Cohort
|
|
A cohort (from the Latin Cohors, plural cohortes, a military-type unit, as the infantry batallions constituting a Roman legion) is a fairly large group of rather homogenous individuals :
| Contents |
original Roman Cohortes
military cohort
- Originally it was a sub-unit of a Roman legion, consisting of 600 men (infantry), itself divided in 6 centurias of 100 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) of 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 Marcus Antonius 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 para-military corps in Rome consisted of one or more cohorts, though neither were part of a legion :
- the 9 Cohortes praetoria (never grouped to a legion), the famous and infamous pretorians : (1) bodyguard of a general during the republic; (2) unit of imperial guard (temporarily? restyled Cohors palatina 'palace unit' circa 300 AD, under Diocletian's tetrarchy); Cohors togata was a unit of praetorian guard in civilian dress tasked with duties within the pomerium (sacred center of the Capital, were all armed forces were forbidden).
- cohortes urbanae 'urban cohort'; military police unit patroling 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 Germany).
- Furthermore, the Latin word cohors was used in a looser way to describe a rather large 'company' of people
Cfr. Cohors amicorum
modern meanings
- an age group in statistics, see cohort (statistics).
- a concept in computer science.
- in biology, cohort is a term for a group of allied orders or families of plants or animals.
- a supporter (American English usage from around 1950).