Rome’s Civil Wars

1. Sulla vs. Marius/Marians (88-87, 82-81)(Optimates vs Populares)

2. Caesar vs. Pompey/Optimates(49-45)

3. Augustus vs. Mark Antony (32-31)

(with constant minor civil wars in between each date/proscriptions/street fighting in Rome)

Rise in number of legions

4 consular legions – 60 in field in 31 BCE – 28 Augustan legions

Timeline (all BCE):

44: Assassination of Julius Caesar43-33 Second Triumvirate (Octavian, Mark Antony, Lepidus)42 Battle of Philippi 40 Treaty of Brundisium[40-33 Antony’s Parthian Campaign)36 Naulochus34 Donations of Alexandria31 Actium30 Suicide of Antony and Cleopatra27 Octavian becomes Augustus

The complexity of civil war: Caesar’s battles

Complexities of Civil War: Second Triumvirate

• 8 men to a tent party (conturbnalis)

• 10 tent parties to a century• 6 centuries to a cohort• 10 cohorts to one legion

• (exception) the first cohort had 6 double centuries*

+ 120 horsemen• =• Total legion size 5400 fighting

men*

* Be cautious of this number

From macro to micro

Century:

TesserariusSigniferOptioCenturion

Cohort: Primi ordines (1st cohort)

Centurion ranks:pilus prior, pilus posterior, princeps prior, princeps posterior, hastatus prior, hastatus posterior,

Alae sociorum Auxilia

Units in Rome: - Praetorian Guard - Urban Cohort - Vigiles

Caligula addresses the Praetorian Guard on a brass sestertius (coin 39-40 CE)

Gold aureus of Claudius showing Praetorian camp in Rome (45-44 CE)

Trajan surrounded by Praetorian guard in travelling dress (Trajan’s Column, 113 CE)

Vigiles sectors

Graffiti from the guardroom of the 7th cohort in Rome

(CIL VI 37247)

Legionary names (a sample)

III Augusta Pia Fidelis – Late Republic/AugustusIII Cyrenaica – Late RepublicIII Gallica – Julius Caesar III Italia Cohors – Marcus AureliusIII Parthica – Septimius Severus

Lost legions (examples/destroyed or disbanded)

XVII – Augustus – Varian disaster/9 CEXVIII – Augustus – Varian disaster/9 CEXIX – Augustus – Varian disaster/9 CE

I Germanica – Late Republic – Civilis revolt/ 70CEIIII Macedonica – Julius Caesar - Civilis revolt/ 70CEXV Primigenia – Caligula - Civilis revolt/ 70CEXVI Gallica – Augustan - Civilis revolt/ 70CE