Illustrated Companion to the Latin Dictionary/Speculatores

This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Rich, Anthony (1849). The illustrated companion to the Latin dictionary, and Greek lexicon. p. vi. OCLC 894670115. https://archive.org/details/illustratedcompa00rich. 

SPECULA'TORES. Lookers-out; a term applied generally to any persons who acted the part of scouts or spies (Liv. xxii. 33. Sall. Jug. 114.); but specially to a small number of men attached to each Roman legion (Tac. Hist. i. 25. Hirt. B. Hisp. 13. Inscript. ap. Grut. 520. 5. Appian. B. C. v. 132.), whose duty it was to collect information respecting the numbers and motions of the enemy, and to act as aides-de-camp to the general in transmitting his orders to the different divisions of the army. Hirt. B. Afr. 31.

2. Under the Empire, the name was given to a select body of men retained for the service of the prince's person, as a sort of detective force and body guard. (Tac. Hist. i. 24. Ib. ii. 11. Suet. Cal. 44. Claud. 35.) They were armed with a lance (lancea, Suet. l. c. id. Galb. 18.); and are frequently represented on the columns of Trajan and Antoninus in attendance upon the emperor, or keeping guard before his tent, in the manner shown by the example annexed (Speculatores/2.1).

• 
  Speculatores/2.1