Evocati Augusti: Organising a Veteran Corp

The history of evocati Augusti remains a historiographical problem. The Veterans have not been studied as a part of Garrison of Rome. We envisage some problem: 1) formation of the evocati Augusti; 2) status of the evocati in the Praetorian Guard; 3) affiliation with the cohortespraetorianorum; 4) command structure of the Veterans; 5) standing and function of the evocati legionis. The aim of our study, therefore, is reconstruction of the organizational structure of the evocati Augusti from their foundation at the end of the First Century BC to their dissolution in 312 AD. The article is based, first of all, on inscriptions. Some of the sources are fragmentary, which makes it difficult to reconstruct the history of evocati, especially in the case of unique inscriptions. It stands to mention that the information is inhomogeneously distributed. Most of the evidence belongs to the Third Century, which may exert on the conclusions applying to an earlier period. The article presents evidence that the evocati Augusti was not finally formed under Augustus. Veterans from the legions can be found until the middle of the 1st century AD. The final formatting of the Corps was implemented by Lucius Aelius Sejanus in 23AD. The evocati in the cohortes praetorianorum were entitled to a special status: they received a special type of pay and were unreined from field duty. The Laterculi testifies, that the evocati were assigned to cohortes and centuriae. However, they were grouped into a special unit that reported directly to the praefectus praetorio. The numerus evocatorum is not visible. The centurio evocatorum has not been founded. The definition "optio evocatorum " means that optio became the evocatus. Evocati served beyond in the Praetorian. Septimius Severus disbanded the “Old Guard” in 193AD, which was no longer an exceptionally “Italian Unit”. But this change did not affect for the cohortes urbanae. More warriors from this cohortes become evocati. Only one example is known for the classis in Italy. Evocati legionis from Rome were sent to the legions from Rome for the preparing warriors. The laterculi indicated their previous duty station. In the Legions they reported directly to the legates. The letter of Marcus shows, that the evocati participated in combat: at least on special missions. In summary the evocati Augusti formed the Special Unit in the Garrison of Rome. The Corps was changing along with the entire Praetorian Guard in 27/26BC, 23 and 193AD. The transitional changes cannot be identified due to fragmentation of the sources. This confirms the thesis of the constant adaptation of the Garrison of Rome to the changes in imperial policy. The authors declare no conflicts of interests.

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