I a renaacting a frumentarius ...
Frumentarius thus called the soldiers responsible for ensuring the supply of wheat troops , especially those who made or escorting convoys ; in this sense, the word is synonymous with frumentator .
But the term took , in imperial times , a whole different value upon a change or rather the extension of reserved milites frumentarii functions. It means, therefore , by this epithet , a special corps of soldiers, stationed in Rome, and at the disposal of the emperor.
By the inscriptions which mention the frumentarii , we learn that they were from different legions , with the characteristic feature that they did not cease , becoming frumentarii to be part of the legion where they came from and ' wear the number in Rome , or even when they were sent on a mission in the provinces , with legions of military governors or civil governors .
The meaning of the word indicates that , originally , the frumentarii were responsible for feeding the troops ;they kept this function during all the Empire and were maybe the predecessors of primipilares the epoch after Diocletian , to oversee the perception of the Annona and to to ensure the transportation to stores of the army . ' In any case , it is certain that they were not stranger to serving food to legionnaries, since it has been preserved in an inscription , the memory of a frumentarius misses in "legionem II ltalicam ad frumentarias res curandas"
. But that was the least of the functions that were entrusted to them. All texts that we have , it seems that the result frumentarii were , above all, police officers , both in Rome and in Italy and in the provinces. We see , in fact, that the praetorian prefect use them to operate arrests and used by the Emperor to monitor those it considers dangerous.
Their names are encountered beside those vigiles in police stations in the capital (excubitoria ) ; we find them established in some special points along the Appian Way at Ostia, Pozzuoli ; in the provinces, they are used as detachment commanders , as managers in prisons or in quarries , where operating personnel demands the presence of an armed force , and even as agents of persecution against the Christians.
In addition to their functions food in the legions , they should have a role of police, similar to that which is reserved for the police in our army. Finally , they had been used as messengers , couriers to transport orders and correspondence . The establishment of this body as police troops , dates back to the second century, probably during the reign of the Emperor Hadrian, who , according to his biographer, per omnia explorabat frumentarios occulta .
We encounters among frumentarii many soldiers in the imperial gentile this time ( Ulpii ; Aelii ) . From Septimius Severus, the frumentarii were housed in Rome in a special barracks called castration or peregrinorum peregrina on Mount Coelius .
This name came to him precisely what the frumentarii from different provincial legions , we could look at them , in fact , as Peregrine , not because of their civil status, they were Roman citizens - but because of their extra -Italic origin .
It is at the head of this body, and under the supreme command of the praetorian prefect , commander in chief of the troops gathered in Rome, we found a a princeps peregrinorum, a subprinceps peregrinorum , an optio and centurions ( centuriones frumentarii or frumentariorum ) .
An inscription also mentions a exercitator frumentariorum , thereby assuming the exercitator being a ringmaster , the frumentarii were mounted ; can not understand , little , moreover, it otherwise for meesengers . The frumentarii were mostly drawn legions of Germany and the Danube, in general, as all the troops of Rome that the emperor entrusted the care of his safety.
exemple : CIL, VI, 3351 - Rome:
D(is) M(anibus)/ T(iti) Flaui Fruendi/fr(umentari) leg(ionis) VIII Aug(ustae)/ M(arcus) Sabionus/Cinna et L(ucius) Flavius Tertius/ et C(aius) Mellonius/ Suerus, fr(umentarii) leg(ionis) XXII/ P(rimigeniae , h(eredes) f(aciendum) c(urauerunt)
"For the gods Manes, T. Flavius Fruendus, frumentaire the legion VIII Augusta, M. Sabionius Cinna, L. and C. Flavius Tertius Mellonius Severus frumentaires XXII legion Primigenia, his heirs have taken care to make this monument "
T. Flavius Fruendus is probably dead on a mission to Rome, buried by his comrades frumentarii from another legion.
The frumentarii often un-appreciated by those around them, seem to have made some evidence of solidarity, speaking including the expression of belonging to a provincial army.
Thus our four companions above were from two Upper Germany legion and seem to have forged a sufficient connection to the defunt who chooses them as his "heirs".
If you are interest by roman intelligence services , you can read :
- exploratio (in english):
http://astore.amazon.fr/civilisantiqu-21...0415183014
- Intelligence and Espionage in ancient rome
in french) :
http://astore.amazon.fr/civilisantiqu-21...2251381023
