I O M
ALA
AVG OB VI͡RTVTÍ¡EM
[...]PÍ¡PEÍ¡LLATA CV[...] PÍ¡RAE
[...]ST P AÍ¡EL PVB F SEÍ¡R
GIA MAGNVS D
MVÍ¡RSA EX PÍ¡AÍ¡NNON
IÍ¡NÍ¡FEÍ¡RÍ¡I

Mursa (now Osijek in Croatia): a colonia in Pannonia Inferior. Addenda from RIB+add. (1995): The prefect’s origo is emphasised, the Hadrianic colonia at Mursa which was enrolled in Hadrian’s own tribe Sergia; he might be the grandson of a colonist, an enfranchised auxiliary veteran: see Pinterović, D. and Bulat, M. 1971, 121-31 (with English summary).

• Translation
• Latin
• Commentary
• Image

To Jupiter Best and Greatest, of Doliche, for the welfare of our Emperor Lucius Septimius Severus Augustus the troopers of the Cavalry Regiment Augusta, under the charge of their prefect Egnatius Verecundus, set this up.

I O M [...]
PRO SALVT[...]
IMP L SEPT[...]M[...]
SEVERI AVG N
EQVITES ALAE
AVG CVRAN[...]E
EGNATIO VERE
CVNDO PRA
EF POSVERVNT

• A.D. 197, after the death of Clodius Albinus (19 February) but before the elevation of Caracalla to Augustus (28 January 198).
• Now in Tullie House Museum.

• Translation
• Latin
• Commentary
• Image

To Jupiter, Best and Greatest, for the welfare of the Emperor Marcus Antonius Gordianus Pius Felix Invictus Augustus and for his wife Sabinia Furia Tranquillina and for their whole Divine House, the Cavalry Regiment, styled Augusta for valour, Gordiana, set this up, when commanded by Aemilius Crispinus, prefect of cavalry, born in the province of Africa from Tusdrus under the charge of Nonius Philippus, emperor’s propraetorian legate, in the consulship of Atticus and Praetextatus.

I O M
PRO SALV[...] IMPERATORIS
M ANTONI GORDIANI P [...]
INVICTI AVG ET SAB[...]IAE FVR
IAE TRANQVILAE CONIVGI EIVS TO
TAQVE DOMV DIVIN EORVM A
LA AVG GORDIA OB VIRTVTEM
APPELLATA POSVIT CVI PRAEST
AEMILIVS CRISPINVS PREF
EQ NATVS IN PRO AFRICA DE
TVSDRO SVB CVR NONII PH
ILIPPI LEG AVG PRO PRE[...]
[...]TICO ET PRAETEXTATO
COS

• The consulship of Atticus and Praetextatus was in A.D. 242.
• Thysdrus in Africa was not the birthplace of Gordian III, but the city where Gordian I was proclaimed in A.D. 238 by a conspiracy of local landowners.
• Now in the Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, Cambridge

• Translation
• Latin
• Commentary
• Image

To … Titus Aurelius Ateco, curator of the (Cavalry Regiment) Augusta made this willingly when he fulfilled his vow.

T B A T A
VR ATE
CO C AV
G VOT
S L A FE

• Now in Tullie House Museum.

• Translation
• Latin
• Commentary
• Image

To the spirits of the departed Maelonius Secundus, trooper of the Cavalry Regiment Augusta, sesquiplicarius.

D M
MAE[...]
NIVS SEC
VNDVS
EQVI[...]
ALE AVG
SESQ

• A sesquiplicarius was soldier receiving one and a half times the basic rate of pay, in particular the third-in-command of a turma.
• Now in Tullie House Museum.

• Translation
• Latin
• Commentary
• Image

… for the welfare of our Lord the Emperor Marcus Aurelius Antoninus Pius Felix Augustus, under his legate Gaius Julius Marcus, under the charge of …, the prefect, the Cavalry Regiment Augusta … set this up in the fourth consulship of Antoninus and the second of Balbinus.

