The history of the victories of Ancient Rome is truly vast, thanks to which the state managed to dominate the region for a long time. Moreover, many may believe that good luck in the wars in which the empire participated is the sole merit of the legate. As evidence, we can recall the conquests of Caesar in Gaul or Pompey in Spain. But it is the centurion - this is the main smith of the military victories of the Roman Empire. Being the most experienced in the army and as close as possible to the direct executors of orders, he regulated the entire course of the battle on his site. More precisely, he is not alone, but a multitude of centurions, middle-level military leaders directly involved in the battles.
Who is a centurion?
A centurion is a military leader who controls a hundred soldiers of the legion, formed from among the citizens of the state. In a literal translation, his title means "a hundredth head" and is read as "centurion". A centurion is the direct commander of a century, a military formation of the legion or auxilia, traditionally consisting of 10 contubernias.
The latter consisted of 8 military specialists who lived in the camp under one roof. Therefore, the centurion is a military leader over about 80 soldiers, who has a deputy, a guard commander and is marked with his own banner. Larger formations were also under the control of centurions of the highest rank: cohort, manipula, vexillation.
Centurion Hierarchy
In the legion, which consisted of 10 cohorts, there were 60 military specialists with the title of centurion. As you know, the first cohort was the largest. It consisted of five doubled centuries, whose commander is a centurion of the first rank. There were 5 such specialists in total. The remaining centurions are military men with a lower rank. Since they controlled fewer subordinates, they were of less value in battle. Therefore, the rank grew more slowly than the rest.
The highest position available to the centurion was primipil. To achieve it, it was necessary to go through all the higher cohorts in order, achieving success in them as centurions. However, this is unlikely. After all, then the combat readiness of the army was undermined due to the frequent change of leaders in the centuries. And in order to receive the title of primipil from taking office after receiving an appointment from the legate, it was necessary to change the position 60 times. Therefore, we have to admit that while the order of centurion growth along the career ladder of history is unknown.
The role of the centurions in the wars of Rome
In the Roman army, the centurion is a military man who received a salary 2-3 times greater than that of a simple specialist soldier. With the growth of his position, his salary grew, but he had more responsibility to the legate and primipil. The centurion is a title that has been preserved both in the legion and in auxilia. The latter was a military formation, in structure resembling a legion, but consisting of soldiers recruited not from among the citizens of the Roman Republic.
Assessing the course of the battles at that time, you can clearly understand who the centurion is in ancient Rome. The main smith of victory, thanks to which the commander got laurels, a warrior who directly participated in the battle and commanded a mobile combat unit. He is the most experienced soldier of his century. This meant that he was giving orders to change positions and attack. Therefore, in the army of Ancient Rome there was no contention and confusion on the battlefield, since their immediate supervisor was nearby and, having clear instructions, implemented them at the place where his century was at the moment.