ok people we are losing viewers so we are going to put hacks at the title but there will not be hacks
ok we are also going to chanse the ranks of the army here is my word doc.
The Ranks Of The Roman Copiae - The Legions
Senior Officers
Legate (Legatus) This is an example of the class system in action as only men of the Senatorial or Noble class could command a legion. The commanders of the legions were of two types: Legatus Propraetor, a senator or ex-consul given command of a legion or legions on provincial service who was also the provincial governor of the region, and Legatus Legionis, an experienced commander given command of one of the city of Rome’s Legions.
Tribunes (Tribunus) In any Legion there were six Tribunes. The senior Tribune (Tribunus Laticlavius) acting as second in command was from the Senatorial or Noble class to enable him to hold the rank, and have the ability to command the Junior Tribunes (Tribuni Angusticlavi) from the lower Equestrian class
Praefectus Castrorum (Camp Prefect) This officer was normally a time served Centurion Hastatus prior who had been made a member of equestrian rank on retirement. This experienced officer was the legions battle commander and was second in command during hostilities even though he was originally of a lower social status than the Tribunes.
In support there were five Junior Tribunes (Tribuni Angusticlavii) who were from the Equestrian class. Nearly all these Equestrian class Tribunes had commanded in a variety of units to gain experience.
Centurio (Centurion) An officer in command of a centuria often regarded as a unit of 100 but normally around 80 men in each century. There were various levels of seniority amongst the legions Senior Centurions based upon their cohorts position in the legions battle formation, and their centuries position in the cohort. The rank in order of seniority within a cohort was,
- Centurion Hastatus Prior. or first spear. Often known as the Primus Pilus. This officer was the senior centurion of the legion commanding the first cohort, a successful Centurion Hastatus Prior was often made a member of equestrian rank on retirement.
Junior Officers
- Centurion Princeps Prior. or first leader.
- Centurion Pilus Prior. or first lowest.
They were in turn supported by junior Centurions,
- Centurion Hastatus Posterior. or rear spear.
- Centurion Princeps Posterior. or rear leader.
- Centurion Pilus Posterior. or rear lowest.
Each Centurion was in command of a century of 80 men from the time of Augustus onward 30 BC, prior to that a century consisted of 120 men
Non commissioned officers
Optio Centuriae (Optio Centurion a rear rank officer rated as a Duplicarius). This officer was appointed from the ranks by his Centurion, it was his duty to command the rear of the century and act as the centuries second in command. His badge of office was a wooden staff or rod, often used to back his orders. In order to be visible in action the Optio Centuriae had helmets with black and white plumes, mounted fore and aft with the tail hanging at the rear of the helmet.
Tesserarius (watch officer) responsible for the distribution of the watch words issued by the commanding officer to the guard commanders, and preventing any unauthorised use.
Cornicularius (administrator) the military title, given to administrative deputy of the Legate and various Senior officers.
Decanus Commanded the smallest unit in the legion known as an octet or contubernium or eight man unit. This unit shared a tent and travelled and fought together, ten contubernium made up a century.
Aquilifer(The eagle bearer) The legions eagle was the physical representation of the legion. If the eagle was lost the legion was disgraced and the unit was often disbanded.
Signifer (The standard bearer) Each century and cohort had a standard bearer. The standard (signum) was the units emblem, typically three disc emblems mounted vertically. These displayed the units awards and decorations, the top of the standard had an emblem commonly a spear, a hand or a wreath.
Imaginifer (barer of the standard with the image of the Emperor). This was a rank dating from the reign of Augustus 27 BC - 14 AD, and was to encourage the troops loyalty to the Emperor. The Imaginifer was only stationed in the leading cohort.
Vexillarius or vexillifer (flag bearer) the vexillum (the flag) was hung from its top edge from a ‘T’ shaped flag staff, this slowly fell out of use the Praetorian Guard were the last unit to use the device. A Vexillation Fortress has been named after a company standard and a company men. The cavalry equivalent was the draconarius who carried the standard known as a draco.
Cornicularius (administrator) this was the rank held by the administrative assistant to the Legate or other high ranking officers.
