![]() On retirement they could be eligible for employment as Lictors. They seemed to receive their status according to their rank. The vine-stick mentioned above by Tacitus was called a "vitis" it was a symbol of the centurion's authority and the implement with which they would mete out punishment.Įvidence suggests that centurions had important social status and held powerful positions in society. In The Annals, Tacitus tells the story of one known as 'Cedo Alteram' - which roughly translates to 'Gimme Another': "The mutinous soldiers thrust out the tribunes and the camp-prefect they plundered the baggage of the fugitives, and then killed a centurion, Lucilius, to whom, with soldier's humour, they had given the nickname 'Gimme Another', because when he had broken one vine-stick across a soldier's back, he would call in a loud voice for another. It is for these reasons that they often suffered a disproportionate number of casualties.īelow the centurions were the optiones, seconds-in-command of centuries.īeing held personally responsible for the training and discipline of the legionaries under their command, centurions had a well-deserved reputation for dealing out harsh punishment. They also sought to display the skill and courage that may have brought them to their rank in the first place. They led and inspired their men by example. They could be identified by the transverse horse-hair crest on top of their helmet, their metal greaves and (unlike the legionaries) the sword worn on the left, like all Roman officers. They usually led from the front, occupying a position at the front right of the century formation. Ĭenturions often suffered heavy casualties in battle, generally fighting alongside the legionaries they commanded. Nonetheless, although not directly comparable to modern ranks, the various centurion grades may be loosely compared to modern junior and middle officer grades. If this case were strictly so, then there would be a lack of centurions in peacetime garrisons, which is where the Roman Army mostly spent its time. Other 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 valor. Centurions could be elected, appointed by the Senate, or promoted "from the ranks" for a variety of reasons. Only eight officers in a fully officered legion outranked the Primus Pilus: the legate ( legatus legionis), commanding the legion the senior tribune ( tribunus laticlavus), second-in-command of the legion the Camp Prefect ( praefectus castrorum) and the five other tribunes ( tribuni angusticlavii), who apparently served as senior staff officers to the legate with a rank roughly equivalent to a modern colonel.Ĭomparisons between the centurion grades and modern officer ranks can lead to many incorrect assumptions. The Primus Pilus was so called because his own century was the first file ( primus pilus) of the first (rightmost) cohort. There was little difference between the ranks of centurions except for the "Primus pilus." The Primus Pilus 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. The very best centurions were then promoted to become centurions in the First Cohort, called Primi Ordines, commanding one of the ten 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. ![]() Gaius Julius Caesar, for instance, made the first century double strength.Ĭenturions seemed to receive a much higher rate of pay than the average legionary, twice as much or more (possibly as much as 17 times as much as a legionary soldier ). Later, generals and Caesars further manipulated these numbers with double and half-strength units. Centuries, or centuriae, developed from the Roman tribal system under the Servian reforms and could contain 200 to 1000 men. In the Roman infantry, centurions initially commanded a centuria or "century". Illustration of a Roman centurion from the 1880 book Young Folks' History of Rome. 2 The qualities necessary for the centurionĪ cenotaph to Marcus Caelius, a centurion of Legio XVIII, killed at the Battle of Teutoburger Wald. ![]()
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