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The cohortes urbanae (Latin meaning urban cohorts) of ancient Rome were created by Augustus to counterbalance the enormous power of the Praetorian Guard in the city of Rome and serve as a police service. They were led by the urban prefect.

Duties

The gangs of Titus Annius Milo, Publius Clodius and others which were used by rival politicians during the Republic had been eliminated mostly due to the efforts of Pompeius Magnus. Although political gangs were a thing of the past since effective power no longer resided in the competing factions of the Roman Senate and elected officials, some kind of police force was necessary to maintain public order and prevent civil disturbances. To fulfill this purpose Augustus established three urban cohorts (cohortes urbanae) under a newly appointed prefect of the city.^[1] Their primary role was to police Rome and counteract roaming mobs and gangs that often haunted its streets during the Republic. The urban cohorts thus acted as a heavy duty police force, capable of riot control duties, while their contemporaries, the Vigiles, policed the streets and fought fires. As a trained paramilitary organization, the urban cohorts could, on rare occasions, go to battle if necessary. This role, however, was only called upon in dire situations.

Unlike the Vigiles, who mostly operated at night as firefighters and watchmen, members of the urban cohorts were considered legionaries, though with higher pay than the regular legions—if not quite as much as the Praetorian Guards—and tended to receive slightly higher donatives, though not as much as the Praetorians.^[2]

Organization

Originally the cohortes urbanae were divided into three cohorts, each cohort being commanded by one tribune and six centurions. In the time of the Flavians this was increased to four cohorts. Each cohort contained around five hundred men. Only free citizens were eligible to serve in their ranks. As with the Praetorians, the men of the urban cohorts were predominantly of Italian stock.^[3] Urban cohorts, (known as city cohorts in non-Roman cities) were later created in both the Roman North African city of Carthage and the city of Lugdunum in Roman Gaul (modern Lyon).^[4]

References

^ Grant, Michael (1978). History Of Rome. New York: NY: Charles Scribner's Sons. pp. 256. ISBN 0-684-15986-4.
^ Southern, Pat (2006). The Roman Army: A Social and Institutional History. New York: NY: Oxford University Press. pp. 119–120. ISBN 978-0-19-532878-3.
^ The Imperial Roman Army
^ The Imperial Roman Army

External links

[1]

[1] Grant, Michael (1978). History Of Rome. New York: NY: Charles Scribner's Sons. pp. 256. ISBN 0-684-15986-4.

[2] Southern, Pat (2006). The Roman Army: A Social and Institutional History. New York: NY: Oxford University Press. pp. 119–120. ISBN 978-0-19-532878-3.

