Cohortes urbanae

The Cohortes urbanae (Latin: " urban cohorts " ) was a unit of the Roman army, which was stationed during the imperial period in Rome and several other cities and there fulfilled police functions.

Under Augustus three cohorts were first erected, whose numbering (X -XII ) to the joining of the Praetorian Guard. In contrast to this, the Guard unit Cohortes were not under urbanae the praetorian prefect, but the Praefectus urbi, the city prefect. They were, however, since Tiberius until the time of Aurelian, together with the Praetorians in their camp ( Castra Praetoria ) located on the outskirts of the city. The Cohortes urbanae stood by reputation forth between the Praetorians and the third stationed troops in Rome, the Vigiles.

The number of cohorts was increased until the end of the Julio -Claudian dynasty, nine of which in 68 three not in Rome but in other cities ( Ostia, Puteoli, Lugdunum ) were stationed. The cohort of Lugdunum was responsible for guarding an imperial mint, which had founded Augustus there in the first place. From the Flavian period, there were four cohorts in Rome and one each in Lugdunum and Carthage. Under Septimius Severus, the manning level of urbanae Cohortes was originally probably increased 500 to 1,500 men.