Cornicen (The horn blower) Worked with the signifer drawing the attention of the men to the centurion’s signals and issuing the audible commands of the officers. The horn was a coiled circular instrument carried on the shoulder of the Cornicen.
The Ordinary Legionary Ranks
Discens (Legionary in special training).Ranked slightly higher than the ordinary Legionary, if only for the fact he received extra pay.
Miles (Ordinary Legionary) and Miles Gregarius(Ordinary Legionary of good standing) the title was granted for conduct in battle, or good conduct. Munifex is not a rank it means a Miles who is fit for duty.
Do not confuse with the term Clibanarius this was a Miles clad in heavy armour and not a rank. These men were grouped in units of 80 to form a century. Two centuries formed a Maniple or Manlpulus. Three Maniples were grouped to form a Cohort. This changed in 106 BC when reforms abolished the Maniple, reorganising the legions 30 Maniples into 10 Cohorts.
Tiro Newly recruited Legionary in training.
Special Duty Unusual Or Rarely Used Ranks
Beneficiarius.A beneficiarius was a rank given to a senior soldier chosen from the legionary troops. He served as an orderly assigned to a senior officer, to serve as the officers aide. Often assigned administrative duties, collecting customs duty or tax or overseeing the policing of a district. There were many other duties assigned to this rank.
- Beneficiarius Consularis - Consular aid.
- Beneficiarius Tribuni - aid to a Tribune.
- Beneficiarius Haruspices - seers.
- Beneficiarius Interpretes - interpreters.
- Beneficiarius Notarii - secretaries.
- Beneficiarius Librarii - archivists.
- Beneficiarius Exceptores - short-hand writers.
- Beneficiarius Exacti - recorders.
- Beneficiarius Haruspices - seers.
- Beneficiarius Classis - fleet quartermaster.
Triplicarius. This was a very rare rank it was given to a senior soldier who had achieved status by experience and was rewarded by a rate of pay three times that of an ordinary legionary.
Duplicarius or Sesquiplicarius Salararius a rank that was signified by a pay fate 50% greater than a legionary and the rank Optaio often came with the pay grade.
Curator Veteranorum (A commander of a veteran Legionary unit) a unit commander of men serving beyond their retirement age. These men were held in service or brought out of retirement in time of civil unrest or emergency.
Missicus (A retired veteran Legionary) these veteran soldiers received a land grant to enable them to settle into civilian life. These men and their families were often the first settlers in newly conquered lands.
Support Personel
Explorator (A scout) the term also applied to spies, working with the forward units.
Mensor (A surveyor) and a team of surveyors was referred to as Metatore.
Capsarius(Dctor) or Medicus (Dctor or field medic) the Roman army had a very proficient army medical service, not equalled for 1400 years.
Cerarius (A book keeper) named after the cera the wax tablet he always used.
Mulio (A mule driver) part of the impedimenta (baggage train) mainly used for carrying the tents, food and tools. The troops were able to travel through hostile territory uncluttered and ready to fight.
Cannae caused the reforms that fuelled the expansion of the Empire. And defeat in the Teutoburg Forest halted the expansion of the empire into Germany, altering the development of modern Europe.
Although Cromwell tried to change this by promoting men due to their ability.
Families of this rank owned massive estates and produced vast amounts of food.
Purple in colour.
Also equivalent to knights.
Travellers were often captured on the road and sold on as proceeds of the robbery.
To avoid confusion, there are no comparisons to ranks in a modern army.
Avoiding an inexperienced officer (promoted due to status) making mistakes in battle. The example of Gellius Publicola and Gnaeus Cornelius Lentulus Clodianus, both with a legion, who lost against Spartacus due to inexperience.
Also known as Ordinarius.
Dating from Rome’s Etruscan beginnings it meant the command of one hundred men, this number of men was the standard unit size to muster in times of war. Later in the early years of Rome’s expansion a century had 120 men later this was reduced to 100 and in the time of the Emperors it was /reduced again to 80 men.
Miles entered the English language as a measurement of distance due to the law that allowed a Roman soldier to make a local(s) carry his baggage for a mile. Referred to in the scriptures as Go the extra mile.
See the Roman fleet entry.
