Where would the Centurion stand in a battle line?

[Nurglitch]

But Polybius explicitly mentions that the Romans "wish the centurions not so much to be venturesome and daredevil as to be natural leaders, of a steady and sedate spirit" (6.24.8 ).

This, however, may be just a piece of wishful thinking on his part. I'd be inclined to trust casualty figures over theoretical works here as something close to real hard data. I'd be inclined to assume this:
- If the centuriones fought in the very first rank, their casualty figures would be pretty much uniform. The same for battles won or lost, as they would just be a function of always being most exposed to danger
- If they fought in rear ranks, the casualty figures for battles won would be fairly low (centuriones not engaging at all, their soldiers doing all the work) and high only for battles lost (being cut down as they flee).