[...]
[...]MINI NOS[...  ]
[...]NI PII FELICIS [...]
[...   ...]RCO LEG EIVS CVR
[6] PRAF ALA AVG
[6 ...]T IMP ANTONI
[...  ...  ...] BALBINO II C[...]SS

For a group of loyal dedications from the same year see RIB 1202 (Whitley Castle).

Members of the Ala Ala Augusta ob virtutem appellata in Britannia

The following members of the Ala are known:

Commanders of the Ala Ala Augusta ob virtutem appellata in Britannia

• [?], a prefect  (from an inscription found at Old Carlisle (Maglona) see RIB 905 above)
• Aemilius Crispinus, a prefect.
  A dedicatory inscription  found at Castle Maglona and dated 242 shows that Crispinus was prefect of the Ala Augusta Gordiana ob virtutem appellata , stationed in the province of Britannia. He was from Thysdrus in the province of Africa. (See RIB 897 above)
• Egnatius Verecundus, a prefect
  Egnatius Verecundus (his praenomen is not known) was a member of the Roman equestrian order ( Eques ) living in the 2nd century AD .A dedicatory inscription  found at Castle Maglona and dated 197 shows that Verecundus was prefect of the Ala Augusta stationed in the province of Britannia . (See RIB 895 above)[]
• [Pom]peius Va[]: he is named as commander on the diploma of 125.
• [Pro]pinquos: he is named as commander on the diploma of 126.
• Publius Aelius Magnus, a prefect
  Publius Aelius Magnus (full form of name Publius Aelius Publi filius Sergia Magnus ) was a member of the Roman knighthood ( Eques ) living in the 2nd century AD .
  A dedicatory inscription found at Castle Maglona and dated 1911 attests that Magnus was prefect of the Ala Augusta ob virtutem appellata , stationed in the province of Britannia . Magnus came from Mursa in the province of Pannonia inferior and was enrolled in the tribe Sergia. (See RIB 894 above)
• Publius Sextanius, a prefect
  Publius Sextanius (his cognomen is unknown) was a member of the Roman equestrian order ( Eques ) living in the 2nd century AD . A dedicatory inscription  found at Castle Luguvalium , dated to 180/192, shows that Sextanius was prefect of the Ala Augusta ob virtutem appellata , stationed in the province of Britannia. (See RIB 946 above)
• Rufinus, a prefect (See RIB 890 above)
• Septimenus Rusticus , a prefect
  Septimenus Rusticus (his praenomen is not known) was a member of the Roman equestrian order ( Eques ) living in the 2nd century AD. An inscription found at Castle Maglona and dated to 185 shows that Rusticus was prefect. According to John E.H. Spaul , he was prefect of the Ala I Augusta Gallorum Proculeiana , stationed in the province of Britannia.  (See RIB 903 above)
• Tiberius Claudius Justinus , a prefect
  Tiberius Claudius Justinus (full name form Tiberius Claudius Tiberi filius INGM Justinus ) [A 1] was a member of the Roman knighthood ( Eques ) living in the 2nd century AD. A dedicatory inscription  found at Castle Maglona and dated 188 shows that he was prefect of the Ala Augusta ob virtutem appellata stationed in the province of Britannia. (See RIB 893 above)

Other mambers of the Ala Ala Augusta ob virtutem appellata in Britannia

• [?], [14] a rider: the diploma of 125 was issued to him.
• Insus, a rider (See RIB 3185 above)
• L(ucius) Iul(ius) Apollinaris, a horseman (See RIB 606 above)
• L(ucius) Val(erius) S[], a decurio ( RIB-02-01, 02411,081 )
• Mae[lo]nius Secundus, a horseman and Sesquiplicarius (See RIB 907 above)
• T(itus) Aur(elius) Ateco, a curator (See RIB 902 above)
• Victor,  a decurio ( AE 2006, 750 )

