09-02-2010, 02:47 PM
It depends what sort of tribune he was. Each legion had five equestrian (angusticlavii) tribunes and one 'senatorial' (laticlavius) tribune. The laticlavius was usually a young man in his late teens intending to run for a career in the senate. Either he was the son of a senator, or had otherwise been granted the latus clavus by the emperor, and would already have served in one of the junior magistracies in Rome (the vigintivirate). The tribunate would be held between leaving the vigintivirate at about 18 and running for Quaestor at around 24. The oldest known senatorial tribune (according to DB Campbell) was aged 21.
The angusticlavii were quite different. As career soldiers of the equestrian order, they would already have served a term as praefect of an auxiliary cohort before joining the legion (these being the first two positions in the tres militiae). Each of these terms probably lasted 2-3 years. There doesn't seem to have been a set age for an equestrian to take up his first position as cohort praefect - like most military posts, they were awarded at the behest of the emperor and usually secured by patronage - but as most appointees seem to have already served as (for example) decemvir of a provincial city (minimum age 25) or flamen of one of imperial cults, it is probable that most were in their late twenties or early thirties before they commenced their military careers. 2-3 years, at least, after commissioning as a cohort praefect, the equestrian officer could pass on the legion tribunate. Eric Birley, however, believed the average age of a cohort praefect at first commission to be 38, and the average age of a military tribune as 42: he was basing this on evidence from inscriptions, which recorded the age at death.
We do know, however, that equestrians could be directly commissioned as centurions as young as 18. Since a centurion ex ordo eques and a cohort praefect appear to have been approximately equal in rank and status, it's possible that some cohort praefects were appointed that early as well. 2-3 years of auxiliary command could deliver the younger appointee as legion tribune at the age of only 20-21, although this would perhaps be rather rare.
Laticlavius tribunes would therefore be aged 18-21, but angusticlavii tribunes could perhaps be anything between 20 and 50.
A more in-depth thread about military tribunes, with expansions of the above info, is here: Military Tribunes and their Significance
- Nathan
The angusticlavii were quite different. As career soldiers of the equestrian order, they would already have served a term as praefect of an auxiliary cohort before joining the legion (these being the first two positions in the tres militiae). Each of these terms probably lasted 2-3 years. There doesn't seem to have been a set age for an equestrian to take up his first position as cohort praefect - like most military posts, they were awarded at the behest of the emperor and usually secured by patronage - but as most appointees seem to have already served as (for example) decemvir of a provincial city (minimum age 25) or flamen of one of imperial cults, it is probable that most were in their late twenties or early thirties before they commenced their military careers. 2-3 years, at least, after commissioning as a cohort praefect, the equestrian officer could pass on the legion tribunate. Eric Birley, however, believed the average age of a cohort praefect at first commission to be 38, and the average age of a military tribune as 42: he was basing this on evidence from inscriptions, which recorded the age at death.
We do know, however, that equestrians could be directly commissioned as centurions as young as 18. Since a centurion ex ordo eques and a cohort praefect appear to have been approximately equal in rank and status, it's possible that some cohort praefects were appointed that early as well. 2-3 years of auxiliary command could deliver the younger appointee as legion tribune at the age of only 20-21, although this would perhaps be rather rare.
Laticlavius tribunes would therefore be aged 18-21, but angusticlavii tribunes could perhaps be anything between 20 and 50.
A more in-depth thread about military tribunes, with expansions of the above info, is here: Military Tribunes and their Significance
- Nathan
Nathan Ross
