Promotion in a Vexilatio

[Mark Hygate]

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"A cornicen is not needed at the century-level as the troops are close enough to shout at"

You've never had to hear shouted commands on a windy day, have you Mark? Crispvs

Yes I have! And remember, the entire century are contiguous and the centurion is next to them and not the other side of a parade ground.

Apart from the organisational research supporting that number - you also have to be pragmatic. Taking the earliest maniple period you have the centuries fighting side-by-side in blocks. If the horn-blowing were at the century level, then there would be mass confusion! No one would know which horn to follow!

Having the centurion hollering, screaming and shouting with a voice that all his century would be used to hearing is more than practical and all that is needed. You only need a horn in the middle distance to co-ordinate a group of centuries (in a 'cohort', for example) or to attract the attention to a central 'flag-waving' direction to give army-level commands.

In addition - 60 centurions does indeed seem to be the 'standard' number from Polybian manipular until Late Republic; and then (most probably) Augustus further enhanced the most senior to be the Praefectus Castrorum and thus provide a professional military man into the legion command structure so that he could 'help' the political appointments above him - whilst minimising the change, selling it to the 'army' as an additional promotion, making each centurion actually closer to the primus pilus position and thus 'not messing with the Sgt's Mess'! :wink: