CASTRA PEREGRINA
on the Caelian hill, the barracks of
the peregrini,
soldiers detached for special service in Rome from the
provincial armies.
They consisted principally of the frumentarii, who were
originally
employed on supply service, but also used as military
couriers (their
institution dates perhaps from Augustus), and in the
second and third
centuries as a sort of special police (Not. Reg. 11; Amm.
Marc. xvi. 12. 66).
Certain inscriptions relating to these barracks (
CIL vi. 230,
231 (=30721),
354) had long ago been found near S. Maria in Navicella,
and they
were located by Hulsen (DAP 2. ix.
(1907) 411) and by
Lanciani (LR 339;
LF 36) further to the north; but the ruins of a part of the
castra and
several inscriptions connected with them were found in
1905 under the
Convent of the Little Company of Mary, just south-east of
S. Stefano
Rotondo (
CR 1905, 328-329;
BC 1904, 351;
1905, 108;
cf.
NS. 1907, 183;
1909, 37). For a full account, see Baillie Reynolds in
JRS
1923, 153-187.
It now becomes improbable that the inscription (
CIL vi.
29843）
ANTONINIANA, (q.v.) can be restored as
CASTRA
ANTONINIANA, and
referred to this building (cf. HJ 234-235).
Within the castra was a shrine (templum) of Juppiter
Redux erected
in honour of Severus and Mammaea by a centurio
frumentarius (
CIL
vi. 428).
