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+--- Thread: Cohort commander? (/showthread.php?tid=21847)
RE: Cohort commander? - Julian de Vries - 10-17-2017
A Tribune as Cohort commander?!
Plinius minor, Epistolae, 3, 9, 18; 30 (auctor c.61–c.113AD)
Post paucos dies Claudium Fuscum, Classici generum, et Stilonium Priscum, qui tribunus cohortis sub Classico fuerat, accusavimus dispari eventu: Prisco in biennium Italia interdictum, absolutus est Fuscus.
RE: Cohort commander? - Nathan Ross - 10-17-2017
(10-17-2017, 12:57 PM)Julian de Vries Wrote: A Tribune as Cohort commander?
The reference is to a tribune of an auxiliary cohort, serving under Caecilius Classicus while he was governor of Baetica. Most auxiliary tribunes commanded cohors milliaria, but a few led other cohorts. From Baetica itself there's an inscription (CIL 2,2224) to a tribuno militum cohortis maritimae.
RE: Cohort commander? - Julian de Vries - 10-23-2017
publication: SupIt-04-T, 00031 = CBI 00867 = AE 1951, 00194 EDCS-ID: EDCS-10701176
province: Samnium / Regio IV place: Ciciliano / Trebula Suffenas
D(is) M(anibus) s(acrum) / Mommius Cattianus / mil(es) leg(ionis) XX V(aleriae) V(ictricis) / benefic(iarius) leg(ati) / cornicularius leg(ati) / optio coh(ortis) I / h(ic) s(itus) e(st)
Does an optio of cohortis I as second in command, not imply a commander of a cohort as first in command?
(See for more information: M. Speidel ; Legionary cohorts in Mauretania The role of legionary cohorts in the structure of expeditionary armies ; ANRW II, 10,2 (1982) 850-860 ; in Roman Army Studies volume one by M.Speidel ; Amsterdam 1984)
RE: Cohort commander? - Nathan Ross - 10-23-2017
(10-23-2017, 12:58 PM)Julian de Vries Wrote: Does an optio of cohortis I as second in command, not imply a commander of a cohort as first in command?
It's an odd one, certainly. This paper suggests some solutions (p.251):
Legio XX Valeria Victrix
Cattianus could either have been an optio of the first cohort - and therefore set apart from the other legion optiones and exercising a special function in the tabularium principis - or (Speidel's suggestion) he could have been serving with a mobile vexillation. I would tend to think the first suggestion more plausible, although as this seems to be the only mention of an optio cohortis it's impossible to do more than guess!
Meanwhile, I found this interesting phd thesis, with some points (pp 150-151) about cohort command, or the lack of it:
Centurions - Graeme A Ward