Praetorian Guard

[Ric]

Hello, I am researching a new novel in which the Praetorian Guard features strongly. I am looking for research material: books, websites, etc. I would be very grateful for any suggestions.

Regards,

Richard Hofing

[Robin Palizzolo]

Off the top of my head, I have been studying only late, proto-medieval Roman and Roman military historiography lately; and after obtaining and reading a certain book, I do know Frank's Scholae Palatinae: The Palace Guards of the Later Roman Empire is a wonderful gem of a book for understanding late-Roman aristocratic and military hierarchy...and the intersections between such subjects, and later chivalry and knighthood...

The Palatini body-guard was Constantine the Catholic Emperor's solution after dissolving the old and mistrusted Praetorian Guard...

It's no accident the "Palatini" shock troop body-guard, and later "auxilia palatini" elite "special forces"-like units, share the same lingual root as "Paladin", the ideal Christian warrior -- the Paladin was the first "knight", the Carolingian paladin as "proto-knight" is the common reply, but the question is not simple! Romano-Sauromatian input cannot be minimized -- so many crisscrossing threads, it boggles the mind...

[Robert Vermaat]

It's no accident the "Palatini" shock troop body-guard, and later "auxilia palatini" elite "special forces"-like units, share the same lingual root as "Paladin", the ideal Christian warrior -- the Paladin was the first "knight", the Carolingian paladin as "proto-knight" is the common reply, but the question is not simple! Romano-Sauromatian input cannot be minimized -- so many crisscrossing threads, it boggles the mind...

Sorry but you are presuming a LOT of things.
First of all, you're wrong about the Palatini being the new bodyguard of Constantine, these were the Scholae. The Palatini were a much larger body of troops, including the Auxilia Palatini.

Secondly, 'Palatini' and 'paladin' share a common root, that of 'palatio'- the palace. And that refers just to their function: service to 'the palace, the ruler. The papaltini were (originally) the body of troopsNothing more, and nothing that has to do with knighthood.

Third, a 'paladin' is not a Christian ideal warrior, he's the ally of the king, which is a (Carolingian) proto-feudal system, and has no religious meaning. No connections between the two that have to do with later Medieval knighthood.

Fourth - Romano-Sauromatian input? What DO you mean by that? Sarmatians have no bearing on either the Late Roman palatini nor the Medieval paladin. Whatsoever.

[Alexandr K]

I am researching a new novel in which the Praetorian Guard features strongly. I am looking for research material: books, websites, etc.

Hello,

Use the search engine of RAT. You will find interesting discussions and information about the Praetorian Guard. Some references you may find useful:

Rankov, B.: The Praetorian Guard, London, 1994.

Bingham, S.J.: The Praetorian Guard in the Political and Social Life of Julio-Claudian Rome (PhD thesis), Ottawa, 1997. (available for free here)

Durry, M.: Les cohortes prétoriennes, Paris, 1938.

Jallet-Huant, M.: La garde prétorienne dans la Rome antique, Charenton-le-Pont, 2004.

Passerini, A.: Le coorti pretorie, Roma, 1939.

Arguin A. R. M.: Pretorianos: La Guardia Imperial de la Antigua Roma, Madrid, 2006.

Stöver, H. D.: Die Prätorianer: Kaisermacher, Kasermörder, München, 1994.

Greetings,
Alexandr

[S. Marcer]

Hello Ric,
if you consider useful, I can add to the solid references above:

Rossi L. (1967) "La guardia pretoriana e germanica nella monetazione Giulio-Claudia",in Rivista Italiana di Numismatica, 15, pp. 15-38.

Kennedy, D.L. (1978) “Some observations on the Praetorian Guard”, in Ancient Society 9, pp. 275-301.

and, as Alexandr wrote, in RAT you can find quite material on this matter, I recently remember http://www.romanarmytalk.com/rat.html?fu...&id=310132

Best!
S.M.

[John W Davison]

Not strictly on the Praetorians, but on their mounted associates, the following might also be of interest:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Riding-Caesar-Ro...973&sr=1-1

And of no help at all for current use (as it's not out yet!), contributors to this thread may be interested to know of this forthcoming title:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/18451...ROKL5A1OLE

(I think the term "special forces" might not be entirely free of controversy.)

Regards,

[Nathan Ross]

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/18451...ROKL5A1OLE

(I think the term "special forces" might not be entirely free of controversy.)

And this, from the Amazon blurb: "ancient Rome's throroughbred protection and counter-insurgency squadron: the renowned Praetorian Guard" :roll:

I see the author has written on Septimius Severus, so maybe Bulla Felix counts as 'counter insurgency'? At least there's no mention of 'black ops'... We can perhaps hope that this is just the publishers getting over-excited with their marketing!

[Edit] - Bingham is presumably the author of the PhD thesis Alexandr mentioned above - so perhaps this might be a decent book after all...

[Alexandr K]

Hello,

Found another one:

Kerr, J. L.: The Role and Character of the Praetorian Guard and the Praetorian Prefecture until the Accession of Vespasian (PhD thesis), University of Glasgow, 1991. (can be downloaded here)

Kind regards,
Alexandr