It is generally recognized that the first cohort of a legion in the Principate was larger than the other nine cohorts. It consisted of five centuries, each double the size of each of the six centuries of cohorts II to X. Literature, epigraphy and archaeology all agree over this point. Vegetius, in the Epitoma rei militaris, probably quoting a third-century source, says that the first cohort was twice as large as each of the other cohorts, but he disagrees with himself over the number of men in the cohort. At one stage (II, 6) he states that the first cohort had 1,105 pedites and 132 equites and was called a cohors miliaria, compared to the 555 pedites and sixty-six equites of each of the other nine cohorts, cohortes quingenariae. But two paragraphs later (II, 8) this number has been reduced to 1,000. This is made up of 400 men in the first century, 200 in the second, 150 in the third and fourth and 100 in the fifth. Although none of Vegetius' figures is to be trusted, his basic point remains—the first cohort of a legion was double in size. This is supported by epigraphic evidence. III, 6178, dated to about A.D. 134, lists, by cohort, the soldiers of legio V Macedonica discharged at one time. The first cohort contains at least forty names, the second seventeen, the third at least fourteen, the fourth at least ten and the ninth at least twelve. A similar situation is found on III, 14507, a laterculus, which is a dedication by veterans of VII Claudia discharged in 195. In this case the first cohort discharged forty-seven men, the second twenty-two and the third eighteen. These two inscriptions point to the fact that the first cohort was about twice as large as each of the other nine. Excavations at Inchtuthil have provided the most eloquent testimony. Here the barracks of the first cohort, ten in number, compared to the six of each of the other nine cohorts, have been revealed, in association with five large centurions' houses, situated next to the headquarters buildin The Organization of the Legion: The First Cohort and The Equites Legionis | The Journal of Roman Studies | Cambridge Core Search Institution Login Search Hostname: page-component-66d9dcfd78-rvk4j Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2026-08-08T06:08:55.140Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false Home > Journals > The Journal of Roman Studies > Volume 59 > The Organization of the Legion: The First Cohort and... English Français The Journal of Roman Studies Article contents Extract References The Organization of the Legion: The First Cohort and The Equites Legionis Published online by Cambridge University Press: 24 September 2012 David Breeze Show author details David Breeze Affiliation: University of Durham Article Metrics Article contents Extract References Get access Share Cite Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window] Extract It is generally recognized that the first cohort of a legion in the Principate was larger than the other nine cohorts. It consisted of five centuries, each double the size of each of the six centuries of cohorts II to X. Literature, epigraphy and archaeology all agree over this point. Vegetius, in the Epitoma rei militaris , probably quoting a third-century source, says that the first cohort was twice as large as each of the other cohorts, but he disagrees with himself over the number of men in the cohort. At one stage (II, 6) he states that the first cohort had 1,105 pedites and 132 equites and was called a cohors miliaria , compared to the 555 pedites and sixty-six equites of each of the To these should be added Nijmegen ( Bogaers , J. E. in Studien zu den Militärgrenzen Roms ( Köln , 1967 ), 59 Google Scholar ). Hints of the presence and position of the first cohort can be detected at some of these fortresses—Caerleon, Carnuntum, Chesters, Nijmegen and especially at Neuss—but nowhere is the evidence so clear as at Inchtuthil. 5 5 Birley , E. , ‘The epigraphy of the Roman Army’, in Actes du Deuxième Congrès international d'épigraphie grecque et latine, Paris 1952 (1953), 234 Google Scholar . 6 6 For example Webster , G. , The Roman Army ( Chester , 1956 ), II Google Scholar ; Boon , George C. and Williams , Colin , Plan of Caerleon ( Cardiff , 1967 ), 6 Google Scholar . ‘Sed prima cohors reliquas et numero militum et dignitate praecedit.… Haec enim suscipit aquilam, quod praecipuum signum in Romano est semper exercitu et totius legionis insigne; haec imagines imperatorum, hoc est divina et praesentia signa, veneratur;…’ 15 15 III, 195 is cited by Domaszewski-Dobson, 43, as attesting an imaginifer in the second cohort of VII Claudia . The inscription is now lost, but the two eighteenth-century sources differ little from each other. In lines 2, 3 and 4 Maundrell read:… IMM LIINI O LEG VII CL EX Z II PR POST… ; Pococke: … MM LIINI O LEG VII EX Z II PR POST… . The rank cannot be imaginifer. IMM is the usual abbreviation for immunis . Cancel Save × Save article to Dropbox To save this article to your Dropbox account, please select one or more formats and confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you used this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your Dropbox account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox . The Organization of the Legion: The First Cohort and The Equites Legionis Volume 59 David Breeze (a1) DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/299846 Available formats PDF Please select a format to save. 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