02-08-2007, 09:12 PM
Alexandr..I still think you are right in certain cases..I have found other references that do infer that some of the praetorians were left behind.
As such, I have developed a theory. Perhaps if everything were on the line for an emperor, like in in the case of Otho and Vitellius, where the victor will be emperor and the loser will be dead...perhaps it was best to take all of the praetorians with you. Why leave anyone behind? And, perhaps against a foreign enemy, you may not have needed to take all of the cohorts. Leave some behind to look after your interests in Rome. I plan on digging into this further...a weekend project perhaps!
Regarding leaving one Prefect at home. I am fairly confident this too varied from emperor to emperor and campaign to campaign. Again to use my Otho example (not to say that what he did, they all did). Again in Tacitus, Book II, there are passages where both of his prefects
lotius Firmus and Licinius Proculus are both in the field. I'll continue to explore this as well.
-Severus
As such, I have developed a theory. Perhaps if everything were on the line for an emperor, like in in the case of Otho and Vitellius, where the victor will be emperor and the loser will be dead...perhaps it was best to take all of the praetorians with you. Why leave anyone behind? And, perhaps against a foreign enemy, you may not have needed to take all of the cohorts. Leave some behind to look after your interests in Rome. I plan on digging into this further...a weekend project perhaps!
Regarding leaving one Prefect at home. I am fairly confident this too varied from emperor to emperor and campaign to campaign. Again to use my Otho example (not to say that what he did, they all did). Again in Tacitus, Book II, there are passages where both of his prefects
lotius Firmus and Licinius Proculus are both in the field. I'll continue to explore this as well.-Severus
