NB: Over the centuries, the Romanarmy changed and developed, and conditions often differed somewhat depending on the provinces where the troops were fighting and stationed.
The centurions were professional soldiers, responsible for maintaining discipline in their units and for supervising the fighting on the field.
armor of the centurions was similar to that of other officers, with the exception of their helmets, which were topped with a transverse crest that extended from side to side instead of front to back, the shin protectors (greaves) they wore on their legs, and the vinewood staff they carried to discipline soldiers.
A centurion (Latin: centuriō; Greek: hekatontarchos) was a professional officer of the Romanarmy.
The Romancenturion was distinguished by his uniform: his armor was silvered, he wore his sword on his left side rather than his right, he wore greaves on his legs, and the crest of his helmet may have been turned perpendicular to the front.
Centurions had the privilege of riding on horseback during marches and, if they had been given permission to marry, to live with their family while in garrison.
The Roman Army(Site not responding. Last check: 2007-11-04)
All in all the Romanarmy consisted of 18 centuries of equites, 82 centuries of the first class (of which 2 centuries were engineers), 20 centuries each of the second, third and fourth classes and 32 centuries of the fifth class (of which 2 centuries were trumpeters).
If the Romanarmy had throughout most of the third and fourth century been undergoing a transition, gradually increasing the number of cavalry, then the end of this period of gradual change was brought about by a dreadful disaster.
Roman society was governed by class and so in effect there was three separate army careers possible, that of the common soldier in the ranks, that of the equestrians and that for those destined for command, the senatorial class.
In the Romanarmy, the commanding officer of a legion was called the Legate.
Each centurion had the right, or the option, to appoint a second-in-command for himself, and these men, the equivalents of non-commissioned officers, were known for that reason as optios.
Roman cavalry of the early and middle Empire was organized in alae, units of 500 to 1,000 men divided into squadrons, or turmae, of 30 or 40 horsemen under the command of decurions.
Rome, The Roman Army(Site not responding. Last check: 2007-11-04)
For the Romans the phalanx proved to be too unwieldy a unit to fight on hilly and broken ground and they soon began to change the nature of their battle formations.
Centuriones exercitatores for example were used as training officers for the legionary cavalry and the horse guards of provincial governors and the emperor.
Whereas the centurion led his men from the front, the optio was stationed at the rear of the unit to keep the legionaries from shirking away in combat.
For over a thousand years the Romanarmy was continually at war and this continual state of aggression resulted in the Romanarmy becoming arguably the most efficient in the world.
The soldiers of the Romanarmy were used mainly to keep the empire safe from invasion and to quell uprisings from within the provinces.
In peace or War the Romanarmy played an important role in society and many of the poorer people chose a career in the army because it gave them a good standard of living and the chance to learn a new trade such as building.
There is no main difference between the ancient Romanarmies and today's armies, except that the names and weapons are different.
The bulk of the legion's command was provided by the Centuriate, from the ranks of which came the centurions, all the middle-and lower-ranking commissioned officers of the legion.
The Romancenturion was distinguished by his uniform: his armor was silvered, he wore his sword on his left side rather than his right, and the crest of his helmet was turned so that it went sideways across his helmet like a halo.
Centurion was a professional officer of the Romanarmy.
The Romancenturion was distinguished by his uniform — his armor was silvered, he wore his sword on his left side rather than his right, and the crest of his helmet was turned so that it went sideways across his helmet like a halo.
Centurions had the privilege of riding on horseback during marches, and were allowed to have their family with them when they were being housed in a fort.
It was during this period that the RomanArmy began to establish its own identity by the evolution of new battle tactics, and by adopting new weapons, often copied from their enemies.
Indeed, for most of the first two centuries of Roman rule the army, with the possible exception of the Praetorian guard, seemed to have abandoned its political pretensions, though it was a foolish princeps who did not pay close attention to his soldiers' welfare.
Centurions were distinguished by their equipment, (including a vitis or vine staff used to beat recalcitrant legionaries), their more spacious barrack room accommodation, their relatively high levels of pay and their privileges which included taking bribes to exempt soldiers from unpleasant duties.
The core of the Romanarmy was formed by the units called legions from the latin legio, meaning a levy.
With the spread of Roman citizenship among the population of the conquered territories the auxilia were increasingly recruiting citizens into the ranks, blurring the original division between peregrine auxiliaries and citizen legionaries.
Dobson, Brian, "The significance of the Centurion and Primipilaris in the RomanArmy and Administration," Aufstieg und Niedergang der römischen Welt II, 1 (1974) 392-434.
Isaac, Benjamin, "Reflections on the RomanArmy in the East," The Defence of the Roman and Byzantine East ed.
Isaac, Benjamin, "The RomanArmy in Jerusalem and Its Vicinity," Studien zu den Militärgrenzen Roms III, 13.
The Roman Centurion's Song - notes(Site not responding. Last check: 2007-11-04)
Presumably the reason why the Centurion is being ordered home is to help reinforce the army in Rome, though it was to be many years yet before the Romans withdrew entirely from Britain.
The town of Nîmes, a Roman stronghold, in the south of France.
They are not the kind of plants that a true Roman would be likely to regard with nostalgia, but for this particular anglicised centurion who has served on the Scottish border they have come to epitomise home.
If you were physically fit and didn’t mind signing up for 25 years service under the iron discipline of your Centurion, the Romanarmy might have been just the life for you!
You would not be allowed to marry, but if by some chance you did have children and survived the 25 years service, they would be recognised by Rome and become eligible to serve in the army.
Having said that, after completing a 25 mile march in full kit, possibly fighting a battle and then building a marching camp for the night, you would probably have been too tired.
www.roman.org.uk /jointhearmy.htm (170 words)
Roman Army Museum(Site not responding. Last check: 2007-11-04)
Everything you want to know about the Roman soldier, his training, pay, living quarters, armour, weapons, and off duty activities are explained in an entertaining and informative way.
Can Centurion Quintus Petronius and some of his men persuade you to join up?
Group Organizers: Special discounts for groups of 15 or more at the RomanArmy Museum.
