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''Droungos'' (Greek: , sometimes δρόγγος, ''drongos'') or ''drungus'' is a late Roman and Byzantine 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". ==History and functions== The term ''drungus'' is first attested in Latin in the late 4th century AD. It derives from Gaulish *''dhrungho'' (see Old Irish ''drong''; Old Breton ''drogn'' or ''drog''), meaning "tribe", "group", "throng" or "crowd". An alternative Germanic etymology (''thrunga'') cited by some historians,〔.〕 originates in 17th-century guesswork which has been rejected by the overwhelming majority of philologists.〔.〕 The earliest usage of ''drungus'' in Latin is non-technical and similarly signifies a generic "band" or "troop", which Vegetius equates to Latin ''globus''.〔Vegetius. ''Epitoma rei Militaris'', III.16 and III.19.〕 The term first occurs in Greek as ''droungos'' () or ''drongos'' (δρόγγος), with the same meaning, in the early 5th century.〔John Chrysostom. ''Epistulae ad Olympiadem'', 4.2.〕 In the late 6th century, the Emperor Maurice (r. 582–602) applies ''droungos'' 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 adverb ''droungisti'' (Greek: δρουγγιστί), with the sense of "in group formation" or "small-group tactics".〔Maurice. ''Strategikon'', III.14 and IV.5.〕 Maurice also occasionally employs ''droungos'' 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 which ''droungos'' became associated in later sources.〔Maurice. ''Strategikon'', I.3 and IX.3; .〕 By the middle of the 7th century, this meaning had been superseded by a new meaning, which it held until the 11th century. The ''droungos'', alternatively known as a ''moira'' (μοίρα), was now formalized as a regular subdivision of a ''tourma'', the chief subdivision of the new ''themata'' (θέματα, singular: θέμα). In turn, each ''droungos'' was composed of several ''banda'' (singular: ''bandon''). Thus each ''moira'' or ''droungos'' was the analogue of a modern regiment or brigade, initially circa 1000 men strong (and hence also referred to as a ''chiliarchia''). On occasion, it could rise to 3000 men, and Emperor Leo VI the Wise (r. 886–912) is recorded as having established ''droungoi'' of only 400 men for the new smaller themes created during his reign.〔.〕 From the late 12th century onwards, the term ''droungos'' was applied to mountainous areas in Greece, 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 earlier ''kleisourai''.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Droungos」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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