Tacitus tells a story in The Annals of a centurion known as "Cedo Alteram", which roughly translates to "Fetch Me Another". Below the centurions were the optiones, seconds-in-command of centuries.Ĭenturions were held personally responsible for the training and discipline of the legionaries under their command, and they had a reputation for dealing out harsh punishment. The various centurion grades may be loosely compared to modern junior and middle officer grades. Historians cite examples of them being the first over the enemy's wall or through the breach. Julius Caesar is said to have promoted his centurions for displays of valour. Only eight officers in a fully officered legion outranked the Primus Pilus: the legate ( legatus legionis), commanding the legion the senior tribune ( tribunus laticlavius), second-in-command of the legion the Camp Prefect ( praefectus castrorum) and the five other tribunes ( tribuni angusticlavii) who served as senior staff officers to the legate.Ĭenturions could be elected, appointed by the Senate, or promoted from the ranks for a variety of reasons. The title was carried over to the Imperial legion to denote the seniority of the rank. The Primus Pilus was so called as he was the most senior centurion of the republican Triarii, a manipulus of Triarii being referred to as a Pilus. There was little difference between the ranks of centurions except for the Primus Pilus, who also participated in war councils. All centurions, however senior, had their own allocated century. The most senior centurion of the legion was the Primus Pilus who commanded the first century of the first cohort. The best centurions were then promoted to the first cohort and known as the Primi Ordines, commanding one of the cohort's five centuries and also taking on a staff role. ĭuring the Imperial era, centurions gradually rose in seniority in their cohort, commanding centuries with higher precedence, until commanding the senior century and therefore the whole cohort. Veteran legionaries often worked as tenants of their former centurions. Ĭenturions received a much higher rate of pay than the average legionary. Julius Caesar, for instance, made the first cohort of five double strength centuries. Later, generals and emperors further manipulated these numbers with double and half-strength units. After the so-called " Marian reforms", a century was typically composed of around 80 men, with six such centuries forming a legionary cohort. During the Mid-Republic these centuries were grouped in pairs to make up a maniple, each century consisting of 30–60 men. In the Roman infantry, the centurions commanded a centuria or "century". A Roman Centurio on a portrait medaillon of his grave, 2nd century A.D. Note the prominent display of the vine staff, his sign of office. Role A cenotaph to Marcus Caelius, a centurion of Legio XVIII killed at the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest. In Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, the Byzantine army's centurions were also known by the name kentarch (Kentarches). They were professional officers, analogous to modern NCOs in terms of pay-grade, prestige, and responsibilities. Centurions also served in the Roman navy. The prestigious first cohort was led by the primus pilus, analogous to a junior officer, the most senior centurion in the legion who fulfilled the role of staff officer and senior enlisted advisor and its fourth-in-command who was next in line for promotion to praefectus castrorum, and the primi ordines who were the centurions of the first cohort.Ī centurion's symbol of office was the vine staff, with which they disciplined even Roman citizens, who were otherwise legally protected from corporal punishment by the Porcian Laws. In a Roman legion, centuries were grouped into cohorts and commanded by their senior-most centurion. The size of the century changed over time, and from the first century BC through most of the imperial era was reduced to 80 men. hekatóntarkhos), was a commander, nominally of a century ( Latin: centuria), a military unit originally consisting of 100 legionaries. In the Roman army during classical antiquity, a centurion ( / s ɛ n ˈ tj ʊər i ə n/ Latin: centurio, pl. JSTOR ( July 2010) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message)Ī historical reenactor in Roman centurion costume.Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. This article needs additional citations for verification.
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