Organization of the Roman Imperial Legion
| A full strength legion was officially made up of 6,000 men, but typically all legions were organized at under strength and generally consisted of approximately 5,300 fighting men including officers. It is difficult to determine whether non-combatants like field surgeons and clerks were included in the 5,300 or helped bring the total number of men up to the official 6,000.
The basic structure of the army is as follows:
Contubernium: (tent group) consisted of 8 men.
Centuria: (century) was made up of 10 contubernium with a total of 80 men commanded by a centurion
Cohorts: (cohort) included 6 centuriae or a total of 480 fighting men, not including officers. In addition the first cohort was double strength but with only 5 centuriae instead of the normal 6.
Legio: (Legion) consisted of 10 cohorts.
Additionally each Legion had a 120 man Alae (cavalry unit) called the Eques Legionis permanently attached to it possibly to be used as scouts and messengers.
Therefore the total fighting strength of a Legion:
The First Cohort totaling 800 men (5 double-strength centuries with 160 men each) 9 Cohors (with 6 centuries at 80 men each) for a total 4,320, and an additional 120 man cavalry for a grand total of 5,240 men not including all the officers.
The basic designation of the 10 cohors was the same throughout all the Legions. They were arranged in battle so that the strongest and weakest units would be mixed throughout the formation maximizing moral and effectiveness
Cohort I: Was made up of the elite troops. Its direct commander was the Primus Pilus, the highest ranking and most respected of all the Centurions.
Cohort II: Consisted of some of the weaker or newest troops.
Cohort III: No special designation for this unit.
Cohort IV: Another of the four weak cohorts.
Cohort V: Again, no special designation.
Cohort VI: Made up of “The Finest of the Young Men”.
Cohort VII: One of the four weak cohorts and a likely place to find trainees and raw recruits.
Cohort VIII: Contained “The Selected Troops”.
Cohort IX: One of the four weak cohorts and a likely place to find trainees and raw recruits.
Cohort X: Made up of “The Good Troops”.
Roman Legionary Ranks
The following list indicates ranks from highest command to lowest common soldier:
Senior Officers of the Roman Legion
Legatus Legionis: The overall Legionary commander. This post was generally appointed by the emperor, was a former Tribune and held command for 3 or 4 years, although could serve for a much longer period. In a province with only one legion, the Legatus was also the provincial governor and in provinces with multiple legions, each legion has a Legatus and the provincial governor has overall command of them all.
Tribunus Laticlavius: Named for the broad striped toga worn by men of senatorial rank. This tribune was appointed by the Emperor or the Senate. Though generally quite young and less experienced than the Tribuni Angusticlavii, he served as second in command of the legion, behind the Legate.
Praefectus Castrorum: The camp Prefect. Generally he was a long serving veteran who had been promoted through the ranks of the centurions and was 3rd in overall command.
Tribuni Angusticlavii: Each legion had 5 military tribunes of equestrian (knight) class citizens. They were in many cases career officers and served many of the important administrative tasks of the Legion, but still served in a full tactical command function during engagements.
Primus Pilus: The “First File” was the commanding centurion of the first cohort and the senior centurion of the entire Legion. Service in this position also allowed entry into the equestrian social class upon retirement.
Mid-Level Officers in the Roman Legion
Centurions: Each Legion had 59 or 60 centurions, one to command each centuria of the 10 cohorts. They were the backbone of the professional army and were the career soldiers who ran the day to day life of the soldiers as well as issuing commands in the field. They were generally moved up from the ranks, but in some cases could be direct appointments from the Emperor or other higher ranking officials. The cohorts were ranked from the First to the Tenth and the Centuria within each cohort ranked from 1 to 6, with only 5 Centuria in the First Cohort (For a total of 59 Centuria and the Primus Pilus). The Centuria that each Centurion commanded was a direct reflection of his rank. (Command of the First Centuria of the First Cohort was the highest and the 6th Centuria of the 10th Cohort was the lowest). The 5 Centurions of the First Cohort were called the Primi Ordines, and included the Primus Pilus. Additional ranks are highlighted here:
Pilus Prior: The commander of the first cohort of each Centuria (except the first), with the following titles for the Centurions in sequence throughout each Centuria.
