Roman baggage camels

[Vindex]

It appears I was wrong The cloven foot is very clear on these camels, so perhaps down to space and artistic interpretation by some one who had never seen a camel.

[D B Campbell]

Among the carts, mules and soldiers there is what appears to be a camel!

I am surprised that nobody has mentioned the camels in (Ps-)Hyginus yet (mentioned here: The reality of Hyginus' Roman army). :wink:

[Nathan Ross]

nobody has mentioned the camels in (Ps-)Hyginus yet

Obviously we were all waiting for you to mention them, Duncan! ;-)

Ps-H seems to suggest that the camels might be used by dromedarii - hmm. But otherwise the use of these animals as baggage beasts might be more support for a late (3rd-4th C) date for the composition, perhaps?

[D B Campbell]

Ps-H seems to suggest that the camels might be used by dromedarii - hmm.

It's striking that Hyginus does not use the word dromedarius, but rather refers to epibatae (a word also used of elephant handlers).

[Nathan Ross]

epibatae (a word also used of elephant handlers).

What does he say the epibatae are doing? (I don't have the full text). Could these men be specialist camel handlers, and Ps-H misinterprets them as a type of soldier?

[D B Campbell]

What does he say the epibatae are doing? (I don't have the full text).

De mun. castr. 29: ... Camelis cum suis epibatis singulis pedes V adsignabimus. Tendere debebunt, si in hostem exituri erunt, in praetentura iuxta classicos, si ad praedam portandam praesto erunt, intra quaestorium tendere debebunt.

"We will assign 5 feet [i.e. space in the camp] to each camel with its epibata. If the camels are to be used in action, they should camp in the praetentura [i.e. the front part of the camp] near the marines, but if they are there to carry the booty, they should camp in the quaestorium [i.e. the central area beside the praetorium]."

[Alexandr K]

Hello,

There was an auxiliary unit with the name ala I Ulpia dromedariorum milliaria, which served in Syria and Arabia and is believed to have been formed probably by Trajan. See Spaul, J.E.H., 1994. Ala 2: The Auxiliary Cavalry Units of the Pre-Diocletianic Imperial Roman Army, Andover, no. 34, p. 104-105.

So camels were used by the Roman army and in the east probably as early as under the Trajan's rule. But how much and in what role(s), that is a question.

Kind regards,
Alexandr

[Nathan Ross]

to each camel with its epibata.

Thanks. So it seems the epibata was a sort of mahout, a dedicated camel-handler who lived with the animal. Perhaps - if the 'used in action' bit implies a sort of 'cavalry' role - the dromedarius rode the camel, while the epibata looked after it, as a groom?

Or perhaps the baggage camels were used in battle to scare the enemy horses?

[ValentinianVictrix]

Duncan, what are your thoughts of the depictions of elephants in Roman baggage trains?

[D B Campbell]

Duncan, what are your thoughts of the depictions of elephants in Roman baggage trains?

I'm afraid Hyginus doesn't mention elephants! :wink: