Definition of Roman Centurion
Miscellanea / / July 04, 2021
By Javier Navarro, in May. 2018
The legions of Ancient Rome were a key piece in the expansion of the civilization Roman in the ancient world. After a military victory over a conquered region, the legionaries set about building roads, bridges, and aqueducts. Within the legions there was a military rank of singular strategic value, the centurion.
The Roman century and the chain of command
The centurion was the officer in command of a century, a military unit that was not made up of a hundred soldiers but for eighty (the military establishment adopted the word century, which was originally related to the administration civil).
This officer had the support of three collaborators: the optio acted as the centurion's direct lieutenant, the tessararius was in charge of the safety and the passwords and the signifer had the responsibility to carry the banner of each century.
Each Roman legion was divided into different tactical units known as cohorts. All the legions had a hierarchy controls with a very well defined structure. At the top of the command was the emperor. The prime ministers were known as Prefects of Praetorium and had the highest military responsibility. At a next level was the general, who could be a Praetor or a Consul.
Another important figure was the Legacy, which equates to the rank of legion commander. At an intermediate level were the officers and centurions.
Historians who are experts in the military world consider that the centurion had a fundamental role, since his function was to impose discipline and effectiveness in troops, especially on the battlefield. The centurions had several categories: the highest ranking was the Primus Pilus, then came the Princeps prior, the Hastatus prior, the later Princeps and the Posterior Hastatus.
As a general criterion, each legion had 59 centurions.
Access to centurion status
Those who managed to access this rank did so in three different ways: internal promotion within the army, for to have been chosen by the members of the Senate or after a promotion from the praetorian guard of the own emperor.
On the other hand, these warriors had to meet certain prerequisites: they had to know how to read and to write, they had to be at least 30 years old, it was necessary that they demonstrate courage and courage on the battlefield and, logically, be citizen Roman.
Photos: Fotolia - Laufer / Javier Cuadrado
Themes in Roman Centurion