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Cohors
A cohort (from the Latin ''cohors'', plural ''cohortes'', see wikt:cohors for full inflection table) was a standard tactical military unit of a Roman legion. Although the standard size changed with time and situation, it was generally composed of 480 soldiers. A cohort is considered to be the equivalent of a modern military battalion. The cohort replaced the ''Maniple (military unit), maniple'' following the Marian reforms, reforms attributed to Gaius Marius in 107 BC. Shortly after the military reforms of Marius, and until the middle of the third century AD, ten cohorts (about 5,000 men total) made up a legion. Cohorts were named "first cohort,” "second cohort," etc. The first cohort consisted of experienced legionaries, while the legionaries in the tenth cohort were less experienced. Legionary cohort A legionary cohort of the early empire consisted of six ''centuriae#Military, centuriae'', or centuries, each consisting of 80 legionaries, for a total of 480 legionaries. Prior ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Centurion
A centurion (; la, centurio , . la, centuriones, label=none; grc-gre, κεντυρίων, kentyríōn, or ) was a position in the Roman army during classical antiquity, nominally the commander of a century (), a military unit of around 80 legionaries. In a Roman legion, centuries were grouped into cohorts and commanded by their senior-most centurion. The prestigious first cohort was led by the '' primus pilus'', the most senior centurion in the legion and its fourth-in-command who was next in line for promotion to Praefectus Castrorum, and the primi ordines who were the centurions of the first cohort. A centurion's symbol of office was the vine staff, with which they disciplined even Roman citizens, who were otherwise legally protected from corporal punishment by the Porcian Laws. Centurions also served in the Roman navy. After the 107 BC Marian reforms of Gaius Marius, centurions were professional officers. In Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, the Byzantine army's cent ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Triarii
''Triarii'' (singular: ''Triarius'') were one of the elements of the early Roman military manipular legions of the early Roman Republic (509 BC – 107 BC). They were the oldest and among the wealthiest men in the army and could afford high quality equipment. They wore heavy metal armor and carried large shields, their usual position being the third battle line. They were equipped with spears and were considered to be elite soldiers among the legion. During the Camillan era, they fought in a shallow phalanx formation, supported by light troops. In most battles ''triarii'' were not used because the lighter troops usually defeated the enemy before the ''triarii'' were committed to the battle. They were meant to be used as a decisive force in the battle, thus prompting an old Roman saying: ''res ad triarios venit'', 'it comes down to the triarii', which meant carrying on to the bitter end. History and deployment According to author Pat Southern, ''triarii'' may have evolved fro ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tooth-to-tail Ratio
The tooth-to-tail ratio (T3R), in military jargon, is the amount of military personnel it takes to supply and support ("tail") each combat soldier ("tooth"). While both "tooth" and "tail" soldiers may find themselves in combat or other life-threatening situations, and both may spend much time in non-combat duties, "tooth" soldiers are those whose primary function is to engage in combat. The ratio is not a specific measure but rather a general indication of a force's might in relation to the resources it devotes to supply, upkeep, and logistics. It may be measured for an entire national military, a single branch, a theater of operations, or down to individual formations. Description Tooth-to-tail ratio is often inversely related to its technological capabilities and subsequently its overall power. While a force with a high tooth-to-tail ratio will have more personnel devoted to combat, these soldiers will lack the support provided by the tail. Such support includes the logistics an ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Imaginifer
The ''imaginifer'' was one of the '' signiferi'' in a legion in the times of the Roman Empire, who carried the ''imago'' (the image) of the emperor. The ''imaginifer'' was added to the ranks of the legions when the Imperial cult was first established during the reign of Augustus. The image was a three-dimensional portrait made from beaten metal. It was carried only in the leading cohort. See also * Aquilifer * Vexillarius *Draconarius The draconarius was a type of '' signifer'' who bore a cavalry standard known as a '' draco'' in the Roman army. Name Strictly speaking, the word ''draconarius'' denotes the bearer of the military standard on which a dragon was represented. T ... References {{Reflist Military ranks of ancient Rome Ancient Roman titles ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Aquila (Roman)
An ''aquila'' (, "eagle") was a prominent symbol used in ancient Rome, especially as the standard of a Roman legion. A legionary known as an '' aquilifer'', the "eagle-bearer", carried this standard. Each legion carried one eagle. The eagle had quasi-religious importance to the Roman soldier, far beyond being merely a symbol of his legion. To lose a standard was extremely grave, and the Roman military went to great lengths both to protect a standard and to recover it if it were lost; after the annihilation of three legions in the Teutoburg Forest, the Romans spent decades retaliating for the defeat while also attempting to recover the three lost eagles. No legionary eagles are known to have survived. However, other Roman eagles, either symbolizing imperial rule or used as funerary emblems, have been discovered. History The ''signa militaria'' were the Roman military ensigns or standards. The most ancient standard employed by the Romans is said to have been a handful ('' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Aquilifer