[3] The Imperial Roman Army

[4] The Imperial Roman Army

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

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+{{Short description|Urban military police in ancient Rome}}
 {{RomanMilitary}}
-The '''''cohortes urbanae''''' ([[Latin]] meaning ''urban cohorts'') of [[ancient Rome]] were created by [[Augustus]] to counterbalance the enormous power of the [[Praetorian Guard]] in the city of [[Rome]] and serve as a police force. They were led by the [[Praefectus urbi|urban prefect]].
+The '''''cohortes urbanae''''' ([[Latin]] meaning ''urban cohorts'') of [[ancient Rome]] were created by [[Augustus]] to counterbalance the enormous power of the [[Praetorian Guard]] in the city of [[Rome]] and serve as a police service. They were led by the [[Praefectus urbi|urban prefect]].
 ==Duties==
-Their primary role was to [[police]] Rome and to counteract the roaming mobs and [[gang]]s that so often haunted its streets during the [[Roman Republic|Republic]]. The urban cohorts thus acted as a heavy duty police force, capable of [[riot control]] duties, while their contemporaries, the ''[[Vigiles]]'', had the day-to-day role of policing the streets and protecting against fires. As a trained [[paramilitary]] organization, the urban cohorts could, on rare occasions, take to the field of battle if necessary.  This role, however, was only called upon in dire situations. [[Augustus]] established a city police force at Rome consisting of three urban cohorts (''cohortes urbanae'') under a newly appointed prefect of the city.<ref>{{cite book|last=Grant|first=Michael|title=History Of Rome|year=1978|publisher=Charles Scribner's Sons|location=New York:  NY|isbn=0-684-15986-4|pages=256}}</ref> By this time the gangs of [[Titus Annius Milo]], [[Publius Clodius]], etc. which had been used by politicians during the Republic had been eliminated, mostly due to the efforts of [[Pompeius Magnus]] and, with the founding of the [[Principate]], had become moot since power no longer resided in the [[Roman Senate]] and [[Roman magistrates|elected officials]].
+The gangs of [[Titus Annius Milo]], [[Publius Clodius]] and others which were used by rival politicians during the Republic had been eliminated mostly due to the efforts of [[Pompeius Magnus]]. Although political gangs were a thing of the past since effective power no longer resided in the competing factions of the [[Roman Senate]] and [[Roman magistrates|elected officials]], some kind of [[police]] force was necessary to maintain public order and prevent civil disturbances. To fulfill this purpose [[Augustus]] established three urban cohorts (''cohortes urbanae'') under a newly appointed prefect of the city.<ref>{{cite book|last=Grant|first=Michael|title=History Of Rome|year=1978|publisher=Charles Scribner's Sons|location=New York: NY|isbn=0-684-15986-4|pages=[https://archive.org/details/historyofrome00gran/page/256 256]|url=https://archive.org/details/historyofrome00gran/page/256}}</ref> Their primary role was to police Rome and counteract roaming mobs and [[gang]]s that often haunted its streets during the [[Roman Republic|Republic]]. The urban cohorts thus acted as a heavy duty police force, capable of [[riot control]] duties, while their contemporaries, the ''[[Vigiles]]'', policed the streets and fought fires. As a trained [[paramilitary]] organization, the urban cohorts could, on rare occasions, go to battle if necessary. This role, however, was only called upon in dire situations.
-Unlike the ''Vigiles'', who mostly operated at night as firewatch and watchmen, members of the urban cohorts were considered [[Roman legion|legionaries]], though with higher pay than the regular legions—if not quite as much as the [[Praetorian Guards]]—and tended to receive slightly higher [[donative]]s though, again, not as much as the Praetorians.<ref>{{cite book|last=Southern|first=Pat|title=The Roman Army: A Social and Institutional History|year=2006|publisher=Oxford University Press|location=New York: NY|isbn=978-0-19-532878-3|pages=119–120}}</ref>
+Unlike the ''Vigiles'', who mostly operated at night as firefighters and watchmen, members of the urban cohorts were considered [[Roman legion|legionaries]], though with higher pay than the regular legions—if not quite as much as the [[Praetorian Guards]]—and tended to receive slightly higher [[donative]]s, though not as much as the Praetorians.<ref>{{cite book|last=Southern|first=Pat|title=The Roman Army: A Social and Institutional History|year=2006|publisher=Oxford University Press|location=New York: NY|isbn=978-0-19-532878-3|pages=[https://archive.org/details/romanarmysociali00sout_0/page/119 119–120]|url=https://archive.org/details/romanarmysociali00sout_0/page/119}}</ref>
 ==Organization==
-Originally  the ''cohortes urbanae'' were divided into three cohorts, each cohort being commanded by one [[tribune]] and six [[centurion]]s. In the time of the [[Flavians]] this was increased to four cohorts. Each cohort contained around five hundred men. Only [[Roman citizen|free citizens]] were eligible to serve in their ranks. As with the Praetorians, the men of the urban cohorts were predominantly of Italian stock.<ref>The Imperial Roman Army [http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=r2hBqYtZWNEC&pg=PA100&lpg=PA100&dq=urban+cohorts+rome&source=web&ots=iGwJxJ5bli&sig=ppcA9nIJkpxgKwGbRK04sKcjJVQ&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=2&ct=result]</ref>
+Originally  the ''cohortes urbanae'' were divided into three cohorts, each cohort being commanded by one [[tribune]] and six [[centurion]]s. In the time of the [[Flavians]] this was increased to four cohorts. Each cohort contained around five hundred men. Only [[Roman citizen|free citizens]] were eligible to serve in their ranks. As with the Praetorians, the men of the urban cohorts were predominantly of Italian stock.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=r2hBqYtZWNEC&dq=urban+cohorts+rome&pg=PA100 The Imperial Roman Army]</ref>
-Urban cohorts, (known as city cohorts in non-Roman cities) were later created in both the Roman North African city of [[Roman Carthage|Carthage]] and the city of [[Lugdunum]] in [[Roman Gaul]] (modern [[Lyon]]).<ref>The Imperial Roman Army [http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=r2hBqYtZWNEC&pg=PA100&lpg=PA100&dq=urban+cohorts+rome&source=web&ots=iGwJxJ5bli&sig=ppcA9nIJkpxgKwGbRK04sKcjJVQ&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=2&ct=result]</ref>
+Urban cohorts, (known as city cohorts in non-Roman cities) were later created in both the Roman North African city of [[Roman Carthage|Carthage]] and the city of [[Lugdunum]] in [[Roman Gaul]] (modern [[Lyon]]).<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=r2hBqYtZWNEC&dq=urban+cohorts+rome&pg=PA100 The Imperial Roman Army]</ref>
 ==See also==
-* [[Vigiles]]
-* [[Praetorian Guard]]
 * [[List of Roman army unit types]]
 ==References==
+{{reflist}}
-<div class='references-small'>
-<references/>
-</div>
 ==External links==
-*[http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=r2hBqYtZWNEC&pg=PA100&lpg=PA100&dq=urban+cohorts+rome&source=web&ots=iGwJxJ5bli&sig=ppcA9nIJkpxgKwGbRK04sKcjJVQ&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=2&ct=result]
+*[https://books.google.com/books?id=r2hBqYtZWNEC&dq=urban+cohorts+rome&pg=PA100]
+{{italic title}}
 [[Category:Infantry units and formations of ancient Rome]]
 [[Category:Military units and formations of the Roman Empire]]
 [[Category:Military units and formations established in the 1st century BC]]
-[[Category:Law enforcement]]
+[[Category:Defunct law enforcement agencies of Italy]]
-{{italic title}}