The Praetorian Guard!

[Scipio Bristolus]

So what was the principle or amin method of recruiting into the Praetorians for the rank-and-file?

And would they have been regarded as 'elite' for any practical reason (beyond pay!) or disdained by the average legionary?

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the help!

You're information is spot on, and backs up my own thoughts.
I've asked about this since I'm writing and alternative fiction novel based during the years of Caligula, and Praetorians play an influential role. The ambiguity concerning the exact information only works in my favor as a writer. I can work around the unknowns and adapt them to work in my favor.

I believe I'll go with the 1,000 men fact, and that "praetorian cohort X-XII" is really the urban cohorts.

Stick around, I'm sure I'll have more questions.


... and here's another one. By the time the Castra Praetoria was built, was every single cohort stationed there, or were some of them still scattered throughout Italy? If so, how then did the whole, only three cohorts allowed in the city at any given time work?

[Praefectus Urbi]

Very excellent post, Alexandr and I agree with you for the most part. I think we only differ on the size of the Augustan cohorts. I must admit that I am one of those who suspect it was closer to 500 until Vitellius and the Flavians. Tacitus feels it is noteworthy to mention that the cohorts were increased to 1000 men by Vitellius and my interpretation has always been that this was a distinct change from whatever it was previously, which I presume to be 500 but it is rather hard to say (Tacitus, Histories 2.93). However, as I say, my interpretation is that Tacitus mentions the number because he found it unusual and the number for the Urban cohorts there differs quite radically with Cassius Dio's 1,500 men (which must certainly be a Severan innovation, I feel).

Odysseus: Good question, until the Praetorian camp was built on the Viminal under Tiberius, it would seem that there were just the three cohorts in the city. Once the camp was built, as Tacitus tells us, the cohorts were all concentrated there by Sejanus (Tacitus, Annals 4.1) [Vim praefecturae modicam antea intendit, dispersas per urbem cohortis una in castra conducendo, ut simul imperia acciperent numeroque et robore et visu inter se fiducia ipsis, in ceteros metus oreretur.]

In my own PhD thesis, I have suggested that the three cohorts in the city eventually became the Urban cohorts (Aulus Virgius Marsus' Cohors XI becoming Cohors XI Urbana) and, perhaps, justified Augustus bringing in three 'new' cohorts to replace them once the Urban cohorts were under the command of the Urban prefect to add more troops to the city's mix right before his death and Tiberius' accession to the throne. Though, to be fair, the evidence is extremely sparse for this and it remains unclear whether or not the Urban cohorts shared the Praetorian camp or not. To me, this would solve some questions of the whereabouts of the Urban cohorts in the Julio-Claudian period if they were not there (ie, they were still quartered throughout the city in private residences) (See Ng (2007), The Urban Cohorts, p. 89 for this bit).

I hope this helps people.

[D B Campbell]

In my own PhD thesis, I have suggested ... (See Ng (2007), The Urban Cohorts, p. 89 for this bit).

Completed? Success? Due for publication, Michael?

[Praefectus Urbi]

Hi Duncan,

The PhD thesis is completed and it was a success as of January 2008. Trying to get it published and I currently have a proposal being read, I think, but I should probably prod them to make sure.

[Anonymous]

Michael,

Thanks for the info, and I just want to clarify what I'm reading.

When all praetorian cohorts were recalled and stationed in the Castra Praetoria, would they just rotate which ones were on duty in the city, while the rest just hung out in the barracks? Since the building was, technically, outside the walls of the city (right?) they could get around that issue. Probably isn't much info on this, huh?

[Praefectus Urbi]

Hi Odysseus,

Not quite the walls of the city but the pomerium, the sacred precincts of the city. ( http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/G ... erium.html )

As for the guards, we generally think that the Praetorians rotated out a cohort or however many men for duty and the rest were in the camp. It would certainly explain how easy it was for them to be rounded up and kept away from the Senate's meeting when Sejanus was condemned or how so many of them were present when Claudius was presented to the Praetorians in their camp.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the help. This info is going to force me to change things, but thats fine. My goal is to get all my facts straight.

