the makeup of the roman legion???

[Jeroen Pelgrom]

<em>copied from a post from seanamhair nathair sgiathach:</em><br>
<br>
the makeup of the roman legion???<br>
------------------------------------------------------------<br>
I'm in study of the roman legions and am confused by its makeup.<br>
I know that 8 men make a tent<br>
and a centurion commanded 100 tents making 80 men not 100.<br>
a maniple was 10 tents<br>
first question was a maniple commanded by a DECTURION?<br>
a cohort had 10 centuries<br>
A legion had 10 cohorts with cohorts 3 to 10 having 6 centurions for each cohort making 48 centurions plus 5 senior centurions called PRIMI ORDENES<br>
Cohorts 1 and 2 were double sized and call MILLARIAN COHORT<br>
The senior centuion of the first cohort was PRIMUS PILUS<br>
the senior centurion of the second cohort was PINCIPS SECUNDUS<br>
the senior centurion of cohorts 3 to 10 were PILUS PRIOR<br>
Each centurion had a OPTIOS appointed.<br>
The PRIMUS PILUS could command the legion in the absence of the legate.<br>
so who needed Tribunes?<br>
I know that they "commanded" cohorts if they were on the track to be Legate but if they were just doing there military service and going back to the family business of politics they served as staff officers.<br>
now did the tribunes and legates have some sort of training. like west point OR did they come up from the ranks?<br>
<br>
thanks for the help. anyone?<br>
<br>
<br>
<p>Volo anaticulam cumminosam meam!</p><i>Edited by: <A HREF=http://pub45.ezboard.com/bromanarmytalk.showUserPublicProfile?gid=pelgr003>pelgr003</A> at: 2/13/04 10:45 am<br></i>

[Jeroen Pelgrom]

seanamhair nathair sgiathach,<br>
<br>
i take it that your referring to the legion of the early empire.<br>
<br>
To give you the complete picture:<br>
- a legion had 10 cohorts<br>
- each cohort was divided into 3 <em>manipuli</em>.<br>
- each manipuli was divided into 2 <em>centuriae</em><br>
- a <em>centuriae</em> was about 80 men<br>
- a <em>centuriae</em> was composed of a number of contubernia or 'tentparties' (about 8 men).<br>
<br>
In some legions the first cohort had 5 double strength centuriae (about 160 men). In other legions this was not the case.<br>
<br>
Command:<br>
The legion was commanded by a <em>legatus legionis</em> (handpicked by the emperor). The legionary commander was assisted by six military tribunes:<br>
- 1 <em>tribunus laticlavius</em> (a young senator at the start of his public career, he was second-in-command of the legion).<br>
- 5 <em>tribuni augusticlavii</em> (from equestrian rank and generally were previous commanders from auxiliary units)<br>
Third in command was the <em>praefectus castrorum</em>, a former senior centurion<br>
<br>
Depending on the organisation of the legion either sixty or fifty nine <em>centuriones ordinarii</em> commanded the centuriae, while a varying number of <em>centuriones supernumerarii</em> were employed for special duties.<br>
In a normal cohort (3 manipuli and 6 centuriae) you would have 6 centurions: <em>pilus prior, pilus posterior, princeps prior, princeps posterior, hastatus prior and hastatus posterior</em>. The hastatus prior, princeps prior and pilus prior commanded the manipuli. The hastatus posterior, princeps posterior and pilus posterior acted as their deputies. The cohort itself was led by the pilus prior.<br>
In case of a special first cohort you would have: <em>hastatus posterior, princeps posterior, hastatus, princeps and primus pilus</em> (the <em>primi ordines</em>)<br>
<br>
Besides the centurions you would also have in a centuriae an <em>optio</em> (the deputy of a centurion), a <em>signifer</em> (you would carry the signum (standard of the unit) and assumed responsibility for the financial administration of the unit and functioned as the legionaries' banker) and a <em>tesserarius</em> (in charge of the distribution and collection of the watch words).<br>
<br>
The link by one of our members gives you much more info:<br>
[url=http://members.tripod.com/~S_van_Dorst/legio.html#organisation" target="top]members.tripod.com/~S_van_Dorst/legio.html#organisation[/url]<br>
<br>
gr, jeroen<br>
<br>
<br>
<p>Volo anaticulam cumminosam meam!</p><i>Edited by: <A HREF=http://pub45.ezboard.com/bromanarmytalk.showUserPublicProfile?gid=pelgr003>pelgr003</A> at: 2/13/04 10:45 am<br></i>

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the information.<br>
still where is the decturion in all this?<br>
<br>
and actually I was using a reference of the later empire where they were pulling back from the "provences" back to defend the city of Rome itself.<br>
<br>
Was the legate Always appointed? could they "come up from the ranks" so to speak like from a tribune? I know that they had to be part of the senatorial families but was the tribunate his training?<br>
<br>
thanks again <p></p><i></i>

