Vigiles

Description

Vigiles were stationed around Rome and were responsible for dealing with any unrest that occurred after dark. Keeping the peace was just one part of their work as they also acted as Rome’s fire department. They were equipped with pumps to douse small fires, but a blaze could spread quickly through tight-packed streets, so often buildings were torn down to make fire breaks. Vigiles did this with impressive speed, and men were specially trained to remove roofs and knock down walls. In extreme cases they used onagers to knock down buildings in a matter of seconds.