Cohort (military unit)

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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.

Military cohort

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.

Other Roman cohorts

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).

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