The Cornuti was an auxilia palatina

Auxilia palatina

Auxilia palatina were infantry units of the Late Roman army, first raised by Constantine I as part of the new field army he created in about 325....

unit of the Late Roman army

Late Roman army

The Late Roman army is the term used to denote the military forces of the Roman Empire from the accession of Emperor Diocletian in 284 until the Empire's definitive division into Eastern and Western halves in 395. A few decades afterwards, the Western army disintegrated as the Western empire...

, active in the 4th and 5th century. It was probably related to the Cornuti seniores and the Cornuti iuniores.

History

According to some scholars, they are depicted on the Arch of Constantine

Arch of Constantine

The Arch of Constantine is a triumphal arch in Rome, situated between the Colosseum and the Palatine Hill. It was erected to commemorate Constantine I's victory over Maxentius at the Battle of Milvian Bridge on October 28, 312...

, as the Germanic soldiers who are shown wearing horned helmet

Helmet

A helmet is a form of protective gear worn on the head to protect it from injuries.Ceremonial or symbolic helmets without protective function are sometimes used. The oldest known use of helmets was by Assyrian soldiers in 900BC, who wore thick leather or bronze helmets to protect the head from...

s. On the relief representing the Battle of Verona (312)

Battle of Verona (312)

The Battle of Verona was fought in 312 between the forces of the Roman emperors Constantine I and Maxentius. Maxentius' forces were defeated, and Ruricius Pompeianus, the most senior Maxentian commander, was killed in the fighting.-Background:...

 they are in the first lines, and they are depicted fighting with the bowmen in the relief of the Battle of the Milvian Bridge.

The Cornuti belonged to the comitatus

Comitatenses

Comitatenses is the Latin plural of comitatensis, originally the adjective derived from comitatus , itself rooting in Comes .However, historically it became the accepted name for...

of Gaul

Gaul

Gaul was a region of Western Europe during the Iron Age and Roman era, encompassing present day France, Luxembourg and Belgium, most of Switzerland, the western part of Northern Italy, as well as the parts of the Netherlands and Germany on the left bank of the Rhine. The Gauls were the speakers of...

, and is attested on the northern border since 355. In 357 it was led by the tribunus Bainobaudes in an attack against the Alemanni who had attacked the Roman territory and had later retired on a small island.

In that same year, the Cornuti fought the Alemanni in the Battle of Strasbourg

Battle of Strasbourg

The Battle of Strasbourg, also known as the Battle of Argentoratum, was fought in 357 between the Late Roman army under the Caesar Julian and the Alamanni tribal confederation led by the joint paramount king Chnodomar...

, under the command of the Caesar

Caesar (title)

Caesar is a title of imperial character. It derives from the cognomen of Julius Caesar, the Roman dictator...

Julian. When the Alamannic cavalry caused the Roman equites to flee, the Cornuti and its twin unit, the Brachiati, held the enemy horsemen until Julian rallied the Roman cavalry and brought them back in battle. In this occasion Bainobaudes died.

The Cornuti and the Brachiati were famous for their barritus, a combination of shout and dance step.

The Notitia Dignitatum

Notitia Dignitatum

The Notitia Dignitatum is a unique document of the Roman imperial chanceries. One of the very few surviving documents of Roman government, it details the administrative organisation of the eastern and western empires, listing several thousand offices from the imperial court down to the provincial...

, a document describing civil and military offices in the Western Roman Empire around 420 and in the Eastern Roman Empire in 395 circa, records the existence of the Cornuti seniores under the command of the magister peditum praesentalis of the West. The same source records the existence of the Cornuti iuniores, who fought in the Battle of Adrianople (378) and later part the army of the magister militum praesentalis of the East. Later the Cornuti iuniores were sent to guard the Porta Aurea of Constantinople

Constantinople

Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...

 together with the Leones iuniores, as testified by an inscription date to 413.