"Vigiles Urbani "Cohortes Vigilum" Review" Topic

"The Vigiles Urbani, also known as the Cohortes Vigilum or just the Vigiles, were a body set up by the emperor Augustus to combat the many fires that Rome suffered from. We tend to think of Rome as palatial buildings and public spaces, built of marble and looking pretty indestructible, but the reality was it was full of insulae, tenement blocks several stories high crammed together and often facing streets that were no more than alleys. Upper stories were often wooden, and everyone had to rely on open flames for cooking, heating and light. Inevitably the result was numerous fires which could easily spread very quickly, causing widespread death and destruction. The Vigiles were tasked with patrolling the streets, mainly at night, looking for signs of fires, and also trying to enforce the requirements on householders to have water and fire-fighting equipment available should the need arise. They would also fight fires, but with very limited sources of water all they could often do was to demolish neighbouring buildings to create a firebreak.

As a secondary role the Vigiles were also tasked with the job of night watchmen. Rome had no police as we would understand them, but the Vigiles might attempt to stop a disorder and perhaps bring a suspect before the city prefect. In very exceptional circumstances they might be called upon to assist the Urban Cohorts, who were the law enforcement body in Rome, in maintaining order, but it seems they usually carried only batons or whips to enforce their will…"

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Amicalement
Armand

The last paragraph is more useful…

So these are good-looking figures, but the large amounts of very expensive armour seems to make no sense for a group whose prime function was to detect and fight fires, and as a secondary role to deal with petty crime at night. We would welcome any new evidence on this, but to us these look more like the Urban Cohorts (plus ‘friend'), who were tasked with combating the gangs and other major disturbances in the city, and would have been both armed and perhaps armoured. Used as such these are nice figures, but as Vigiles we really can't see that they are at all useable.

(smile)

Amicalement
Armand