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+--- Thread: Cohors speculatores? (/showthread.php?tid=14407)
Cohors speculatores? - Pict - 01-14-2009
Somewhere in my readings today I came across a reference to cohors speculatores as a special cohort of scouts attached to Marc Antony. I couldn't find anything on the Internet and I was wondering if anyone had further info.
I was specifically wondering a) were they just a unit solely raised and used by MA? b) when and where would they have been formed (Gallic wars?)c) which legion would they have been attached to? d) did they go with MA into his Egyptian "posting" and if so did they serve on after him or were they disbanded?
As always, any info is greatly appreciated.
Cheers,
Pict
Re: Cohors speculatores? - jho - 01-14-2009
COHORS SPECULATORIUM
I believe the only ancient reference is on coins, follow the link and scroll down a little.
With respect to modern works, I believe I remember that Keppie wrote something about them and believe that it is in his MAVORS volume.
Re: Cohors speculatores? - hansvl - 01-14-2009
Hi Andrew,
Republican armies had speculatores (cfr Livy IX, 23; XXII, 33; XXX, 29; XXXI, 24; XL, 7 or Caesar bello gal II, 2 and V, 49 and bell Hisp 13, 3) functioning as scouts or spies.
Marc Anthony had a cohors speculatorum, but so did Octavian (Suetonius Aug 74,3).
During the principate you had several sorts of speculatores: provincial govenors had speculatores as bodyguards; each legion had 10 speculatores (eg CIL II, 4122 or CIL III, 4452); but the main body of speculatores were those attached to the cohortes praetoriae. In the first century AD they may have formed a seperate numerus of about 300 men, but later on they were incorporated in the cohortes praetoriae. They appear on the laterculi of these cohorts in Rome (as the abbreviaton SP after the soldier's name indicates) and on seperate tombstones: eg CIL 06, 02607 = D 02018
C(aius) Fabius / C(ai) f(ilius) Ser(gia) / Crispus / Carthag(ine) / specul(ator) / coh(ortis) VI pr(aetoriae) / |(centuria) Flegeri / mil(itavit) an(nos) XIII(?) / vix(it) an(nos) XXII(?) / heres / ex volunt(ate) / p(osuit)
I hope this gives you some information.
Regards,
Hans
Re: Cohors speculatores? - brennivs - tony drake - 01-14-2009
There is a excellent book on this subject;
Exploratio, N.Austin-N.Rankov ISBN 0-415-18301-4
Punic wars up to Battle of Adrianople.
Great read but you need to know a bit Roman history as it jumps around with people, events ect. It gives you a good insight into Military Intelligence.
Regards Brennivs
