Misplaced Pages

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Dromedarii" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (February 2013) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

Part of a series on the
Military of ancient Rome 753 BC – AD 476
Structural history Army Unit types and ranks Decorations and punishments Legions Auxilia Generals Navy Fleets Admirals
Campaign history Wars and battles
Technological history Military engineering Castra Siege engines Triumphal arches Roads
Political history
Strategy and tactics Infantry tactics
Frontiers and fortifications Limes Walls Limes Britannicus Antonine Wall Hadrian's Wall Saxon Shore Limes Germanicus Alb Limes Lauter Valley Limes Lower Germanic Limes Main Limes Neckar-Odenwald Limes Upper Germanic-Rhaetian Limes Wetterau Limes Danube–Iller–Rhine Limes Norican Limes Claustra Alpium Iuliarum Pannonian Limes Limes Alutanus Limes Moesiae Trajan's Wall Anastasian Wall Limes Sarmatiae Limes Arabicus Limes Tripolitanus Limes Mauretaniae
Ancient Rome portal
v t e

Dromedarii were camel-riding auxiliary forces recruited in the desert provinces of the late Roman Empire in Roman Syria.

They were developed to replace horses where these were uncommon. They were also helpful against enemy horses as they fear camels' scents. Camels were seen as exotic and useful creatures, known for their ability to move over desert terrain. It is noted that dromedaries were used less often than bactrians, though the title "Dromedarii" may imply that dromedaries were used more often. However, the Romans could not distinguish between bactrians and dromedaries, thus using both as a means of transportation. This is very similar to the camel cavalry used often by the Ottoman Empire. It is noted that camel cavalry was more commonplace due to the desert terrain during the early Muslim conquests.

A 1000-strong dromedarius unit, the ala I Ulpia Dromedariorum milliaria, was established by Trajan in Syria. A small number of dromedarii is recorded as part of the Cohors XX Palmyrenorum based in Dura-Europos in Roman Syria.

Notes

1. "Bactrian & Dromedary Camels". Factsheets. San Diego Zoo Global Library. March 2009. Archived from the original on 2012-09-22. Retrieved 2012-12-04.
2. Edwell, Peter (2007). Between Rome and Persia: The Middle Euphrates, Mesopotamia and Palmyra Under Roman Control. Routledge. p. 137. ISBN 9781134095735.

References

• Dixon, Karen Ramsey; Southern, Pat (1997). The Roman Cavalry: From the First to the Third Century AD. London: Routledge.
• Southern, Pat (2007). The Roman Army: A Social and Institutional History. Oxford University Press. p. 123. ISBN 9780195328783.

This article about the military history of ancient Rome is a stub. You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it.

• v
• t
• e

• Late Roman military units
• Types of cavalry unit in the army of ancient Rome
• Camel cavalry
• Ancient Roman military stubs