Update on the Spatha and Gladius fighting techniques!

[Paulus Claudius Damianus]

La suite...

It is simply that his description of its battle order is indeed that of a late legion. When Vegetius says to us that in the front line are the "Principes" then in the second "Hastati" while the Republican descriptions (see Titus Livius, Polybius) whom he did not have to ignore, indicate in the first one les Hastati then the Principles, it is not an error of its part; it is just a shift in meaning which he makes to stick better on his time, victim than he is as scholar of his taste for the étymological previous words. If the Princes are indicated in the front line it is simply because the officers and small-officers of legions are there: The Principes (small-officers; the first ones) primi ordines (the first ones of the row) as Ordinarii (the centurions of the first troop), Antepilani or Antesignani (those who are in the front.) then only comes second there line Hastati …

From then on, the attributions of the centurions at Végèce become understandable:

Ranks formerly current:

" We kept the ancient usage to bring up to the rank of " Primuspilus " the first prince of the legion (it is a prince " princeps ", he makes left the "Principes" and thus the primi ordines). Besides the command of the eagle He had under his orders four centuries of the first line (Antesignani or Antepilani of the first Acia) among four hundred soldiers; placed so to speak in the head of all the legion (idem), he enjoyed advantageous bonuses allocated to this employment. After him, the first one Hastaire (another member of Principiis) named Named today " ducenarius " (his late name), steered in second line two centuries or two hundred men (after Antépilaires comes well " Hastati "). The first one of the first troop (idem) commanded one and a half century, that is hundred and fifty men(people). The first one triaire commanded only hundred men Ten centuries of the first troop thus had for common officers five (Ordinarii; primi ordines). (…) There were still the centurions, today called" centenarius " but made guard polemical at the modern historian's: commander of called barracks centenaria? Commander of cavalry? Commander of a century ( Hypothesis of Zuckerman?) who commanded(ordered) each a century. There was "Decanus"; (leader of late manipulars) equivalent of 11 men which replaces ancient Contubernum), knew at present under the name of leader of squad, put in the head of 10 men (no Latin correspondence but Jean gives us maybe one). The second troop counted five centurions; it was the same of the third, the fourth, until the tenth up to and including. The number of centurions in a legion amounted to fifty five.
" Livre II, Chapter 8.

Let us note to strengthen the comment that Constantin Zuckerman and his team discovered the stele of an officer of the name of Dassianus which was among others named " Centurio primus " in its career(quarry) near 350 AD …

A suivre...