PAPERSOLDIERS JOURNAL: ROMAN LEGION - REPUBLIC PERIOD (298 - 105 BC). LESSON Nr. 2: CORNICEN & TUBICEN

With the term "cornicem" is it intended the men that used the "cornus", i.e. horn to give orders to the troops, under the command of a Centurio.

if we have some info about the Signiferi where they were positioned, as discussed in my previous lesson, (nr. 1), for the position of the cornicien we have even more difficulties to understand his correct position in the maniple and in the centuries.

Until the Augustus' reforms we know there were 3 kinds of musicians

- Cornicen: as in the figure above, probably 1 per maniple

- Tubicien: with a long trumbet giving orders to all the army (probably in a good numbers and next to the commander in chief)

- Bucinator: using a short horn to give orders for the shift of the guards in the night.

We want to focus here on the Cornicen and his number and position inside the legion.

Vegetius in his Book nr. 2, Chapter XXII that helps a lot in describing how these mucicians worked.

In fact it states: "tubicen ad bellum vocat milites et rursum receptui canit" i.e. the tubicen summons to the fight the soldiers and still it sounds to the retreat; then he adds: "cornicines quotiens canunt non milites sed signa ad eorum obtemperant nutum" i.e. when the cornicines sings not the soldiers, but the standards (signa) obey to their orders.

So it is important to note that the Cornicen commanded the signa (standards) while the tubicen commanded the soldiers.

Another passage quotes: "ergo, quotiens ad aliquod opus exituri sunt soli milites, tubicines canunt; quotiens movenda sunt signa, cornicines canunt" i.e. so when just the soldiers have to get out to attend to some works, the tubicines sings. when the standards has to move, the cornicen sounds"

Finally he adds: "quotiens autem pugnatur et tubicines et cornicines pariter canunt" i.e. when one fights both tubicines and cornicines at the same time sings.

From these passages it is clear that the cornicines commanded just the signa (standards) and that the standards were movining indipendently from the soldiers. It means that it could have given a command to blow the cornicen in order to move the signum of the maniple. From this, it is easy to understand that being just 1 signum per maniple, there was as well just 1 cornicen to command it. This all means that the soldiers and the signa moved in battle in different and authonomous way, and above all that the signa could move from one position to another position (see lesson nr.1) i.e. from the front, next to the prior centurion to the back; once this signal given a command was given to all soldiers to move forwards, having the standard behind them (see lesson nr. 1)

For what is about the position of the cornicen, we have to consider that it took the order from the Centurio so it was next to him and next to the signum.

Some schemes to better describe what is written

The correctness of this position of the cornicen is given also by some evident problems that a different position would give.

Let's imagine that the cornicen is behind the Centurio and the signifer

It would mean that the Centurio shoud turn back, order to the Cornicen to blow and ... having his ears pierced by the sound while the rest of the centuria prior would not hear and even less the centuria posterior.

If we consider at the contrary to have at the beginning of the movement the cornicen (alongside the signifer) in front of the centuria prior, it is evident that the Centurio could have given easly the order to the cornicen; it could be possible also that signifer and cornicen where at the right of the centurio prior, but it is said that the unit advanced haveing the signa "in front"; so this is not the correct position.

Once the order was given to advance ad bellum (to the fight) the soldiers would have seen the signa and the cornicen going back to protect and at the same time the centuria posterior to advance. In this way, the maniple totally arrayed had the cornicen at its back, easly providing his sound to everyone. See scheme hereunder:

To finish and to confort what has been said, as for the signifer, even more to the cornicen that was hampered by a cumbersome instument making him impossible to defend himself, it is evident he could not stay just behind the Centurio, easly target to wahteve attack. It means he had to be behind and protected.

Some more difficulties are given by the Tubicen

In fact, if the Cornicen is a quite obscure subject, the Tubice is even more.

We already know from Vegetius for what they were used, i.e. for giving orders JUST to milites, (soldiers) and not to the standards, commanded instead by the Cornicen;

This said it is hard to understand how many tehre were in a Legion or Cohor and - above all - where they were displayed in the battle.

The Tubicen used the "tuba", a sort of trumpet, with a very long neck inorder to make the sound very well understandable.

It is out of any doubts that the maniple could have one; so the more probable unit to posses one (or more?) was teh Cohors. Keeping in mind that the ordered the attack and the retreat (as said by Vegetius) we have another passage where it is spoken about the Tubicen;

Sallustius in his Bellum Iugurthinum (chapter 99) quotes: "Marius ... omissis ... item cohortium turmarum legionum tubicines ominis signa canere ... iubet" i.e. Marius then ordered the tubicines of the cohors, of the turma's (i.e. cavalry) of the Legions to sing with all the signs/sounds (at the same time); this was done in order to frighten the enemy and wake them suddently.

It must be paid attention to the translation, where the Latin text says "legionum", i.e. "of the legions, because some translations I found are wrong, (they are not specialized in military) and they add an "and" so sounding the tubicines of the cohors, or the turmae AND of the Legion; while the text says the tubicines of the cohors of the legions and the turmae of the Legions.

So the Tubicines were present at level of Turmae and of Cohors. This said this passage clarifies also their power: if their sounds together were able to frithen and ware up the enemy in their camp (so very distant) it means that the sound was really acute and strong.

Moreover, considering that they simply ordered to the milites to attack or to retreat, it is clear that this is a general order, played 1 time and by acies, it means: once to order the Velites to retreat, another to order the Hastati to attack, another to order the Hastati to retreat and so on, until the Triari.

This is very important: their function was to organize and decide when an acies (i.e. line) of hastati or principes etc. should attack or reform retreating. This means that the Tubucines gor order directly from the Tribune commanding the Legion and hence they were positioned close to him. I also think that there were 3 per cohor, 1 tubicen for hastati, 1 for principes and 1 for the triari. We have confirm of that from the furneray inscriptions where it is quoted that the dead was a tubicen of a cohors (later are just mentioned the legions).

So we have to think that every cohors had 3 tubicenes arrayed behind the acies that was to be commanded, otherwise it would have generated a total confution to whom should attack and who should retreat. There cannot be a doubt then that the tubicines (3 per cohors) were behind the acies that had to attack, giving orders to the Velites to retreat and giving order to the Hastati to attack.

This is the scheme:

I am also convinced (and the quotes above confirm) that there were also tubicines at legion level. So the orders would have been in this sequence

a) the Tubicenes of the Legion give orders to the maniple (Velites advance/retreat & Hastati/Principes advance/retreat)

b) Tubicines of the Maniples repeated the orders directly to the maniple from behind.

c) once the order to attack is given the Centurio Prior order the Cornicen to give order to the Signifer to go to the back of the Maniple, meanwhile the Centuria posterior gets in line with the Centuria Prior; the falling back of the signa means authomatically that the Centuria Posterio has to advance.

So it was a chain of command, clear in the battle:

- Tubicines of the Legion

- Tubicines of the Maniples

- Cornicenes of the Maniples

Also the logic helps: how could in fact a single centurio decide when to attack, when to call back men? Imagine 1 acies where every centurio does as he wants. So all the decisions must have been well coordinated in order to make work the triple acies.

Schemes:

THE CAPACITY OF THE SOUND OF THE TUBICEN