The ''contubernium'' ( Latin: “tenting-together”) was the smallest organized unit of

soldier A soldier is a person who is a member of an army. A soldier can be a conscripted or volunteer enlisted person, a non-commissioned officer, or an officer. Etymology The word ''soldier'' derives from the Middle English word , from Old French ...

s in the Roman Army and was composed of eight legionaries, essentially the equivalent of a modern squad, although unlike modern squads contubernia seemed to serve no tactical role in battle. The men within the contubernium were known as ''contubernales''. Ten contubernia, each led by a ''

decanus ''Decanus'' means "chief of ten" in Late Latin. The term originated in the Roman army and became used thereafter for subaltern officials in the Byzantine Empire, as well as for various positions in the Church, whence derives the English title " d ...

'', were grouped into a ''

centuria ''Centuria'' (, plural ''centuriae'') is a Latin term (from the stem ''centum'' meaning one hundred) denoting military units originally consisting of 100 men. The size of the century changed over time, and from the first century BC through most ...

'' of 100 men (eighty legionaries plus twenty support staff), which was commanded by a

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 le ...

. Soldiers of a contubernium shared a tent, and could be rewarded or punished together as a unit. See

Decimation (punishment) Decimation ( la, decimatio; ''decem'' = "ten") was a form of Roman military discipline in which every tenth man in a group was executed by members of his cohort. The discipline was used by senior commanders in the Roman army to punish units or la ...

Organization

The contubernium was, at least very late in the period (though it is possible the title existed in the late Republic and early Principate), led by a ''decanus'', who might be considered roughly as the equivalent of a junior

non-commissioned officer A non-commissioned officer (NCO) is a military officer who has not pursued a commission. Non-commissioned officers usually earn their position of authority by promotion through the enlisted ranks. (Non-officers, which includes most or all enli ...

. However, there is no evidence of a decanus exercising any kind of battlefield command role, regardless of any responsibilities they may have had in garrison or

camp Camp may refer to: Outdoor accommodation and recreation * Campsite or campground, a recreational outdoor sleeping and eating site * a temporary settlement for nomads * Camp, a term used in New England, Northern Ontario and New Brunswick to descri ...

. They were presumably appointed from within the contubernium and were most likely the longest-serving legionary. Their duties would likely have included organising the erection of the marching tent and ensuring their tent-mates kept things tidy. Two auxiliary “servants”, roughly equivalent to modern logistical support troops, were assigned to each contubernium. They were responsible for the care of the contubernium's pack mule, making sure that the legionaries had water during the march, and may have had special skills like blacksmithing or

carpentry Carpentry is a skilled trade and a craft in which the primary work performed is the cutting, shaping and installation of building materials during the construction of buildings, ships, timber bridges, concrete formwork, etc. Carpenters tr ...

. However, legionaries often fulfilled specialist roles themselves, so it is quite possible that the support personnel were simply grooms and servants.

References

External links

Contubernales, A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities
Infantry units and formations of ancient Rome Roman legions {{AncientRome-mil-stub