Droungos (Greek:δροῦγγος, sometimes δρόγγος,drongos) ordrungus is a lateRoman andByzantine term for a battalion-sized military unit, and later for a local command guarding mountain districts. Its commander was a "droungarios" or "drungarius" (δρουγγάριος), anglicized as "Drungary".
The termdrungus is first attested inLatin in the late 4th century AD. It derives fromGaulish *dhrungho (seeOld Irishdrong;Old Bretondrogn ordrog), meaning "tribe", "group", "throng" or "crowd". An alternativeGermanic etymology (thrunga) cited by some historians,[1] originates in 17th-century guesswork which has been rejected by the overwhelming majority of philologists.[2] The earliest usage ofdrungus in Latin is non-technical and similarly signifies a generic "band" or "troop", which Vegetius equates to Latinglobus.[3]
The term first occurs in Greek asdroungos (δροῦγγος) ordrongos (δρόγγος), with the same meaning, in the early 5th century.[4] In the late 6th century, the EmperorMaurice (r. 582–602) appliesdroungos to a specific tactical deployment, usually of cavalry, characterised as a compact non-linear grouping suited to outflanking tactics, ambushes and irregular operations. He is the first author to employ the cognate adverbdroungisti (Greek: δρουγγιστί), with the sense of "in group formation" or "small-group tactics".[5] Maurice also occasionally employsdroungos as a generic expression for larger "groupings" or "formations" of troops, though in this sense he refers only to a "division" (meros) and never to a "brigade" (moira) with whichdroungos became associated in later sources.[6]
By the middle of the 7th century, this meaning had been superseded by a new meaning, which it held until the 11th century. Thedroungos, alternatively known as amoira (μοίρα), was now formalized as a regular subdivision of atourma, the chief subdivision of the newthemata (θέματα, singular: θέμα). In turn, eachdroungos was composed of severalbanda (singular:bandon). Thus eachmoira ordroungos was the analogue of a modern regiment or brigade, initially circa 1000 men strong (and hence also referred to as achiliarchia). On occasion, it could rise to 3000 men, and EmperorLeo VI the Wise (r. 886–912) is recorded as having establisheddroungoi of only 400 men for the new smaller themes created during his reign.[7]
From the late 12th century onwards, the termdroungos was applied to mountainous areas inGreece, and was associated with the meaning of "pass" or "mountain range" (zygos). In the 13th century, it also came to designate the military units detailed to guard these locations, similar to the earlierkleisourai.[1]