Any chance some of these cohorts might have been traveling around to the cities around Rome, even still? Perhaps on a specific courier mission, or just out on lengthy marches for training?

[Alexandr K]

Hi all,

Congratulations to your successful PhD, Michael! )

I think we only differ on the size of the Augustan cohorts. I must admit that I am one of those who suspect it was closer to 500 until Vitellius and the Flavians. Tacitus feels it is noteworthy to mention that the cohorts were increased to 1000 men by Vitellius and my interpretation has always been that this was a distinct change from whatever it was previously, which I presume to be 500 but it is rather hard to say (Tacitus, Histories 2.93). However, as I say, my interpretation is that Tacitus mentions the number because he found it unusual and the number for the Urban cohorts there differs quite radically with Cassius Dio's 1,500 men (which must certainly be a Severan innovation, I feel).

Yes, as I wrote before, it's very difficult to say and there's no definitive answer. There's even once source indicating 500 men in a Praetorian cohort I forgot to mention in my previous post. The De munitionibus castrorum mentions that Praetorian cohort should receive double space, because Praetorians use larger tents (De mun. castr. 6). If they were to receive double space because of their milliary strength, Pseudo-Hyginus would probably have written so, as he has done in the case of double first legionary cohorts. But again, there's the obvious problem with the uncertain date of this treatise (which very probably wasn't written before Domitian and Trajanic times seem as most probable to me). Moreover, I know it doesn't seem very probable, but couldn't the Praetorians have larger tents, because more men had to sleep under them?
It's that I simply prefer to think, that Cassius Dio knew what is he writing about (after all he lived much closer to Augustus' times and had sources at his disposal long lost for us) and we are misinterpreting him, than to think, that he must be wrong, because the information he gives isn't exactly what we would expect. And we mustn't forget that the numbers of Cassius Dio and Tacitus are corresponding in this case and as I wrote earlier, there's no strong reason to dismiss them. These are my thoughts on this matter and of course I may be wrong. With the current evidence we cannot be sure.

When all praetorian cohorts were recalled and stationed in the Castra Praetoria, would they just rotate which ones were on duty in the city, while the rest just hung out in the barracks?

Yes. As Michael already explained, there has always been one cohort guarding the imperial palace – the cohors togata (they have been wearing togas while inside the pomoerium). The rest probably mostly in the castra praetoria.

Any chance some of these cohorts might have been traveling around to the cities around Rome, even still? Perhaps on a specific courier mission, or just out on lengthy marches for training?

The Praetorians certainly could travel around Rome. Training marches are a good reason. The Praetorians could have been used to suppress civilian unrest near Rome (for example Tac. Ann. IV. 27; XIII. 48 ). We also know a Praetorian soldier who died when fighting fire in Ostia (CIL XIV, 4494). The Praetorians guarded also the members of imperial family, which could have been another reason for leaving the city. As couriers (and spies) served the speculatores.

Greetings
Alexandr

[Anonymous]

Fantastic.

Thanks for the info, both of you. Clearly its a topic that could use more information that we simply no longer have. Sad.

[Praefectus Urbi]

Hi all,

Congratulations to your successful PhD, Michael! )

It's that I simply prefer to think, that Cassius Dio knew what is he writing about (after all he lived much closer to Augustus' times and had sources at his disposal long lost for us) and we are misinterpreting him, than to think, that he must be wrong, because the information he gives isn't exactly what we would expect. And we mustn't forget that the numbers of Cassius Dio and Tacitus are corresponding in this case and as I wrote earlier, there's no strong reason to dismiss them. These are my thoughts on this matter and of course I may be wrong. With the current evidence we cannot be sure.

Yes. As Michael already explained, there has always been one cohort guarding the imperial palace – the cohors togata (they have been wearing togas while inside the pomoerium). The rest probably mostly in the castra praetoria.

