New Roman unit on .com

[ShadesWolf]

Praetorian Cohort

http://www.totalwar.com/community/images/prae.jpg

The Praetorian Cohort are heavy infantry, hand picked from the bravest troops of the Legions. They are the only military units allowed to remain within the city of Rome. They are fierce soldiers, dedicated to their mission as an elite bodyguard for the mightiest of Romans. On campaign, they are equipped in the same fashion as the Legions, with legionary lorica segmenta armour, pila and gladius and these are of the finest quality. Historically, Scipio Africanus created the Praetorians from his most trusted troops, and exempted them from all duties except that of guarding his person. The Praetorians have better conditions than ordinary Legionaires, and need only complete 16 years under arms before retiring. Tribunes command the Praetorian Cohort and two Praetorian Prefects command the whole Corps. The Praetorians are the political elite of the Roman army, bodyguards to the powerful in Rome, but not always used to the rigours of campaigning.


Link to page - Rome Units page at .com (http://www.totalwar.com/community/unit1.htm)

[Stormer]

I CANT WAIT NO LONGER, IM GONNA HAVE A NEVEOUS BREAKDOWN http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/pissed.gif

[Knight_Yellow]

Hmmmmmm

interesting i want to go into a coma and waker up on the day of romes release.

cant wait must have my .... my .... MY PRECIOUS

[Basileus]

com eon ppl relax it will be here in a year or 3-4 http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/tongue.gif muhihi

[Stormer]

Quote[/b] ]com eon ppl relax it will be here in a year or 3-4 muhihi

DO U KNOW HOW LONG THAT IS http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/redface.gif

[Shahed]

Nice Thanks

[Shahed]

OOOOOO MY GOD

Aftershock

http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/eek.gif http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/eek.gif http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/eek.gif

[Knight_Yellow]

Ha ha ha hes wearing a skirt http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/joker.gif http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/joker.gif http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/joker.gif


oh wait a minute ......

~~~~~~~~~scottish kilt~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



bollox

http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

[Big King Sanctaphrax]

Remember this, KY?

http://www.t-army.com/pics/London%20Scots%20at%20Latvia%20Border.jpg

[ShadesWolf]

Men is skirts http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/joker.gif now thats scares me http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif

[Leet Eriksson]

Hmmm Preatorians will probably trash anything that goes H2H with them,except elephants maybe,unless they carry pigs http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/tongue.gif

In the last line it indicates that they are not used to the rigours of campaigning does that mean we'll have to wait for a while before commiting them to another battle?

[ELITEofGAZOZ]

very interesting

[Sir Black Raven]

Indeed Praethorians cohortes were fierless warriors; the cream of the cream among roman troops. But they were not equiped with a pila but i think pilum? and do u know that in portuguese the word pila means ....hehehehe the one and only dick...(sorry for the use of this word). http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/joker.gif

[Aelwyn]

I think Pila might be the plural for Pilum....well it would make sense anyways.

[lonewolf371]

It is the latin plural for pilum, and even as is they both describe an... hermmm... stick.

[Hakonarson]

Here's a post on the Praetorians I made to the other thread dealing with the same subject:

Hmmmm....well maybe Scipio did form some, but he did NOT form the Paetorian Guard as it's described here.

Praetorian simply means headquaters, and many (most/all) Roman generals had a praetorian unit of some sort from the earliest times.

But until Augustus raised the Guard in 31BC after the battle of Actium they were essentially no different from any other troops - merely the HQ guard taken from a line unit, probably the general's favourite veterans, and probably with no special terms of service. Scipio is said to have paid his 6 times as much as ordinary soldiers and exempted them from various duties, but the source for this is a relatively unknown historian Festus and isn't supported by anyone else.

Praetorian units could be infantry or cavalry, and were often "estraordinarii" - the best of hte Latin allies.

When Auggustus picked his guard he did choose the best veterans - both foot and horse, and both his and his opponents'. But it didn't take long before it became the preferred service for rich young Romans.

And of course Lorica Segmentata was not in use during the time RTW covers at all It is first attested in the early years AD - the first known examples of any segmentata are from Teutonberger Wald - 9AD.

Given that RTW finishes in 10BC for all of the period of RTW Roman body armour should be mail.

Even then mail stayed available in the East for a century or more, and in the West heavily armoured Romans equipped specially to fight Dacian falx-weilders reverted to mail for more complete coverace in 102 AD

History of the Praetorian Guard #1 (http://www.clanpraetorian.com/real_praetorian_guard.htm)

History of the Praetorians #2 (http://www.ku.edu/history/index/europe/ancient_rome/E/Roman/Texts/secondary/SMIGRA*/Praetoriani.html)

Oh - and the comment that they're not used to the rigours of campaigning is also highly anachronistic and applies in the later 2nd and 3rd centuries AD only It's typically accepted that they'd grown soft because they were defeated by German legions at Milvians Bridge in 312 AD, after which they were disbanded.

The early Praetorian guard accompanied the Emperor on all his campaigns, and were well used to the rigours of campaigning

Hisory of Praetorians #3, incl reference to Scipio's cohort. (http://www.ku.edu/history/index/europe/ancient_rome/E/Roman/Texts/secondary/SMIGRA*/Praetoriani.html)

[Nelson]

Quote[/b] (Hakonarson @ May 01 2003,18:42)]Praetorian simply means headquaters, and many (most/all) Roman generals had a praetorian unit of some sort from the earliest times.


And of course Lorica Segmentata was not in use during the time RTW covers at all It is first attested in the early years AD - the first known examples of any segmentata are from Teutonberger Wald - 9AD.
I believe the HQ tent/building in a castra was in fact called the praetorium.

I was bothered by the lorica segmentata description until I examined the picture where it seems as though the figure is in fact wearing mail after all. Hopefully the picture is correct and the text bogus.

[NightRider]

Hi all...

Basileusthanks for reminding me http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/angry.gif (ouch too long to wait) get the straight jackets out http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/dizzy.gif

Anyway sounds like these P(rest of word) guys are going to be you lancer unit in RTW...?

Hmmm sleeps "wakes up" still ages to wait "hits head with hammer" repeatdly

[Hakonarson]

Yes - i see you're right about the picture on closer examination. IIRC mail is lorica hamata, and later scale is lorica squamata