The following chart identifies the centurion command structure of each century, cohort and legion, including their typical battle arrangement with strongest from right to left. The bracketed name in each column signifies the actual title of that officer. For example: the Quintus Princeps Posterior was the commander of the 4th century of the 5th cohort.
|
Centuria
|
Cohort V
|
Cohort IIII
|
Cohort III
|
Cohort II
|
Cohort I
|
|
I
|
(Quintus) Pilus Prior |
(Quartus) Pilus Prior |
(Tertius) Pilus Prior |
(Secundus) Pilus Prior |
Primus Pilus |
|
II
|
Pilus Posterior |
Pilus Posterior |
Pilus Posterior |
Pilus Posterior |
|
III
|
Princeps Prior |
Princeps Prior |
Princeps Prior |
Princeps Prior |
(Primus) Princeps |
|
IIII
|
Princeps Posterior |
Princeps Posterior |
Princeps Posterior |
Princeps Posterior |
Hastatus |
|
V
|
Hastatus Prior |
Hastatus Prior |
Hastatus Prior |
Hastatus Prior |
Princeps Posterior |
|
VI
|
Hastatus Posterior |
Hastatus Posterior |
Hastatus Posterior |
Hastatus Posterior |
Hastatus Posterior |
|
Centuria
|
Cohort X
|
Cohort VIIII
|
Cohort VIII
|
Cohort VII
|
Cohort VI
|
|
I
|
(Decimus) Pilus Prior |
(Nonus) Pilus Prior |
(Octavus) Pilus Prior |
(Septimus) Pilus Prior |
(Sextus) Pilus Prior |
|
II
|
Pilus Posterior |
Pilus Posterior |
Pilus Posterior |
Pilus Posterior |
Pilus Posterior |
|
III
|
Princeps Prior |
Princeps Prior |
Princeps Prior |
Princeps Prior |
Princeps Prior |
|
IIII
|
Princeps Posterior |
Princeps Posterior |
Princeps Posterior |
Princeps Posterior |
Princeps Posterior |
|
V
|
Hastatus Prior |
Hastatus Prior |
Hastatus Prior |
Hastatus Prior |
Hastatus Prior |
|
VI
|
Hastatus Posterior |
Hastatus Posterior |
Hastatus Posterior |
Hastatus Posterior |
Hastatus Posterior |
Low-Level Officers in the Roman Legion
Princepales: The Princepales would be the equivalent of modern day non-commissioned officers and had the following rank structures from highest to lowest.
Aquilifer: A single position within the Legion. The Aquilifer was the Legion’s Standard or Eagle bearer and was an enormously important and prestigious position. The next step up would be a post as a Centurion.
Signifer: Each Centuria had a Signifer (59). He was responsible for the men’s pay and savings, and the standard bearer for the Centurial Signum, a spear shaft decorated with medallions and often topped with an open hand to signify the oath of loyalty taken by the soldiers. It was this banner that the men from each individual Centuria would rally around. A soldier could also gain the position of Discentes signiferorum, or standard bearer in training.
Optio:One for each Centurion (59), they were appointed by the Centurion from within the ranks to act as his second in command.
Tesserarius: (Guard Commander) Again there were 59 of these, or one for each Centuria. They acted in similar roles to the Optios.
Cornicen: (Horn blower) They worked hand in hand with the Signifer drawing the attention of the men to the Centurial Signum and issuing the audible commands of the officers.
Imaginifer: Carried the Standard bearing the image of the Emperor as a constant reminder of the troop’s loyalty to him.
The Rank and File of the Roman Legion
Immunes: These were trained specialists, such as surgeons, engineers, surveyors, and architects, as well as craftsmen. They were exempt from camp and hard labor duties due to the nature of their work, and would generally earn slightly more pay than the Milites.
Discens: Milites in training for an immunes position.
Milites Gregarius: The basic private level foot soldier.
Tirones: The basic new recruit. A Tirones could take up to 6 months before becoming a full Milites. |
The Cavalry (Equitatus) and Auxiliary
| As Romans were never considered exceptionally good horsemen, and the role of the cavalry not as important in the Roman thought process, the Equitatus was generally made up of non-Roman horsemen. While they would play an important part of Legionary tactics, the Roman Cavalry was considered secondary and would remain the weakest part of the Roman Army until the very late Imperial period.
