In the Roman army, the Præfectus, was the rank of a senior military officer. It was a general term which can be analogized to mean 'commander', where the specific role varies from military unit to military unit. For example, the præfectus alae was the commander of the cavalry units of Rome, the præfectus classis was a fleet commander. The top rank in the Prætorian Guard was called the Præfectus (Prefect). In the Roman Legion, the Præfectus was 3rd in command, a position given only to men who spent 30 years in the army. Upon retirement from the army, they would be given the status of equestrians in Roman society (non-noble upper class, usually former career soldiers or nobles of prominent military families). Their role would be to organize the Legion, train it, and equip it, as well as over