MiniArt 16006 Praetorian Guardsman II Century AD

Praetorian Guard (jo. cohortes praetorianae) appeared already in the Roman republic as a very small unit, constituting the personal protection of the most important officials. During the reign of Octavian Augustus, at the turn of the 1st century BC and the 1st century AD, the Guard became a permanent unit, serving as the personal protection of subsequent Roman emperors. The Praetorians were stationed in the city of Rome, where they had their own camp north of Quirinale Hill. The head of the unit was the praetorian prefect. The unit changed its numbers during the Empire, but never exceeded 9-10 thousand. soldiers. Praetorians were perceived as an elite unit, as evidenced by, for example, a very high salary, but also the glorious participation of this unit in many campaigns of imperial Rome - for example in the wars of Trajan with the Dacians and Parthians in the early 2nd century AD. On the other hand, Praetorians they were also dangerous to the emperors themselves, behind more than one palace coup. The formation, mainly for the latter reason, was finally dissolved by Constantine the Great in 312 BC.