Generally, the cavalry was used as light skirmishing troops, and mounted archers whose job was to patrol, act as scouts and messengers and to provide a mobile defensive screen while the legion was massing in battle array. As in all armies throughout history, the mounted trooper was also very effective in chasing down and harassing a fleeing and panicked enemy force.
Basic Organization of the Roman Cavalry
Ala Quingenaria: The typical Auxillary cavalry unit was broken down as follows:
Turmae: The smallest basic unit of cavalry. One Turma consisted of 32 troopers or Eques Alaris. The Turmae were under the command of a Decurion.
Alae: Meaning “wing” the basic alae was composed of 512 men, a total of 16 turmae.
Ala Milliariae: A larger formed unit with the same structure. It was composed of up to 32 alae or roughly up to 1,000 troopers.
Equites Legionis: These were the cavalry units attached directly to the Legion and were considered regular Legionaries of immunes rank. Originally they consisted of 120 men but may have been upwards of 1,000 men like the Ala Milliariae. Generally this unit would fall under the command of a Centurion or an Optio.
Cohortes Equitatae: These units were composed of a mix of infantry and cavalry but were generally only organized when the need arose.
Cohors Quingenaria: Composed of 120 infantry and 380 cavalry.
Cohors Milliaria Requitata: Composed of 240 infantry and 760 cavalry.
Equites Singulares: Both the Emperor and Provincial Governors could have cavalry contingents as bodyguards. Those protecting the Emperor were called Equites Singulares Augusti, and will be further explained in the Praetorian Guard section.
Types of Roman Cavalry
Lancearii or Antesignani: The Roman light cavalry, the Equites Legionis was generally this type of trooper.
Conttarii: These troop types were created under the reign of Trajan probably to counter the cavalry of the Sarmatian people and carried the heavy lance (contus).
Cataphractii or Clibanarii: This heavy cavalry was developed in the east and probably first appeared in Roman service under Hadrian. They were completely armored from head to toe to counter archers.
Sagittarii: Mounted archers.
Roman Cavalry Ranks
The following list indicates a general chain of command and various titles within the cavalry:
- Praefectus Alae or Praefectus Equitum: Cavalry commander, could be either Roman or a non-Roman.
- Decurion: Commanded a single turmae.
- Duplicarius: Second in command to the Decurion.
- Sesquiplicarius: Third in command to the Decurion.
- Eques or Eques Alaris: A cavalryman or auxiliary cavalryman.
The cavalry also maintained several positions of the infantry like the princepales.
Some other titles in no particular order:
Centurio Exercitator: Cavalry training officer.
Eques Speculator: A mounted scout.
Eques Stablesianus: Cavalry stablehand.
Eques Sapsarius: Mounted medical personnel.
Basic Organization of the Auxiliary Infantry
While the Legion itself was essentially heavy infantry of Roman citizens the auxilliaries were non-citizens and apart from cavalry were used as light infantry and missile troops. The basic unit structure is explained above in the cavalry section.
Auxiliary Infantry Ranks
The Praefectus Alae of a 1,000-man strong cavalry unit was the highest rank attainable in the auxiliary followed by the same title of a 500-man cavalry unit.
Tribunus Cohortis: A commander of a 1,000 man strong infantry or mixed unit.
Praefectus Cohortis: Commander of a typical 500 man unit composed of mixed troops.
The rank and file fell under the command of Centurions along with a similar command structure to that of the regular Legion. |
Gear and Tactics
| Velites - The poorest citizen class allowed to serve was known by several names throughout Roman history, yet each played a similar part. The Velites (Ferentarii, Procubitores, or Leves in earlier times) were not organized as their own particular units but were attached to the Hastati Maniples. These units were lightly armed skirmishers who were deployed en masse on the battlefield in front of the heavier infantry lines, but moved back beyond the Hastati after discharging their javelins as the enemy approached. The Velites were also an important part of defense against war elephants. Using their greater mobility, due to lighter armament, Velites could avoid elephant charges and flank them. Spearing the elephants in the sides as they passed was a proven tactic.
