1. There were four gates, one in each side: (1) the Porta Praetoria, in front, marked Praetoria in the plan; (2) the Porta Decumana, on the opposite side, marked Decumana; (3) the Porta Principalis Dextra, on the right side, marked Dex.; and (4) the Porta Principalis Sinistra, on the left side, marked Sin.1

2. Legat. Trib. Legati et Tribuni.

=

3. Aux. Auxilia.

4. The figure X represents the space occupied by cavalry.

5. The figure the space occupied by the general and staff,2 together with troops devoted to their personal service.

6. The figure

the space occupied by the archers and slingers. 7. The rectangles with numerals represent the spaces occupied by the separate cohorts.3

67. When a battle was anticipated, the camp was placed with its front to the enemy; in other cases, it faced in the direction in which the army was marching. It was divided internally into three nearly equal parts by the two principal streets, both parallel to the front-the Via Principalis and the Via Quintana. The first or front part was called the Praetentura, the second or middle part the Latera praetorii, and the third Retentura. The Via Praetoria, another important street, led from the Porta Praetoria to the Via Principalis, dividing the Praetentura into two equal parts. On a line with the Via Praetoria were situated (1), in the middle division of the camp, the Praetorium, - the headquarters of the army,*—and (2), in the Retentura, the

f=200 /c and s = 11⁄2 times f.

In which ƒ equals the length of the front, c the number of cohorts in the army, and s the length of the side.

The camp represented in the plan is intended to accommodate five legions, or fifty cohorts. Here c=50. Hence ƒ (the front)= 206 √50 = 200 X7 = 1,400 feet. 8 = 11⁄2 times 1,400 = 2,100 feet.

1 Observe that the corners of the wall are rounded so as to be more easily defended.

2 Except the lieutenants and tribunes.

3 The upper numeral is the number of the legion; the lower numeral the

2

number of the cohort. Thus 5 represents the space occupied by the fifth cohort of the second legion.

The Praetorium extended in length from the Via Principalis to the Via Quintana, and was from two hundred to three hundred feet wide. In it were the quarters of the general, the altars of the gods, and the tribunal, or judgment-seat, of the army.

Quaestorium, the quarters of the quaestor and his staff.1

68. In the plan of the camp, observe (1) that between the wall and the tents was left an open space, probably from one hundred to two hundred feet wide, extending entirely around the camp, and (2) that the forces were distributed as follows:

1. In the Praetentura were stationed (1), sixteen of the fifty cohorts; (2), the lieutenants and tribunes; (3), one-half of all the cavalry; and (4), all the archers and slingers.

2. In the Middle Division of the camp, called Latera praetorii, were stationed, besides the commander-in-chief, who occupied the Praetorium (1), twelve of the fifty cohorts; (2), one-half of all the cavalry; and (3), the entire staff of the commander-in-chief, except the lieutenants and the tribunes, together with the troops devoted to their personal service.

3. In the Retentura were stationed, in addition to the quaestor and his staff, (1) twenty-two of the fifty cohorts, and (2) the auxiliaries, except the cavalry, archers, and slingers."

69. In a camp intended for winter-quarters, wooden huts, thatched with straw, took the place of ordinary tents, and sheds were erected to protect the beasts of burden from wind and weather. Moreover, the space allowed to the different parts of the army was doubtless somewhat more ample than in a summer camp.

70. The fortifications of the camp consisted of a wall, vallum, and a ditch, or fosse, fossa. The wall seems to have been ordinarily about 6 feet high, and 6 or 8 feet broad at the top, the ditch about 9 feet wide at the top, and 7 feet deep. Doubtless, in fortifying a permanent camp, castra stativa, in a hostile country, the ditch was

3

1 The Quaestorium furnished quarters, not only for the quaestor and his staff, but, also, for foreign ambassadors, and for hostages and prisoners. In it were also stored the supplies and the booty.

2 Observe in the internal arrangements of the camp that the auxiliaries, both cavalry and infantry, are stationed near the general and his staff, and that they are completely surrounded by the legionary soldiers.

3 Vegetius, Book I., 24, says that the ordinary ditch was either 9 feet wide and 7 feet deep, or 12 feet wide and 9 feet deep. In these dimensions, it has been observed that the width, as 9 or 12, is divisible by 3, and that the depth is obtained by adding one to of the width, as width 9, depth of 9+1 = 7, or

made wider and deeper, and the wall higher and broader.1 It was sometimes surmounted with a breastwork of palisades, lorica, and in special cases wooden towers were erected on it at convenient intervals. Each gate was probably 40 feet wide, and was defended within and without either by a transverse or by a tambour, as seen in the above plan.3

71. The following figure represents a vertical section of a wall and ditch, the former surmounted with a breastwork of palisades:

abcd represents a ditch, fossa fastigata, 9 feet wide and 7 feet deep. Imno, a wall or rampart, vallum, 6 feet high, and 6 feet wide at the top, furnished with steps on the inside, i.e., on the side 'mrsn.' PP, palisades.

ff, fascines imbedded in the work, to strengthen it.

width 12, depth of 12+1 = 9. Rüstow infers that these instances are illustrations of a law, and that having the width of any ditch, we can thus at once obtain the depth. As a matter of fact, Caesar generally gives only the width.

In opposition to the view of Rüstow, Göler thinks that the normal depth of a ditch, whatever its width, was 9 feet, and that Caesar specifies the depth only when it does not conform to the ordinary standard.

1 It has been observed that when Caesar gives the height of a wall with the width of the accompanying ditch, as ditch 9 feet wide, wall 6 feet high; ditch 15 feet wide, wall 10 feet high; ditch 18 feet wide, wall 12 feet high, the height of the wall is of the width of the ditch. This Rüstow believes to be the regular iaw. Indeed, some such relation as this between the dimensions of the ditch and the wall seems natural, as the earth thrown out of the former was used in constructing the latter.

The breastwork was usually made by driving green stakes into the ground, and by binding them firmly together by intertwining their branches. The general height of the breastwork was four or five feet, but in some instances pinnacles, pinnae, projected above it two or three feet, as seen in the figure in 71. 3 The Gauls and the Germans fortified their camps, not by permanent works like the Romans, but by arranging their chariots and wagons in a circle, and using them as a rampart. After a defeat, they often retreated to these temporary defences. See Book I., 26.