An ''aquilifer'' (, "eagle-bearer") was a soldier signifer bearing the eagle standard of a Roman legion. The name derives from the type of standard, ''aquila'' meaning "eagle" (which was the universal type used since 106 BC), and ''ferre'', the Latin word for bringing or carrying. Before that time, the wolf, boar, bull and horse were also used. The eagle standard was the most important possession of the legion, and its loss was a terrible disgrace. The aquila emblem generally had up-raised wings surrounded by a laurel wreath. It was mounted on a narrow trapezoidal base and mounted on a pole that was held aloft. The aquilifer's position was accordingly one of enormous prestige, and he was ranked immediately below the centurions and above the optiones, receiving twice the pay of an ordinary legionary . Aquilifers carried a small circular shield called a ''parma'' that could be strapped on if their hands were already full . Aquilifers were very easily recognizable not only because ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Praefectus Castrorum
The ''praefectus castrorum'' ("camp prefect") was, in the Roman army of the early Empire, the third most senior officer of the Roman legion after the legate (''legatus'') and the senior military tribune (''tribunus laticlavius''), both of whom were from the senatorial class. He was responsible for training, equipment procurement and maintenance, and construction of the camp, but he could command the legion when his seniors were absent. The post was usually held by a soldier promoted from the centurionate, having already served as a chief centurion ('' primus pilus'') of a legion, and was therefore open to ordinary, plebeian citizens. Prefects of this rank, for example Sextus Vibius Gallus,''SEG SEG or seg may refer to: Organisations * Society of Economic Geologists * Society of Exploration Geophysicists * Semaphore Entertainment Group, co-founder of the Ultimate Fighting Championship * Southern Examining Group, a former English examinin ...'' 57 1293 were awarded prizes (''d ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cornu (horn)
A ''cornu'' or ''cornum'' ( lat, cornū, cornūs or cornum, " horn", plural ''cornua'', sometimes translated misleadingly as " cornet") was an ancient Roman brass instrument about long in the shape of a letter 'G'. The instrument was braced by a crossbar that stiffened the structure and provided a means of supporting its weight on the player's shoulder. Some specimens survive in the archaeological record, two from the ruins of Pompeii. The ''cornu'' may be difficult to distinguish from the '' buccina''. It was used by the Roman army for communicating orders to troops in battle. In Roman art, the ''cornu'' appears among the instruments that accompany games ''( ludi)'' or gladiator combat in the arena, as on the Zliten mosaic. History and usage It was invented by the Etruscans for use in their funeral processions and military. Roman artistic representations of the ''cornu'' are typically realistic. While Etruscan art usually depict the ''cornu'' in use alongside the li ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cornicen
A ''cornicen'' (plural ''cornicines'') was a junior officer in the Roman army. The ''cornicens job was to signal salutes to officers and sound orders to the legions. The ''cornicines'' played the ''cornu'' (making him an '' aeneator''). ''Cornicines'' always marched at the head of the centuries, with the tesserary and the signifer. The ''cornicines'' were also used as assistants to a centurion (like an ''optio''). The ''cornicen'' was a duplicary or a soldier who got double the basic pay of the legionary. The cornicen The late Roman writer Vegetius in his work '' De re militari'' wrote: See also * Music of ancient Rome Music is generally defined as the art of arranging sound to create some combination of form, harmony, melody, rhythm or otherwise expressive content. Exact definitions of music vary considerably around the world, though it is an aspe ... References *Vegetius ''De re militari'', Vegetius, Book II*Roman Empire Military ranks of ancient Rome A ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Military Colours, Standards And Guidons
In military organizations, the practice of carrying colours (or colors), standards, flags, or guidons, both to act as a rallying point for troops and to mark the location of the commander, is thought to have originated in Ancient Egypt some 5,000 years ago. The Roman Empire also made battle standards a part of their vast armies. It was formalized in the armies of Europe in the High Middle Ages, with standards being emblazoned with the commander's coat of arms. General use As armies became trained and adopted set formations, each regiment's ability to keep its formation was potentially critical to its, and therefore its army's, success. In the chaos of battle, not least due to the amount of dust and smoke on a battlefield, soldiers needed to be able to determine where their regiment was. Regimental flags are generally awarded to a regiment by a head of state during a ceremony. They were therefore treated with reverence as they represented the honour and traditions of t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Signifer
A ''signifer'' () was a standard bearer of the Roman legions. He carried a ''signum'' ( standard) for a cohort or century. Each century had a ''signifer'' so there were 59 in a legion. Within each cohort, the first century's ''signifer'' would be the senior one. The ''-fer'' in ''signifer'' comes from ''ferre'', the Latin for "to bear" or "to carry". Standard-bearer It had a number of ''phalarae'' (disks or medallions) along with a number of other elements mounted on a pole. The pole could be topped with a leaf-shaped spear head or a ''manus'' (open human hand) image denoting the oath of loyalty taken by the soldiers. It sometimes included a representation of a wreath, probably denoting an honour or award. The task of carrying the ''signum'' in battle was dangerous, a soldier had to stand in the first rank and could carry only a small buckler. It was that banner that the men from each individual century would rally around. A soldier could also gain the position of ''discent ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
