01-30-2013, 03:43 AM
Salvete omnes,
I'm usually just a lurker in fora, but I thought I'd jump in here.
The word cohors originally referred to a pen or enclosure of some sort, but was used figuratively to refer to those that were enclosed, and was commonly used to refer to a multitude of indeterminate number, so I would answer your question in the affirmative.
L&S lists "a troop of cavalry" as an alternate definition, giving Pliny the Younger as a source. I decided to look up the citation and found:
10.106
C. Plinius Trajano imperatori
Rogatus, domine, a P. Accio Aquila, centurione cohortis sextae equestris, ut mitterem tibi libellum per quem indulgentiam pro statu filiae suae implorat, durum putavi negare, cum scirem quantam soleres militum precibus patientiam humanitatemque praestare.
10.107
Trajanus Plinio
Libellum P. Accii Aquilae, centurionis sextae equestris, quem mihi misisti, legi; cujus precibus motus dedi filiae ejus civitatem Romanam. Libellum rescriptum, quem illi redderes, misi tibi.
Being still wet behind the ears, I hesitate to criticize the venerable L&S, but does this actually refer to a centurion in a mixed auxiliary cohors equitata, rather than a cavalry troop?
The fact that the centurion is asking for citizenship for his daughter made me initially think that it must be an auxiliary unit, but since soldiers were still forbidden from marrying at this point, his daughter would have been illegitimate, therefore lacking citizenship, unless I'm mistaken, so I guess that proves nothing.
The abbreviated praenomen suggests that the centurion was a citizen, although I'm not sure if that nomenclatural convention was still current in Trajan's time. I recall reading somewhere that citizens could enlist in auxiliary units, but I can't think of the source off hand. Can anyone confirm that?
As far as the main topic of this thread, I think Nathan Ross stated the case for there being no legionary cohort commander succinctly, and I have to agree.
I'm usually just a lurker in fora, but I thought I'd jump in here.
Quote:[quote]Could one conclude that the word "cohort" sometimes was a generic name for a group of soldiers (in this case cavalry), and not always the standard group of centuria?
The word cohors originally referred to a pen or enclosure of some sort, but was used figuratively to refer to those that were enclosed, and was commonly used to refer to a multitude of indeterminate number, so I would answer your question in the affirmative.
L&S lists "a troop of cavalry" as an alternate definition, giving Pliny the Younger as a source. I decided to look up the citation and found:
10.106
C. Plinius Trajano imperatori
Rogatus, domine, a P. Accio Aquila, centurione cohortis sextae equestris, ut mitterem tibi libellum per quem indulgentiam pro statu filiae suae implorat, durum putavi negare, cum scirem quantam soleres militum precibus patientiam humanitatemque praestare.
10.107
Trajanus Plinio
Libellum P. Accii Aquilae, centurionis sextae equestris, quem mihi misisti, legi; cujus precibus motus dedi filiae ejus civitatem Romanam. Libellum rescriptum, quem illi redderes, misi tibi.
Being still wet behind the ears, I hesitate to criticize the venerable L&S, but does this actually refer to a centurion in a mixed auxiliary cohors equitata, rather than a cavalry troop?
The fact that the centurion is asking for citizenship for his daughter made me initially think that it must be an auxiliary unit, but since soldiers were still forbidden from marrying at this point, his daughter would have been illegitimate, therefore lacking citizenship, unless I'm mistaken, so I guess that proves nothing.
The abbreviated praenomen suggests that the centurion was a citizen, although I'm not sure if that nomenclatural convention was still current in Trajan's time. I recall reading somewhere that citizens could enlist in auxiliary units, but I can't think of the source off hand. Can anyone confirm that?
As far as the main topic of this thread, I think Nathan Ross stated the case for there being no legionary cohort commander succinctly, and I have to agree.
Jason
Nil igitur mors est ad nos neque pertinet hilum,
quandoquidem natura animi mortalis habetur.
Nil igitur mors est ad nos neque pertinet hilum,
quandoquidem natura animi mortalis habetur.
