Cohort (military unit)
This page discusses the Roman military unit. See cohort for other meanings.A
cohort (from the Latin
cohors, plural
cohortes) is a fairly large military unit, generally consisting of one type of soldier.
Originally, the cohort was a sub-unit of a
Roman legion, consisting of 480 infantrymen. The cohort itself was divided into six
centuries of 80 men commanded each by a
centurion. Various terms described precise types of military cohorts:
* In the Imperial Roman auxiliary forces, there were individual cohorts with an establishment strength of 500 (
cohors quingenaria) or of 1000 (
cohors milliaria), as well as mixed infantry and cavalry units (
cohors equitata) that existed in parallel.
Various terms describe precise types of auxiliary cohorts:
Cohors alaria: allied or auxiliary unit.
Cohors classica: auxiliary unit originally formed of sailors and marines.
Cohors equitata (LA): unit of auxiliary infantry with attached mounted squadrons.
*
Cohors peditata (LA): infantry unit.
*
Cohors speculatorum (LA): guard unit of
Mark Antony composed of scouts.
Cohors torquata (LA): auxiliary unit granted a
torques (military decoration).
Cohors tumultuaria (from
tumultus, "chaos"):
irregular auxiliary unit.
Some paramilitary corps in Rome consisted of one or more cohorts, though neither were part of a legion:
*The nine
cohortes praetoria, never grouped to a legion, the famous and infamous
Praetorians. The term was first used to refer to the bodyguard of a General during the
Republic; later, a unit of Imperial guards (temporarily restyled
cohors palatina, "palace unit", circa
300 AD, under
Diocletian's
tetrarchy).
*
Cohors togata was a unit of the Praetorian guard in civilian dress tasked with duties within the
pomerium (sacred center of the Capital, where all armed forces were forbidden).
Cohortes urbanae, "urban cohort": military police unit patrolling in the capital.
Cohortes vigilum, "watchmen"; unit of the police force annex fire brigade in the capital.
Cohors Germanorum (LA): the unit of
Germani custodes corporis (imperial body guards recruited in
Germania).
Furthermore, the Latin word
cohors was used in a looser way to describe a rather large "company" of people (see, for instance,
cohors amicorum).
