Mock Exam Questions Flashcards
How does the way we view the guard today reflect the biases in our ancient literary sources?
Two main sources: Tacitus and Dio
Negative presentation that has to be cut through
Bias from ancient sources prevalent in modern scholarship and media
The guard acc. to Tacitus: the praetorians represent the worst aspect of the principate; e.g. Tacitus changes SPQR to include soldiers at Annals 1.7 (‘senate, soldiers and people’); at Annals 11.30 (‘people and senate and soldiers’); at Annals 14.11 (‘soldiers, senators and plebs’); at Histories 1.4 (‘senators or people or urban soldiers’)
How can epigraphy help to supplement the literary sources? Why so little evidence from coins and art/archaeology?
Very few inscriptions for the guard - spread very widely geographically
Military diplomas: documents confirming benefits and are given to some soldiers - not many - on retirement; earliest we have dates from 70 CE, but is incomplete (first complete diploma is from 76); most numerous in the early 3rd century
Very few coins - usually ones where the emperor is depicted addressing the guard (Aureus); Claudius (41-46 CE) has some after the guards helped him gain power
Castra Praetoria is currently an active military camp and therefore we cannot excavate - military camps are usually filled with burial blocks
Consider why Augustus introduced the guard and in what ways that unit resembles what we saw in the late Republic.
Instituting the praetorians moves Augustus away from the Republic, instituting a dictatorship (or military monarchy)
- Gets sanction from the senate for this bodyguard
- Why does he need this guard?
Moving away from the triumvirate, additional security for this new consolidation of power
- Security against conspiracies?
- Protect against families that have been sidelined by his rise to power
- Most threats come from within the court anyway
What were the urban cohorts?
Urban Cohorts were created as a kind of police force to maintain a level of peace throughout the city, and were made up largely of freedmen and civilians who were not quite good enough for the Guard itself.
Urban cohorts are the only group commanded by a senator - other two commanded by the equestrian
- Provided the illusion of authority, to have a senator in charge of three cohorts within the city
- Increasing over time, by Severus’ reign, the urban cohorts are sizeable
- Structure is the same as the guard
- Vigiles to urban cohorts may have been a common pathway for elites
- Length of time as tribune is unknown
What were the vigiles?
The Vigiles were created primarily as a firefighting and prevention service largely made up of freedmen and slaves.
Estimation of up to 100 fires a day in Rome
Crassus in Plutarch is said to have bought up buildings in ruin and then to have put the fire out
Slaves were brought in to act as an informal fire service by an edile
Probably did not go down well with Augustus, as he regarded himself as responsible for the protection of the city
The Vigiles were the third unit that Augustus established, paid for by public treasury
Organisation was similar to the guard, commanded by tribunes and centurions
Were the Vigiles soldiers?
Recruited originally from freedmen rather than Italians
Most scholars believe they were soldiers due the structure of the units
Bingham thinks that they are not, as they were not Roman citizens
Paid less than legionaries
Not mentioned in Augustus’ will - no special reward left for them
Not among the list of troops in Tacitus
Never see them in the field
Only served for 6 years - intense job?
Law passed later that they could gain citizenship after the completion of their term
Assumed that not many of them survived this job - too few citizens wanted this job and slaves could not be used as they might revolt
Commanded by an equestrian, little is known about them though - only know 43 names total in all the history of the Vigiles
Think about why Augustus created these other units and how they differed from the guard.
The Guard’s main purpose was to protect the emperor, imperial family and any prestigious/ political guests or characters.
So, urban cohorts and vigiles were primarily to look after the city and its people/ civilians, whilst the guard was specifically for protection of imperial characters.
The reign of the Julio-Claudians came to an end with the death of Nero in June of 68. But why did the guard let this happen?
The guard was not involved in removing many emperors, despite that idea being prevalent today. In fact, there were only three successful conspiracies against emperors to 235 CE (I do not include the conflicts of 69 and 193 here) and only one of those clearly involved the guard. That was the assassination of Gaius (i.e. Caligula) in 41.
Had Nero displayed his imperial authority in a demonstration to the Praetorian guard - rather than falling foul of rumours and ‘cunning’ and allowing confusion and chaos to undermine his authority - he might have held onto the empire. By hiding and not facing the guard immediately upon his return, he allowed Sabinus to be central to his downfall and play upon the confusion, leading to Galba’s ascension to power
“…Nero was driven from power by messages and rumours rather than by force of arms.”
Tacitus, Histories 1.89.2
Consider how Otho was able to gain the support of the praetorians and what role the unit played in the battle of Rome.
