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Roman Cohorts
Therefore the company of
soldiers belonging to it was called Maniple (Manipulus). The
divisions were called the velites,
hastati, principes and triarii.
*** 1200 Hastati (raw troops). The
soldiers of the first line, called Hastati, consisted of youths, who
were distributed into fifteen companies, or maniples. The Hastati
were so called because they were armed with the hasta, or spear.
Each company contained sixty
privates, two centurions, and a
standard-bearer. Two thirds were
heavily armed, and bore the long
shield; the remainder carried only a
spear and light javelins.
*** 1200 Principes (trained troops)
The second line, the Principes, was composed of experienced men,
divided also into fifteen companies, all heavily armed, and
distinguished by the splendor of their equipment. The Principes were
so called for being placed so near
to the front;
*** 600 Triarii (veterans) The
third body, the Triarii, was composed of tried veterans, in fifteen
companies, the least trustworthy of which were placed in the rear;
these formed three lines. The Triarii were armed with the pilum,
four and a half feet long, of wood,
with a barbed head of iron, so that
the whole length of the weapon was
six feet nine inches.
*** 1000 Velites (light troops, or
skirmishers). The Velites were light-armed troops, employed on
out-post duty, and mingled with the horsemen
Structural
Reorganisation of the Roman Cohorts by Gaius Marius
Structural reorganization
of the army and the Roman Cohorts was undertaken by Gaius
Marius. Gaius Marius (157 BC–January 13, 86 BC) was a Roman
general and politician elected consul. Marius made dramatic
reforms to the Roman armies. The cohorts were adapted from
the existing maniple system. The new cohorts eliminated the
light-armed velites and created three groups of two
centuries each with 80 men, for a total of six centuries (
480 men). The Roman legion was divided into ten cohorts
creating a force of 4,800 men. Eventually the century would
be raised to its literal number of 100 and a legion
consisted of of 6,000 men.
Roman Legion
Organisation of Roman
Cohorts within a Legion
The Roman Legion consisted
of 10 cohorts. The basic organisation of the cohorts within
an Imperial legion
were as follows: 1 contubernium = 8 soldiers: 1
contubernium (mess unit / tent group), probably led by a file leader
(this number eventually increased to 10 soldiers per unit) *** 1 centuria (century) = 10
contubernia: 1 centuria (century), commanded by the centurion *** 1 cohort = 6 centuriae: 1
cohort commanded by its senior centurion *** 1 legio (legion) = 10 cohortes:
1 legio (legion), commanded by the legatus (legate)
Following the
restructure by Marius the format was again changed so that
the century would be raised to its literal number of 100.
1 Legion = 10 Cohorts *** 1 Cohort = 6 centuriae *** 1 Manipulus = 2 Centuria *** 1 Centuria = 10 Contubernia *** 1 Contubernia = 10 Soldiers
Who was
Who in the Roman Cohorts?
The Roman Cohorts were
arranged in battle so that the experienced, inexperienced,
strongest and weakest soldiers would be mixed throughout the
battle formations maximizing moral and effectiveness. Each
of the 10 cohorts were numbered and consisted of specific
types of Roman soldiers. The organisation and numbering of
the Roman Cohorts were the same throughout the different
legions.
Cohort I: The elite troops
commanded by the Primus Pilus, the Legion Commander *** Cohort II: New and weakest
troops *** Cohort III: No special
designation for this unit *** Cohort IV: New and weakest
troops *** Cohort V: Again, no special
designation *** Cohort VI: Made up of "The
Finest of the Young Men" *** Cohort VII: Newest and weakest
troops including the Hastati (the raw troops) *** Cohort VIII: Contained "The
Selected Troops" *** Cohort IX: Newest and weakest
troops including the Hastati (the raw troops) *** Cohort X: Made up of the "Good
Troops"
Roman Army Ranks
Roman Cohorts
The picture below
illustrates an open field conflict. The order of battle
formation utilizing the organisation of the Roman Cohorts would typically be as follows:
Auxiliary Troops in the
Cohorts
Auxiliary troops (auxilia)
were composed of non-citizens, usually from the various
Roman provinces. Their purpose to supplement the legionary
infantry. Various terms describe different types of
auxiliary cohorts: Cohors alaria: allied or
auxiliary unit *** Cohors equitata: unit of
auxiliary infantry with attached mounted squadrons *** Cohors torquata: auxiliary
unit granted a torques (military decoration) *** Cohors classica: auxiliary
unit originally formed of sailors and marines
Roman Cohorts - The
Infantry
The main dependence of the Roman Cohorts was on the infantry,
who wore heavy armor and protective helmets and
carried a shield, a light spear
called a pilum or javelin and a short cut-and-thrust sword
with a double edge. An infantry unit was called a Cohors
peditata.
Roman Cohorts - The
Cavalry
The cohortes equitates were
the mixed cohorts of cavalry and infantry used in the first,
second and third centuries AD. The cavalry attached to
each legion consisted of three hundred men, who originally
were selected from the leading men in the State. They were
mounted at the expense of the State, and formed a distinct
order. The cavalry was divided into ten squadrons. The Cataphractarii were heavily armed
and armoured cavalrymen deployed in the 2nd Century AD.
Roman Cohorts - Artillery
To each legion was attached
ten military engines of the largest size and fifty-five of
the smaller. All of these large weapons discharged stones
and darts with great effect. The artillery were used both
for hurling missiles in battle, and for the attack on
fortresses. According to Publius Flavius Vegetius
Renatus who was a writer of the Later Roman Empire and the
author of De Re Militari (Latin "Concerning Military
Matters") each century had a ballista, operated by a Ballistarius,
and each cohort had an onager manned by libritors
(artillerymen) and mounted on wagons drawn by oxen or mules.
Roman Siege Weapons
Roman Cohorts
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