Hi all...a quick question. There seems to be a lot of literature available about the senior ranks in the imperial roman army, but when you get below the rank of Optio there does`nt seem to be much info. Was there an equivalent set of ranks that would equate to modern day Lance corporals, corporals, sargeants etc?
regards
john hyland
This is from unrv.com maybe it will help.
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.