Evocatus

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An evocatus (pl.: evocati) was a soldier in the Ancient Roman army who had served out his time and obtained an honorable discharge (honesta missio) but had voluntarily enlisted again at the invitation of the consul or other commander.^[1]

Significance and tasks

There always existed a considerable number of evocati in every army of importance, and when the general was a favorite among the soldiers, the number of veterans who joined his standard naturally increased. The evocati were officially released, like the vexillarii, from common military duties such as fortifying the camp and making roads.^[2]

Ranking

Evocati held a higher rank in the army than common

The name evocati was also applied to a select body of young men of the equestrian order who were appointed by Emperor Domitian to guard his bedchamber.^[14] This body is supposed by some writers to have existed under succeeding emperors and to have been the same as that consisting of those known as evocati augusti.^[15][16]

References

Citations