10-23-2017, 03:18 PM
(10-23-2017, 12:58 PM)Julian de Vries Wrote: Does an optio of cohortis I as second in command, not imply a commander of a cohort as first in command?
It's an odd one, certainly. This paper suggests some solutions (p.251):
Legio XX Valeria Victrix
Cattianus could either have been an optio of the first cohort - and therefore set apart from the other legion optiones and exercising a special function in the tabularium principis - or (Speidel's suggestion) he could have been serving with a mobile vexillation. I would tend to think the first suggestion more plausible, although as this seems to be the only mention of an optio cohortis it's impossible to do more than guess!
Meanwhile, I found this interesting phd thesis, with some points (pp 150-151) about cohort command, or the lack of it:
Centurions - Graeme A Ward
Nathan Ross