Editing Vigiles (section)

== History ==
The ''[[triumviri|triumviri nocturni]]'' (meaning ''three men of the night'') were the first men, being privately owned [[Slavery in ancient Rome|slaves]], organized into a group that combatted the common problems of fire and [[conflagration]]s in Rome. Another organization dedicated to fighting fires in ancient Rome was a band of slaves led by the [[aedile]] [[Marcus Egnatius Rufus]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Vigiles |url=https://www.worldhistory.org/Vigiles/ |access-date=2021-01-20 |website=[[World History Encyclopedia]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Spirkina |first=O.O |title=Key Points Of The History Of Firefighting (From the Early Times Till The Middle Ages) |url=https://sci.ldubgd.edu.ua/jspui/bitstream/123456789/2391/1/Section%207.pdf#page=2 |journal= |pages=188}}</ref> The privately operated system became ineffective, so in the interest of keeping himself and Rome safe, [[Augustus]] instituted a new public firefighting force called the ''vigiles''. Augustus modelled the new firefighters after the fire brigade of [[Alexandria, Egypt]]. The ''vigiles'' were also known by their nickname ''Spartoli'' or "little bucket fellows", given to them because of the buckets they carried water in, which were made of rope sealed with [[Pitch (resin)|pitch]].

In AD 6,<ref>{{Cite book |last=Walsh |first=Joseph J. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FqKtDwAAQBAJ |title=The Great Fire of Rome: Life and Death in the Ancient City |date=2019-10-01 |publisher=JHU Press |isbn=978-1-4214-3371-4 |pages=33 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Peresun’ko |first1=T. I. |last2=Spirkina |first2=O. O. |title=History of Firefighting: Key Points |url=https://sci.ldubgd.edu.ua/jspui/bitstream/123456789/658/1/sbornikKonfer%20%D0%93%D0%BE%D0%BC%D0%B5%D0%BB%D1%8C.pdf#page=359 |journal= |language=en |pages=361}}</ref> Augustus levied a 4% [[Roman Empire#Taxation|tax]] on the sale of [[Slavery in ancient Rome|slave]]s and used the proceeds to set up the new force. The first units of ''vigiles'' were under the command of the [[aedile]]s and the ''[[vicomagister|vicomagistri]]''. There were only 6,000 ''vigiles'' and they were all slaves.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Nippel|first=Wilfried|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YkSCtairYG4C&q=Vigiles|title=Public Order in Ancient Rome|date=1995-09-21|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0-521-38749-1|language=en}}</ref> In 22 AD they were commanded by the ''[[praefectus vigilum]]'', who was of [[equestrian (Roman)|equestrian]] rank, and ''subpraefectus'' and were divided into seven [[Cohort (military unit)|cohort]]s commanded by a [[tribune]]. Usually tribunes would begin their career by commanding a unit of the Vigiles.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|last=Harvey|first=Brian K.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1hPpDwAAQBAJ&q=Vigiles&pg=PA61|title=Roman Lives, Corrected Edition|date=2015-06-03|publisher=Hackett Publishing|isbn=978-1-58510-975-3|language=en}}</ref> Each cohort was divided into seven [[Centuria|centuries]], each of 70&ndash;80 men commanded by a ''[[centurion]]''. Each cohort patrolled two of the city's fourteen administrative ''regiones''. The ''vigiles'' were made up of [[freedman|freedmen]] by this time.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book|last=Southern|first=Pat|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NqHvmQGx2iUC&q=Vigiles&pg=PT136|title=The Roman Army: A Social and Institutional History|date=2006|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=978-1-85109-730-2|language=en}}</ref> The cohorts were doubled in size in AD 205.

The ''vigiles'' also acted as a night watch, keeping an eye out for burglars and [[Slavery in ancient Rome#Fugitive slave-catching|hunting down runaway slaves]], and were on occasion used to maintain order in the streets. Their most famous prefect, [[Naevius Sutorius Macro]], succeeded [[Sejanus|Lucius Aelius Sejanus]] as Prefect of the [[Praetorian Guard]] after his men had been used by the Emperor [[Tiberius]] to retake control of the city from Sejanus's soldiers.

''Vigiles'' were stationed at the harbour cities of [[Ostia Antica (archaeological site)|Ostia]] and [[Portus]]. A ''[[vexillatio]]'' (detachment) of four centuries was detached from Rome for four months at a time, with two centuries being stationed at each city.

During the [[Great Fire of Rome]], the vigiles took to looting the city rather than enforcing law and fighting the fires.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Erdkamp|first=Paul|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yaM0AAAAQBAJ&q=Vigiles|title=The Cambridge Companion to Ancient Rome|date=2013-09-05|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0-521-89629-0|language=en}}</ref>

The ''vigiles'' appear to have lost their status as an independent unit and come under the authority of the [[Praetorian Guard|Praetorian prefects]] sometime in the early 3rd century.{{cn|date=November 2023}}