The Praetorians certainly could travel around Rome. Training marches are a good reason. The Praetorians could have been used to suppress civilian unrest near Rome (for example Tac. Ann. IV. 27; XIII. 48 ). We also know a Praetorian soldier who died when fighting fire in Ostia (CIL XIV, 4494). The Praetorians guarded also the members of imperial family, which could have been another reason for leaving the city. As couriers (and spies) served the speculatores.

Greetings
Alexandr

Hi Alexandr, thank you and I will keep you all informed should my thesis become a published monograph (though it is probably available from the British Library and the University of London at the moment). You make good points but about Cassius Dio, surely I would imagine he'd be closer to Severus rather than Augustus as he was consul under Severus Alexander (even if he had to stay away from the angry Praetorians). Tacitus, under Domitian, was closer to Augustus' time period though I suspect both had the same general access to information but it is a difficult issue and our sources are, unfortunately, not clear. Of course, Dio's numbers are somewhat bizarre in his 1,500 man Urban cohorts which do not mesh with any known unit in the Roman army (though I tried to explain this in my thesis, it is a very unusual number to have picked) which, to my mind, casts doubts for the numbers for Praetoriani and Urbaniciani being right for the Augustan period. You are right and there is not enough evidence to be conclusive one way or the other even if I do continue to lean for the standard cohors quingenaria for the early Praetrians. Maybe one day we'll find the evidence one way or the other, eh?

Odysseus: I don't have a reference offhand but also, there were the Praetorians sent out as stationarii through the Empire (I remember an inscription in the British Museum that I saw while part of a Latin Epigraphy course). So, they would be out there for a variety of reasons, on Imperial business in addition to the evidence cited by Alexander. Though, of course, the Praetorians weren't the only soldiers who could be sent out as stationarii.

[Davidus77]

Did my undergraduate dissertation on the camp. Its north & east walls (and bits of the south) are still standing, thanks to their incorporation into the 3rd century city walls. Quite impressive. Access to the interior is a little tricky, unless as in my case you've pulled some strings (and the bits with the Italian army in are even less accessible).

The plan I got hold of suggests there were perhaps at least 20 barrack blocks (excavations have been very patchy, so a bit of guesswork is required). Some blocks had as many as 15 pairs of rooms, with a larger (officers?) suite at one end. Say 120 men per block at 8 men per pair of rooms x 20 blocks = 2400 men. But not all blocks were necessarily the same size and there are some indications that some were more than one storey.

In addition, there were cells round the inside of the walls, which I very roughly estimated could accommodate another 2500 or so.

But it has to be said that with much of the interior unexcavated (and likely to remain so) all guesses as to garrison size are just that.

[D B Campbell]

Odysseus: I don't have a reference offhand but also, there were the Praetorians sent out as stationarii through the Empire (I remember an inscription in the British Museum that I saw while part of a Latin Epigraphy course).

Maybe this one?
CIL 3, 7135 + CIL 3, 7136 = ILS 2051 + ILS 2052 (Ephesus)

Dis Manibus
T(ito) Valerio T(iti) f(ilio) Secundo militis (sic)
cohortis VII
praetoriae centuriae Severi

T(itus) Valerius T(iti) f(ilius) Secundus miles
cohortis VII praetoriae cen-
turiae Severi domo Liguriae
militavit annis VIII stati-
onarius Ephesi vixit
annos XXVI menses VI

[Gaius Julius Caesar]

Ahhhh another Byron! Greetings!

[Praefectus Urbi]

Maybe this one?
CIL 3, 7135 + CIL 3, 7136 = ILS 2051 + ILS 2052 (Ephesus)

Dis Manibus
T(ito) Valerio T(iti) f(ilio) Secundo militis (sic)
cohortis VII
praetoriae centuriae Severi

T(itus) Valerius T(iti) f(ilius) Secundus miles
cohortis VII praetoriae cen-
turiae Severi domo Liguriae
militavit annis VIII stati-
onarius Ephesi vixit
annos XXVI menses VI

Hi Duncan,

I think that one is it, I remember taking turns making a squeeze of that (alas, I was not able to keep a copy of the squeeze). Thanks for that.

Michael