0 0 ▁CE , ▁and ▁ten ▁per ▁coh ort ▁after ▁ 2 0 0 ▁CE , ▁with ▁a ▁v ex ill um ▁( flag ) ▁as ▁em blem ▁for ▁each ▁tur ma . ▁ ▁Spe cul ator es ▁August i ▁ ▁The ▁spec ulator es ▁August i ▁were ▁caval ry men ▁assigned ▁to ▁the ▁same ▁tasks ▁as ▁the ▁Spe cul ator es ▁of ▁the ▁leg ions ▁and ▁the ▁auxili ary ▁units ▁( mess engers ▁in ▁charge ▁of ▁transm itting ▁intelligence , ▁and ▁c land est ine ▁agents ). ▁ ▁About ▁ 3 0 0 ▁in ▁total ▁( 3 0 ▁per ▁coh ort ), ▁they ▁formed ▁a ▁unit ▁under ▁the ▁orders ▁of ▁the ▁senior ▁Cent ur ion , ▁the ▁T rec en arius . ▁Selected ▁for ▁their ▁impress ive ▁phys ique , ▁they ▁were ▁used ▁by ▁the ▁Emperor ▁for ▁c land est ine ▁operations ▁and ▁tasks ▁such ▁as ▁arr ests , ▁imprison ment , ▁and ▁execution s . ▁ ▁One ▁of ▁their ▁roles ▁was ▁to ▁accomp any ▁the ▁em peror ▁on ▁his ▁foreign ▁campaign ▁jour ne ys ▁( a ▁role ▁which ▁would ▁later ▁be ▁handled ▁by ▁the ▁Sing ular es / equ ites ▁singular es ▁August i ). ▁Claud ius ▁was ▁in ▁the ▁habit ▁of ▁surrounding ▁himself ▁with ▁Spe cul ator es ▁when ▁att ending ▁d inners . ▁ ▁The ▁close ▁security ▁protection ▁detail ▁of ▁Gal ba , ▁of ▁O th o ▁and ▁the ▁d yn astic ▁line ▁of ▁the ▁F la vi ans ▁appear ▁to ▁have ▁been ▁formed ▁of ▁Spe cul ator es