''Lochagos'' (; abbreviated as Λγος) is used in the

Greek language Greek ( el, label= Modern Greek, Ελληνικά, Elliniká, ; grc, Ἑλληνική, Hellēnikḗ) is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages, native to Greece, Cyprus, southern Italy ( Calabria and Salento), souther ...

to mean "

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

". More precisely, it means "leader of a '' lochos''". The equivalent term in the

Hellenic Army The Hellenic Army ( el, Ελληνικός Στρατός, Ellinikós Stratós, sometimes abbreviated as ΕΣ), formed in 1828, is the land force of Greece. The term ''Hellenic'' is the endogenous synonym for ''Greek''. The Hellenic Army is th ...

Armour & Cavalry is el, ιλάρχος, ilarchos, "leader of an ''ilē'' (cavalry

troop A troop is a military sub-subunit, originally a small formation of cavalry, subordinate to a squadron. In many armies a troop is the equivalent element to the infantry section or platoon. Exceptions are the US Cavalry and the King's Tr ...

Ancient and Byzantine use

The term has been used since the times of

Ancient Greece Ancient Greece ( el, Ἑλλάς, Hellás) was a northeastern Mediterranean civilization, existing from the Greek Dark Ages of the 12th–9th centuries BC to the end of classical antiquity ( AD 600), that comprised a loose collection of cu ...

, where the place of the rank in the military hierarchy differed from

city-state A city-state is an independent sovereign city which serves as the center of political, economic, and cultural life over its contiguous territory. They have existed in many parts of the world since the dawn of history, including cities such as ...

to city-state. For example,

Xenophon Xenophon of Athens (; grc, Ξενοφῶν ; – probably 355 or 354 BC) was a Greek military leader, philosopher, and historian, born in Athens. At the age of 30, Xenophon was elected commander of one of the biggest Greek mercenary armies o ...

reported that a ''lochagos'' of

Sparta Sparta ( Doric Greek: Σπάρτα, ''Spártā''; Attic Greek: Σπάρτη, ''Spártē'') was a prominent city-state in Laconia, in ancient Greece. In antiquity, the city-state was known as Lacedaemon (, ), while the name Sparta referr ...

served under a

polemarch A polemarch (, from , ''polemarchos'') was a senior military title in various ancient Greek city states (''poleis''). The title is derived from the words ''polemos'' (war) and ''archon'' (ruler, leader) and translates as "warleader" or "warlord" ...

Aristotle Aristotle (; grc-gre, Ἀριστοτέλης ''Aristotélēs'', ; 384–322 BC) was a Greek philosopher and polymath during the Classical period in Ancient Greece. Taught by Plato, he was the founder of the Peripatetic school of ...

reported that his counterpart in

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates a ...

served under a ''

taxiarchos Taxiarch, the anglicised form of ''taxiarchos'' or ''taxiarchēs'' ( el, ταξίαρχος or ταξιάρχης) is used in the Greek language to mean "brigadier". The term derives from ''táxis'', "order", in military context "an ordered forma ...

''. In military manuals, the file is often called a lochos and as such its leader is also called a lochagos. Asclepiodotus, Tactica, 1.2 Thus, the lochagos can also be the promachos

protostates A ''protostates'' ( el, πρωτοστάτης, "the one who stands first/in front"), in Ancient Greece, was the man in front of an ''epistates'' (the one who stands behind). The Greek phalanx was made up of alternate ranks of ''protostates'' and ...

. The rank of ''lochagos'' could also represent an officer roughly equivalent to that a

Roman army The Roman army (Latin: ) was the armed forces deployed by the Romans throughout the duration of Ancient Rome, from the Roman Kingdom (c. 500 BC) to the Roman Republic (500–31 BC) and the Roman Empire (31 BC–395 AD), and its medieval contin ...

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 ...

. The term was however also used by later writers to describe the civilian leader of a

curia Curia (Latin plural curiae) in ancient Rome referred to one of the original groupings of the citizenry, eventually numbering 30, and later every Roman citizen was presumed to belong to one. While they originally likely had wider powers, they came ...

. The rank was still in use in the

military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...

of the

Byzantine Empire The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...

, although more usually, the term ''hecatontarch'' was used, a calque of the Latin ''centurio''. Certain early Byzantine units such as the infantry ''auxilia'' and the cavalry ''Scholae'' lacked centurions and decurions, but had ''centenarii'' and ''decenarii'' instead. These are mentioned both in the Strategikon of Maurice and by

Jerome Jerome (; la, Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus; grc-gre, Εὐσέβιος Σωφρόνιος Ἱερώνυμος; – 30 September 420), also known as Jerome of Stridon, was a Christian priest, confessor, theologian, and historian; he is co ...

. Warren Treadgold interprets these to be a type of junior and senior centurion, a designation based on seniority and experience, not a distinction in rank.

Modern use

In the modern

the rank is superior to an ''

Ypolochagos ''Ypolochagos'' () is used in the modern Greek language to mean "First Lieutenant". In the modern Hellenic Army the rank is superior to that of ''Anthypolochagos'' (Literally: 'In place of-Lieutenant', i.e. Second Lieutenant) and inferior to ...

'' (

Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...

) and inferior to an '' Tagmatarchis'' (

Major Major ( commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicato ...

). The insignia consists of three silver stars.

Rank insignia

File:GR-Army-OF2-1912.svg, Rank insignia of a ''Lochagos'', 1908–1936 File:GR-Army-OF2-1937.svg, Rank insignia of a ''Lochagos'', 1937–1968 File:Army-GRE-OF-02.svg, Current rank insignia of a ''Lochagos'', since 1968

References

Military ranks of Greece Military ranks of ancient Greece Ancient Greek military terminology {{Greece-mil-stub