Who commanded a legionary or auxiliary cohort? - Printable Version +- RomanArmyTalk (https://www.romanarmytalk.com/rat) +-- Forum: Research Arena (https://www.romanarmytalk.com/rat/forumdisplay.php?fid=4) +--- Forum: Roman Military History & Archaeology (https://www.romanarmytalk.com/rat/forumdisplay.php?fid=8) +--- Thread: Who commanded a legionary or auxiliary cohort? (/showthread.php?tid=25243) |
Who commanded a legionary or auxiliary cohort? - LonginusXXI - 11-12-2015 Who commanded a legionary or auxiliary cohort? Was it the centurion in command of the first century, the pilus prior a.k.a. the centurio princeps as the author in the historical novel The Eagle of the Ninth says? Or was it a tribunus? RE: Who commanded a legionary or auxiliary cohort? - Gunthamund Hasding - 11-13-2015 ok auxilia and legions are different. legions we simply don't know, theories are the rank higher centurion in the cohors but could be an one of the tribunii militum as well. Some say it had no clear standing commander. Auxilia is clear. Augustus time was an praefectus, who could be either a native nobleman, who would probably be granted Roman citizenship for the purpose e.g. the famous German war leader Arminius gained Roman citizenship probably by serving as an auxiliary prefect or a Roman, either of knightly rank, or a senior centurion. The Tres militia were shaping during Claudius times and later we would have the following picture Roman auxiliary regiments: Type, structure and strength Ala quingenaria cavalry praefectus decurio 16 turmae 30 (32) 480 (512) Ala milliaria cavalry praefectus decurio 24 turmae 30 (32) 720 (768) Cohors quingenaria infantry praefectus* centurio 6 centuriae 80 480 Cohors milliaria infantry tribunus militum centurio 10 centuriae 80 800 Cohors equitata quingenaria infantry plus cavalry contingent praefectus centurio (inf) decurio (cav) 6 centuriae 4 turmae 80 30. 600 (480 inf/120 cav) Cohors equitata milliaria infantry plus cavalry contingent tribunus militum centurio (inf) decurio (cav) 10 centuriae 8 turmae 80 30 1,040 (800 inf/240 cav) RE: Who commanded a legionary or auxiliary cohort? - Nathan Ross - 11-13-2015 As Gelu says, auxiliary cohorts were commanded by equestrian officers - prefects for 500-man cohorts, tribunes for double strength (milliaria) or citizen cohorts. Legion cohorts appear to have had no overall commander. You might look through this long and very detailed thread for some opinions on that question: Cohort Commander? |