit as the Ala prima Francorum (63.19) is less clear. As these are all limitanei units, none of their shield patterns are illustrated.

The word ala (plural alae) means "wing", and was the usual word for a large unit of mounted troops under the Principate, since cavalry deployed on the wings of an army. By the time of the Notitia, cavalry squadrons were usually called cunei, vexillationes or numeri; these last two could also be used of infantry formations. Nonetheless, not a few of the alae listed in the Notitia are said to be "nuper constituta". This is frequently interpreted as being "newly raised", but is probably better interpreted as being "newly stationed".

Of the 84 alae listings, (approximately) 65 include an ordinal number, 48 an ethnographic name of some kind (of which 20 would appear to be purely geographic), 17 have a Tetrarchic name (e.g. Herculea), 5 have a Theodosian dynastic name, 4 are miliaria, and 4 are classified as dromodarii. These alae comprise approximately 23% of all the mounted units listed in the Notitia, and make up the single largest distinguishable kind of mounted unit (they are, however, exceeded by the undifferentiated limitanei mounted units that are simply called equites, and which together total approximately 36% of the mounted units.

1. Maier, Ingo; "Appendix 4: Numeration of the new edition of the compilation 'notitia dignitatum' (Cnd)"; last accessed 26 October 2015. See also for here for numbering examples. Return
2. E.g. by Speidel, M.A.; "The Development of the Roman Forces in Northeastern Anatolia. New evidence for the history of the exercitus Cappadocicus", in Heer und Herrschaft im Römischen Reich der Hohen Kaiserzeit, Stuttgart, 2009, pp 595-631; available here (last accessed 16 December 2015). Return

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