COBI Praetorian Guard Set 20072

COBI's Praetorian Guard set contains 47 blocks making three figures: two guardsmen in full armour and their prefect mounted on a horse, together with the Aquila, the legionary eagle standard.

The guard that sold the empire

The Praetorians began as a general's personal escort and became the only armed force permanently stationed in Rome itself. That position gave them a power no other unit had, and they used it. They were paid better than the legions, served shorter terms, and stood between every emperor and the city.

The clearest illustration is the year 193. The guard murdered the emperor Pertinax after eighty-seven days in office, then announced that the throne would go to whoever paid them most. Didius Julianus won the auction. He lasted sixty-six days before the legions on the Danube marched on Rome, and the new emperor dissolved the guard entirely and rebuilt it from his own men.

In the COBI range

The prefect's horse makes this one of the few mounted sets in the range. Roman Auxilia (20073) also includes a cavalryman; Romans (20067) supplies line infantry to guard alongside.

Specifications

Pieces: 47 · Figures: 3, including a mounted prefect · Also included: horse and Aquila standard
Box dimensions: 17 × 5 × 14 cm (6.7 × 2.0 × 5.5 in)