An ''ala'' (

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

for "wing"; ''alae'') was the term used during the middle of the

Roman Republic The Roman Republic ( ) was the era of Ancient Rome, classical Roman civilisation beginning with Overthrow of the Roman monarchy, the overthrow of the Roman Kingdom (traditionally dated to 509 BC) and ending in 27 BC with the establis ...

(338–88 BC) to denote a military formation composed of conscripts from the ''

socii The ''socii'' ( ) or ''foederati'' ( ) were confederates of ancient Rome, Rome and formed one of the three legal denominations in Roman Italy (''Italia'') along with the core Roman citizens (''Cives Romani'') and the extended ''Latin Rights, Lat ...

'', Rome's Italian military allies. A normal

consul Consul (abbrev. ''cos.''; Latin plural ''consules'') was the title of one of the two chief magistrates of the Roman Republic, and subsequently also an important title under the Roman Empire. The title was used in other European city-states thro ...

ar army during the period consisted of two legions, composed of only Roman citizens, and two allied ''alae''. The ''alae'' were somewhat larger than normal legions, 5,400 or 5,100 men against the legion's 4,500 men, and it contained a greater quantity of

cavalry Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from ''cheval'' meaning "horse") are groups of soldiers or warriors who Horses in warfare, fight mounted on horseback. Until the 20th century, cavalry were the most mob ...

, usually 900 horsemen against the 300 supplied by the Romans. From the time of the first Roman emperor,

Augustus Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian (), was the founder of the Roman Empire, who reigned as the first Roman emperor from 27 BC until his death in A ...

(ruled 27 BC – AD 14), the term ''ala'' was used in the professional imperial army to denote a much smaller (), purely cavalry unit of the non-citizen ''

auxilia The (; ) were introduced as non-citizen troops attached to the citizen Roman legion, legions by Augustus after his reorganisation of the Imperial Roman army from 27 BC. By the 2nd century, the contained the same number of infantry as the ...

'' corps: see

ala (Roman cavalry unit) The (; ) were introduced as non-citizen troops attached to the citizen legions by Augustus after his reorganisation of the Imperial Roman army from 27 BC. By the 2nd century, the contained the same number of infantry as the legions and, ...

History

When the Roman armies started being composed partly of Roman citizens and partly of ''

'' (allies from the rest of the Italian mainland), either Latini or Italici, it became the practice to marshal the Roman troops in the centre of the battle line and the ''socii'' upon the wings. Consular armies of the mid-Republic would consist of two legions of Roman citizens and two legions of "ala", with the ala supplying thirty turmae of cavalry per legion, whereas the Roman provided only ten turmae. Hence ''ala'' and ''alarii'' denoted the contingent furnished by the allies, both horse and foot, and the two divisions were distinguished as ''dextera ala'' (right wing) and ''sinistra ala'' (left wing). As late as

Polybius Polybius (; , ; ) was a Greek historian of the middle Hellenistic period. He is noted for his work , a universal history documenting the rise of Rome in the Mediterranean in the third and second centuries BC. It covered the period of 264–146 ...

' times, contingents of allies forming the alae were recruited by their own leaders in their homelands, which were expected to levy an equivalent number to the Roman troops; the specifications of those agreements were covered in the '' formula togatorum''. They were managed by six Roman officers called ''praefecti sociorum'', equivalent to the legion's six

military tribune A military tribune () was an officer of the Roman army who ranked below the legate and above the centurion. Young men of Equestrian rank often served as military tribunes as a stepping stone to the Senate. The should not be confused with the ...

s, who were chosen from the equestrian order by the consul at charge However, Rome would also trust on their allied commander themselves, with outstanding examples like the Frentani Oblacus Volsinius or the

Campanian The Campanian is the fifth of six ages of the Late Cretaceous epoch on the geologic timescale of the International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS). In chronostratigraphy, it is the fifth of six stages in the Upper Cretaceous Series. Campa ...

Decius Vibellius during the

Pyrrhic War The Pyrrhic War ( ; 280–275 BC) was largely fought between the Roman Republic and Pyrrhus, the king of Epirus, who had been asked by the people of the Greek city of Tarentum in southern Italy to help them in their war against the Romans. A ...

. ''Socii'' were expected to fight in the same manner and equipment as the Roman troops and provide their own basic rations, and were in turn would receive a percentage of any loot gained, although at a lower rate than their Roman equivalents.

References

Sources

* Ann Hyland: ''Equus: The Horse in the Roman World''. . * Adrian Goldsworthy: ''The Complete Roman Army''. . * William Smith, ed.: ''A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities'', John Murray, London, 1875. *

Citations

{{Authority control Roman auxiliaries Socii