Marcus Antonius guard in 44 BC

[popularis]

Of course you are right that some ambiguity might have been present in Appian's sources, although if something really unique would have been chosen as a (temporary maybe) solution, I would expect Appian to have reported it.

And I would too. I think it more probable that Appian's source/s didn't use a specific military term. It was quite common, as you know, for Latin authors to use phrases such as 'was in placed in command of' or 'led', when we might prefer an actual title! I suspect Appian might not have known their precise rank either.

I side with those who think that 'lochagos' might be being used figuratively here, or at least was in Appian's source. That sounds like too many centurions to me. I'm not sure what the answer is, but I doubt the statement is correct at face value.

As I understand the "made them participators of his open plans/intentions" part, Appian is talking of the decision making process (of non secret plans) and not just the announcement of decisions.

To clarify, by 'public statements and private schemes' I was referring not to the role of the taxiarchoi but to Appian's portrayal of Antonius! I assume that they would have been in the consilium, of course. I just don't think the consilium is the focus here - the counsels/plans are figurative ones. The question of their rank indeed, remains. Tribunes of some sort is just a best guess.

For me, two things are being emphasised in this short sentence. First is the fact that Antonius promoted these men from the centurionate to some elevated rank and made them part of his cohors. This was promoting them above their station, and such pandering to the ranks was a sign of weakness in Antonius and of the upheavals the Roman state was undergoing. Nevertheless, by promoting them, flattering them, and treating them as officers and as part of his cohors, they were supposed to obey him.

Second, the 'plans that he made known' is Appian's way of suggesting that Antonius had another agenda which he kept private. We *all* know what this is, but Appian's just flagging it up again - this is the very start of Book 3, after all, so we might need a bit of a reminder.

Appian therefore sets up the moment when Antonius' hidden agenda became clear, and these men did not obey his orders. Antonius' weakness in raising men above their station is shown to be a folly. He can't control even those who owe their position to his generosity; by pandering to the army he has become subject to their whims. Octavian, initially, has his weak moments too, but he will assert his authority over the troops in the end.

All of which is a long way of saying that I wouldn't want to look too deeply into this passage for the structure of Antonius' guard in the late 40s. I think the passage too problematic - 6,000 centutions? - and too interested in foreshadowing Antonius' eventual failure to bear the weight of deep technical analysis. Of course, we may have to agree to disagree!