Possible Commanders of the Ala Ala Augusta ob virtutem appellata in Britannia

• Gaius Geminius Priscus, a prefect ( CIL 5, 6478)
  Gaius Geminius Priscus was a member of the Roman equestrian order ( eques ) living in the 1st and 2nd centuries AD . Through an inscription from Laumellum, today’s Lomello , individual stations of his career are known, which he probably completed in the early 2nd century.  The order of the offices held by Gaius Geminius Priscus is not clear from the inscription with his cursus honorum. It is most likely that he was initially assigned as praefectus fabrum to a magistrate or proconsul in one of the senatorial provinces of the Roman Empire. He then began his military career as prefect of the Cohors I Breucorum , stationed in the province of Raetia . However, this command was only given to him pro forma ( libero commeatu ), since he was probably staying somewhere else. This could either have been meant as a special privilege for Priscus [3] or indicate an extraordinary leave of absence. Thereafter he became prefect of an Ala Augusta .  There were several units referred to in inscriptions as Ala Augusta . Geminius Priscus could therefore have commanded one of the following units: the Ala I Augusta Gallorum stationed in the province of Mauretania Tingitana , the Ala I Augusta Gallorum Proculeiana stationed in Britannia , or the Ala I Augusta Thracum stationed at the time of his command stationed either in Raetia or in Noricum. The last step in his career was then probably the command as tribune of the Cohors II Praetoria . However, this position is at the very end of the listing of the posts held in the inscription, although otherwise it appears to be a “descending” cursus honorum , i.e. the more important offices are named firstacts. In addition, the inscription stone has been lost and, at least according to the surviving signature, the word “tribune” was left out of the text. It has therefore also been assumed that his service in the Cohors II Praetoria was not at the end but at the very beginning of his career and that he worked there as a simple soldier. In that case , however, between this time and his appointment as praefectus fabrum he would first have had to be promoted to centurion and then to primus pilus.
• Lucius Egnatius Quartus, a prefect (Supplementum Epigraphicum Graecum 6 (1932), number 174. & Supplementum Epigraphicum Graecum 6 (1932), number 167.)
  Lucius Egnatius Quartus ( full name form Lucius Egnatius Luci filius Teretina Quartus ) was a member of the Roman equestrian order ( eques ) living in the 2nd century AD . Individual stages of his career, which he probably completed in the first half of the 2nd century, are known from two inscriptions in Greek . His military career consisted of the tres militiae usual for a member of the equestrian order . First, as prefect , he took charge of the Cohors II Claudia , which was stationed in the province of Cappadocia . In the same province he also assumed the post of praepositus of the Ala I Augusta Gemina Colonorum as an extraordinary command . He then became tribune of the Legio VIII Augusta , stationed at Argentoratum in the province of Germania superior . The conclusion of his career, as far as it is known from the inscriptions, was the command as prefect of an Ala Augusta . However, it is not entirely clear which units of this name were involved in this case. However, since the epithet “Augusta”, unlike the Ala I Augusta Gemina Colonorum in the same inscription, was not translated into Greek as “Σεβαστή”, but simply transcribed in Greek script as “Αὐγούστη” , it can be assumed that it is is a unit stationed in the west of the Roman Empire, so more commonly known by its Latin name. Egnatius Quartus should therefore either be the Ala I Augusta Gallorum Proculeiana, stationed in the province of Britannia , or the Ala I Augusta Thracum , stationed in either Raetia or Noricum at the time of his command.

Evidence for the presence of Ala Augusta ob virtutem appellata in Britain

1. Calunium (Lancaster, Lancashire; RIB 606?; late 1st C. AD)
2. Cilurnum (Chesters, Northumberland; Britannia x, 1979, p.346, no.7)
3. Luguvalium (Carlisle, Cumbria; RIB 946; altar to Hercules; Commodus?)
4. Maglona (Old Carlisle, Cumbria; RIB 894; Jupiter altar; AD191)
5. ?Maglona (Old Carlisle, Cumbria; RIB 897; Jupiter altar by Ala Augusta Gordia; AD242)