Cohort (military unit)

The cohort (Latin: cohors " umfriedeter room " ) was a military unit, in particular a sub-unit of the Roman legion in the Roman Empire.

Roman Republic

Cohorts appear in the early period of the Roman Republic as a subdivision of the infantry units of the Roman allies. Only in the time of the Punic Wars, the Roman Legion troops were divided into cohorts on demand by three maniple were sometimes combined into one cohort. Through the reform of the army of Gaius Marius was the cohort for major tactical unit of the Roman legion troops. The legion was now divided into ten cohorts regularly to three maniple, each maniple consisted of two Centuries. The nominal strength of a legion was 4,000 ( 3,000-6,000 ), the cohort a tenth of that, or about 400 men, the maniple, one third of it. A Centuries, half a maniple, had previously only their eponymous 100, later 80 men. These were target or projected figures that have not been achieved in combat usually and are discussed in the literature still. The rank highest among the six centurions commanded the cohort. While the Legion was more of an administrative preamble, acted the individual troops as cohort in several meetings on the battlefield. Prerequisite for this cohort tactic was the transformation of the Roman army under Marius to professional army.

No military unit in the proper sense was the cohors amicorum, the Roman generals accompanied and consisted of persons who were connected with him personally.

Roman Empire

The legions of the imperial period corresponded in structure to the legions of the Late Republic since Marius. An exception was this the first cohort. This consisted of a Centurie double Manpower (about 162 men) and two manipuli. She was for the Signum ( Legion Field characters), borne by the Aquilifer responsible. The centurion of the first Centurie the first cohort was the most senior centurion of a legion ( primus pilus centurion ). The cohort did not own commander, but was normally done in battle by the most senior centurion, so the Triarier - centurion of the first Manipels. You could, for example, but in independent operations under the command of a staff officer, usually be a tribune found.

Also stationed in Rome to the imperial era military units, the Praetorian Guard ( cohortes praetoriae ), the Cohortes urbanae and Vigiles were divided into cohorts, each under the command of a tribune.

The auxiliary troops, who formed the second major part of the Roman army in the imperial period in addition to the legions were mainly divided into cohorts; only pure cavalry regiments were called Ala ( in addition, there were other units like the Numbers ). The command of a Auxiliarkohorte usually resulted in a prefect, in some cohorts, especially those that consisted of Roman citizens, a tribune. As the combat mission of entire legions had become uncommon in the 2nd and 3rd centuries, existing associations were of two or three cohorts of the rule.