The ''Cornuti'' ("horned") was an ''

auxilia palatina ''Auxilia palatina'' (: ''auxilium palatinum'') were infantry units of the Late Roman army, first raised by Constantine the Great, Constantine I as part of the new field army he created in about 325 AD. Some of the senior and probably oldest of th ...

'' unit of the

Late Roman army In modern scholarship, the Later Roman Empire, "late" period of the Roman army begins with the accession of the Emperor Diocletian in AD 284, and ends in 480 with the death of Julius Nepos, being roughly coterminous with the Dominate. During th ...

, active in the 4th and 5th century. It was probably related to the ''Cornuti seniores'' and the ''Cornuti iuniores''.

History

According to some scholars, they are depicted on the

Arch of Constantine The Arch of Constantine () is a triumphal arch in Rome dedicated to the emperor Constantine the Great. The arch was commissioned by the Roman Senate to commemorate Constantine's victory over Maxentius at the Battle of the Milvian Bridge in AD 312 ...

, as the soldiers who are shown wearing

horned helmet Horned helmets were worn by many people around the world. Headpieces mounted with animal horns or replicas were also worn since ancient history, as in the Mesolithic Star Carr Frontlets. These were probably used for religious ceremonial or ritu ...

s. On the relief representing the

Battle of Verona (312) The Battle of Verona was fought in 312 between the forces of the Roman emperors Constantine I and Maxentius. Maxentius' forces were defeated, and Ruricius Pompeianus, the most senior Maxentian commander, was killed in the fighting. Backgroun ...

they are in the first lines, and they are depicted fighting with the bowmen in the relief of the

Battle of the Milvian Bridge The Battle of the Milvian Bridge took place between the Roman Emperors Constantine the Great, Constantine I and Maxentius on 28 October AD 312. It takes its name from the Milvian Bridge, an important route over the Tiber. Constantine won the batt ...

. The ''Cornuti'' belonged to the ''

comitatus Comitatus may refer to: *Comitatus (warband), a Germanic warband who follow a leader * ''Comitatus'', the office of a Roman or Frankish comes, translated as count. * ''Comitatus'', translated as county, a territory such as governed by medieval cou ...

'' of

Gaul Gaul () was a region of Western Europe first clearly described by the Roman people, Romans, encompassing present-day France, Belgium, Luxembourg, and parts of Switzerland, the Netherlands, Germany, and Northern Italy. It covered an area of . Ac ...

, and is attested on the northern border since 355. In 357 it was led by the '' tribunus'' Bainobaudes in an attack against the

Alemanni The Alemanni or Alamanni were a confederation of Germanic peoples, Germanic tribes * * * on the Upper Rhine River during the first millennium. First mentioned by Cassius Dio in the context of the campaign of Roman emperor Caracalla of 213 CE ...

who had attacked the Roman territory and had later retired on a small island. In that same year, the ''Cornuti'' fought the Alemanni in the Battle of Argentoratum, under the command of the emperor Julian. When the Alamannic cavalry caused the Roman ''equites'' to flee, the ''Cornuti'' and its twin unit, the '' Brachiati'', held the enemy horsemen until Julian rallied the Roman cavalry and brought them back in battle. Despite the Romans being victorious, Bainobaudes, the tribune of the ''Cornuti'' was killed. The ''Cornuti'' and the ''Brachiati'' were famous for their ''

barritus ''Barritus'' (''barrītūs)'' is a battle cry documented in writing since the 1st century among List of early Germanic peoples, Germanic tribes. The technique of ''Barritus'' later became popular among Germanic auxiliary troops in the Roman Army. ...

'', a combination of shout and dance step. The ''

Notitia Dignitatum The (Latin for 'List of all dignities and administrations both civil and military') is a document of the Late Roman Empire that details the administrative organization of the Western and the Eastern Roman Empire. It is unique as one of very ...

'', a document describing civil and military offices in the Western Roman Empire around 420 and in the Eastern Roman Empire in 395 circa, records the existence of the ''Cornuti seniores'' under the command of the ''magister peditum praesentalis'' of the West. The same source records the existence of the ''Cornuti iuniores'', who fought in the

Battle of Adrianople (378) The Battle of Adrianople also known as Battle of Hadrianopolis was fought between the Eastern Roman army led by the Roman emperor Valens and Gothic rebels (largely Thervings as well as Greutungs, non-Gothic Alans, and various local rebels) ...

and later part the army of the ''

magister militum praesentalis (Latin for "master of soldiers"; : ) was a top-level military command used in the late Roman Empire, dating from the reign of Constantine the Great. The term referred to the senior military officer (equivalent to a war theatre commander, the e ...

'' of the East. Later the ''Cornuti iuniores'' were sent to guard the ''

Porta Aurea The Walls of Constantinople (; ) are a series of defensive stone walls that have surrounded and protected the city of Constantinople (modern Fatih district of Istanbul) since its founding as the new capital of the Roman Empire by Constantine t ...

'' of

Constantinople Constantinople (#Names of Constantinople, see other names) was a historical city located on the Bosporus that served as the capital of the Roman Empire, Roman, Byzantine Empire, Byzantine, Latin Empire, Latin, and Ottoman Empire, Ottoman empire ...

together with the '' Leones iuniores'', as testified by an inscription date to 413.Simon MacDowall, ''Late Roman Infantryman'', pag. 50.

Notes

4th-century establishments in the Roman Empire 5th-century disestablishments in the Roman Empire Auxilia palatina Horned helmets