Otho undermines Galba’s relationship with the troops - militum - during their march from Spain by employing the tactics of a ‘mob agitator’
The praetorians are not used to this difficult march from Spain to Rome (July to October), and Otho monopolises this
Otho makes his freedman - Onomastus - in charge of the transference of imperial power
He goes after the spies and bodyguard, gaining the support of Proculus and Veturius who then in turn shift the opinions of the wider guard
How and why Vespasian did make changes to the guard and why did he appoint his son as prefect?
Vespasian released those who had served time, and removed those who had cases of misconduct, dealing with soldiers on an individual basis, cherry picking the best and reducing the guard to 9 cohorts
Military diploma: Vespasian allows them the right of marriage with the passport type thing:
ILS 1993 = Campbell #327
Depicts the closeness of the troops with Vespasian
Why were the praetorians needed to fight fires after the institution of the vigiles? And what role did they play in the huge fire of 64 CE?
Now this did not all take place on a single day, but it lasted for several days and nights alike. Many houses were destroyed for want of anyone to help save them, and many others were set on fire by the same men who came to lend assistance; for the soldiers, including the night watch, having an eye to plunder, instead of putting out fires, kindled new ones. Dio 62.17.1; 64 CE
Acting as enforcers of peace and prevention of looting?
Vigiles are unlikely to have been Roman citizens; usually slaves or freedmen - perhaps some level of embarrassment to be reliant on a sub-class?
Were the praetorians stationed at the games to maintain order or not? (Bingham argues yes)
[in the theatre] the wounding of a tribune of the praetorian cohort while they were trying to prevent abuse against magistrates and public dissension. Tacitus Annals 1.77.1; 15 CE
In addition to the chariot races he exhibited the game called Troy and also panthers, which were hunted down by a squadron of the praetorian cavalry under the lead of the tribunes and the prefect himself…He gave many gladiatorial shows and in many places: one in yearly celebration of his accession, in the praetorian camp without wild beasts and fine equipment…Suetonius, Claudius 21.3
The praetorian guard was not only employed in Rome for various tasks; it also assisted in various assignments outside of the city. What were these?
Individuals’ private monuments encroaching on public space, praetorians (?) used to reclaim public land
Sent as a result of unrest - on which part?
Evidence: CIL 10.1018 = ILS 5942
Cutting through the Isthmus of Corinth, creating the Corinth Canal
Praetorians used as builders - demeaning the guard? Merely referencing the surveyors that accompanied each cohort, Nero using them to begin work, not actually carry out the physical creation of the canal (which was unsuccessful anyway and now exists in modernity)
Evidence: Suetonius, Nero 19.2
Investigating the source of the Nile for Nero: Seneca Natural Questions 6.8.3
Pliny the Elder, NH 6.181 - praetorians sent to explore the desert of Ethiopia
Praetorians used for reconnaissance missions (Seneca still alive to narrate this event, Pliny is afterwards)
Pre-65 (Seneca’s death), no reliable way to date this
Acting as a garrison, as if they were conquerors of a city
Praetorians used as a garrison for the kingdom of Cottius
Evidence: Suetonius, Tiberius 37.3
Praetorians’ reputation and violence put down a riot - Tacitus, Annals 13.48 [58 CE]
Placed under the control of senators - what was the purpose? Bear in mind that the later conspiracy turns the praetorians against the emperor
The brothers Scribonius were later convicted and killed - did this action place them under scrutiny from the guard
Spies of the guard dying in Pompeii - is this an indication of regular praetorian movement outside of Rome?
De la Bedoyere argues that these are serving soldiers on official business, citing Pompeii’s unique preservation as basis for the praetorians spreading outside of Rome
Possible that ex-praetorians moved to Pompeii and died - death and burial outside of military service is plausible
What did the guard wear? Is it right to call it a ‘uniform’?
What kind of equipment did they have?
Does it matter if we cannot identify praetorians in art?
Why do we have so little evidence to go on?
Tacitus, Annals 12.36; 16.27.1: On the following morning, however, two praetorian cohorts in full equipment occupied the temple of Venus Genetrix; a body of men wearing the toga, but with swords unconcealed
Tacitus, Histories 1.38; 41: There was also her little son, born in the camp and bred the playmate of the legions; whom soldier-like they had dubbed “Bootikins” - Caligula - because, as an appeal to the fancy of the rank and file, he generally wore the footgear of that name.
Suetonius, Nero 13: with the praetorian cohorts drawn up in full armour
Dio 79.37.3-4: There, so far as the zeal of the Pretorians went, he conquered (he had taken away their breastplates of scale-armour and their grooved shields and had thus rendered them lighter for battle)
Arch of Constantine: praetorians in scale armour at the Battle of Milvian Bridge
Scene from Trajan’s Column: praetorian standards and horns carried by signiferi and cornicines
What do we know about the recruitment of the praetorian guard?
Age of recruitment was generally 16-18
Sources are misleading with dates and lengths of service - some indicate recruitment at 7 years old (clearly incorrect)
