The Roman Army: A Social and Institutional History - Karatunov.net

the other five were equestrian tribuni angusticlavii. Pliny obtained a post as military
tribune for the author Suetonius (Letters 7.22), but Suetonius declined and
recom m en ded his rel a tive Si lva nus inste ad (Ca m pbell , 1 9 9 4 ; Wa t s on , 1 9 6 9 ) .
The tribuni angusticlavii were responsible for administrative duties, for overseeing
the security of the camp gates, and for some judicial functions.
The career path of the equestrian officers differed from that of the senators
(Devijver, 1989, 1992). Some equestrians were directly appointed as legionary
cen tu ri on s , but more of ten they chose appoi n tm ents as com m a n ders of t h e
auxiliary units. During the first century ad, a standardized succession of three
a ppoi n tm ents began to evo lve (tres militi a e) . An equ e s trian usu a lly took up a
f i rst post as prefect of a 500-strong auxiliary infantry unit before becom i n g
tribune of a legion, or possibly tribune of a 1,000-strong infantry cohort. The
third post was usually as prefect of a cavalry ala. These successive appointments
were commonly held for about three to four years and usually took the officers
to different provi n ce s . Th ere was no com p u l s i on to serve in all three po s t s . A
few equestrian officers served in a fourth post (militia quarta) as commanders
of milliary alae. Alternatively, there were other career prospects for equestrians.
For instance, some of the smaller provinces with no legions were governed by
equestrians, originally with the title prefect, but after the later first century ad
the title changed to procurator.
The troops in Rome offered an alternative career to equestrians. The cohorts
of the Praetorian Guard, the Urban Cohorts, and the vigiles were commanded
by equestrian tribunes, and the pinnacle of the equestrian military career was
the appoi n tm ent to one or more of the four prefectu re s , of the food su pp ly
(Pra efe ctus An n o n a e) , of the vi gi l e s (Pra efe ctu s Vi gi l u m) , of Egypt (Pra efe ctu s
Aegypti), and of the Praetorian Guard (Praefectus Praetorio).
Camp Prefect
The Roman A rmy 129
One of the most senior officers of an Imperial legion, third in command after
the legate and the tribunus laticlavius, was the camp prefect (praefectus castrorum).
He was senior in rank to the five tribuni angusticlavii. The first attested
camp prefect dates to the end of Augustus’s reign, significantly when more permanent
forts were being established. The duties of the camp prefect were concerned
with maintenance of the fortress, ensuring that everything was in working
order and, where relevant, cleaned. The post required extensive experience
of m i l i t a ry ad m i n i s tra ti on and functi on s , and was usu a lly fill ed by men wi t h
long service records who had just served as primus pilus, the chief centurion of
the legion.