[Crispvs]

Decurio was a cavalry rank, roughly equivilent to the infantry (and marine) centurio. A cavalry ala (wing) was commanded by a prefect and consisted of sixteen turmae. Each turma was commanded by a decurio and consisted of thirty cavalry divided into three squadrons. The decurio was assisted by a duplicarius (soldier on double pay) who acted as his second in command, as well as a sesisquiplicarius (on one and a half times normal pay). Each turma probably had its own standard. An ala would normally have contained around 480-500 men (ala quincenaria), although there were some units which were nominally a thousand strong (alae milliaria).<br>
<br>
Crispvs <p></p><i></i>

[Anonymous]

So did the infantry and calvery work well together? I have heard that the cavelry was mostly made up of "auxilluries" from the provences like "germany" that the Romans didnt "sit" well on horses.<br>
<br>
or was it just that there werent enough horses to go round? <p></p><i></i>

[Jeroen Pelgrom]

the auxilia even had mixed units:<br>
- cohors equitata quingenaria: about 400 inf. and 120 cav.<br>
- cohors equitata millaria: about 800 inf. and 240 cav.<br>
<br>
During the empire, the auxilia provided almost all the cavalry. Although in the beginning you would see some differences between the auxilia and legions, later on these were almost gone (i.o.w. the legions and auxilia were almost of equel strength).<br>
<br>
see also this link for more info about the auxilia:<br>
[url=http://www.roman-empire.net/army/army.html#auxilia" target="top]www.roman-empire.net/army/army.html#auxilia[/url]<br>
<br>
The legion i gave to you was used during the early empire. During the later-empire (from AD 284 on), the army was very different. <p>Volo anaticulam cumminosam meam!</p><i>Edited by: <A HREF=http://pub45.ezboard.com/bromanarmytalk.showUserPublicProfile?gid=pelgr003>pelgr003</A> at: 2/13/04 10:46 am<br></i>

[Anonymous]

Jeroen,<br>
<br>
"5 tribuni angusticlavii (from equestrian rank and generally were previous commanders from auxiliary units)"<br>
<br>
I had not found a reference to the augusticlavii having held previous commands of auxiliary units? Makes sense, but can you give me a reference? <p>Salve, <br><br>
Triarius<br><br>
One of the pack, maybe. One of the herd, <i>NEVER!</I></p><i>Edited by: <A HREF=http://pub45.ezboard.com/bromanarmytalk.showUserPublicProfile?gid=triarius>Triarius</A> at: 2/9/04 1:06 am<br></i>

[Jeroen Pelgrom]

have done some searching on<br>
[url=http://www-db.ku-eichstaett.de:8080/pls/epigr/epigraphik" target="top]www-db.ku-eichstaett.de:8080/pls/epigr/epigraphik[/url]<br>
and have found these:<br>
<br>
Belegstelle: CIL 03, 05211 = ILLPRON 01673 = D 01362<br>
Provinz: Noricum Ort: Celje / Celeia<br>
<em>T(ito) Vario T(iti) fil(io) / Clementi Cl(audia) Cel(eia) / proc(uratori) Aug(usti) provinciar(um) / Raetiae Mauretan(iae) / Caesar(i)ensis / Lusitaniae Ciliciae / praef(ecto) al(ae) Britannicae miliar(iae) / praef(ecto) auxiliariorum tempore / expeditionis in Tingitaniam / missorum / praef(ecto) eq(uitum) al(ae) II Pannoniorum / trib(uno) leg(ionis) XXX Ulp(iae) praef(ecto) coh(ortis) II / Gallorum Macedon(icae) / Valer(ius) Urbanus / Licin(ius) Secundinus / decuriones / alar(um) provinc(iae) Mauretan(iae) / Caesar(i)ensis</em><br>
<br>
Belegstelle: CIL 03, 05214 = CIL 05, *01097 = ILLPRON 01676<br>
Provinz: Noricum Ort: Celje / Celeia<br>
<em>[T(ito) Vario Clementi] / [proc(uratori) Aug(usti) prov(inciarum) B]el[gicae German(iae)] / [utriusq(ue) praef(ecto) alae Britannicae] miliar(iae) [praef(ecto)] / [alae II Pann(oniorum) praef(ecto) auxiliario]rum ex Hispa[nia] / missorum mo[3 in Maur(etaniam) T]ingitan(am) trib(uno) [mil(itum)] / leg(ionis) XXX U(lpiae) v(ictricis) pr[aef(ecto) coh(ortis) II] Gallorum [Maced(onicae)] / tribun[i 3 et conductores] public[orum(?)] / in R[aetia consistentes(?)]</em><br>
<br>
<p>Volo anaticulam cumminosam meam!</p><i>Edited by: <A HREF=http://pub45.ezboard.com/bromanarmytalk.showUserPublicProfile?gid=pelgr003>pelgr003</A> at: 2/13/04 10:45 am<br></i>