The Velites were armed with the light javelin, or hasta velitaris, hence the name, and a gladius similar to that of their heavier infantry counterparts. Much like the Pilum, or the heavier javelin used by the main infantry, the velitaris was equipped with a finely sharpened and thin point making it bend upon impact, thereby reducing its ability to be re-issued in retaliation by the enemy. Their armor consisted of a light headpiece, generally covered by a wolf hide or similar animal. For body armor, they wore what they could afford, likely simple bronze chest plates or similar materials if anything at all. Additionally, the Velites were equipped with a small buckler or parma, for use in melee combat, though it was preferred that the Velites leave such action to their heavier armed counterparts.
Hastati - These were the first line of the Roman heavy infantry and were made up of the relatively young (inexperienced), but wealthier citizens. They wore a complete suit of defensive armor, consisting of the Legionary classic shield, or scutum, a simple bronze helmet (galea), a bronze breastplate or cuirass, and possibly leg greaves (ocrea). Those Hastati at the highest scale of wealth might have afforded better protection offered by chain breast mail, but it was likely uncommon for this class. Their weapons consisted of the classic legionary gear, including the pilum and gladius. Their helmets were adorned with purple and black feather plumes, ranging up to 18 inches in height. This was added to increase their apparent physical size and possibly appear more intimidating to the enemy.
The Hastati were the primary engaging force of the Republican legion and always met the enemy first in melee combat. If things went badly, or they simply needed to rest and regroup, the Hastati would roll behind the Princeps, and do so interchangeably until they were ready to re-engage.
Princeps - These were simply considered the elite of the Republican legion. They were in the prime of their careers for age and experience, and constituted the wealthier class of the citizen soldier. They were therefore the best equipped, though in a similar fashion to that of the Hastati. Aside from the likelihood of using scaled armor, or chain, rather than simple bronze breastplates, both weaponry and other armor was the same. It was simply the obligation of the Princeps to win the battle. First they would act in relief of the Hastati, but then would carry the fight in earnest. It was an interesting and successful tactic, wearing down the enemy with good, but not your best forces, than hitting with your best men right in the middle of the fight.
Triarii - Though the triarii were similarly armored as the Hastatii and Princeps, they played a much different role and were more akin to the Greek hoplites than Roman heavy infantry. The Triarii were usually the oldest and very experienced of the Roman army, and their job was to defend against disaster as a last resort, or to shock the enemy with a different look at the right moment. The Triarii were armed with the Roman equivalent of the phalanx style spear, the Hastae. If the heavy infantry were pushed back, the Triarii would charge forward with their spears, hopefully with the effect of shocking the enemy and allowing the Princeps and Hastati time to regroup. They were used as a last resort, and the Latin expression ‘ad triarios redisse’, or it has come to the triarii, became a general phrase meaning that something was in a desperate situation.
Cavalry - The Republican cavalry was designed for speed of movement, and were similarly equipped to the Hastati. Their general duty was to provide scouting and potential fast moving support to weakening parts of a battle line. At times the cavalry could be used to turn a flank or deliver a shock at the right moment, but their limited number generally made their capabilities limited. As the Romans were not considered great natural horsemen, the great effectiveness of cavalry in the Roman army didn’t come until the inclusion of various auxilia cavalry like that of the Gauls and Germanics.
General Tactics
Prior to the great wars against Carthage, Roman strategy, and their enemy counterparts, was relatively simple. Most battles consisted of a straight march against one another, with little though of complicating matters. As most armies were levied and used on a need basis, initial and continued training was limited. Until the Punic Wars, Rome rarely maintained any semblance of a continual standing army, and it was just too risky to attempt many complex maneuvers with inadequately trained or experienced troops. The wars with Pyrrhus of Epirus, and of course those with Carthage changed everything entirely, and the Roman battle strategies were forced to adapt. Years of brutal losses to Hannibal can be partially attributed to this fact, and of course to Hannibal’s own brilliance on the battlefield. Until the rise of Scipio Africanus, there were few Roman commanders who implemented a great deal of strategy other than a straight frontal assault on an enemy position. |
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