Detail of a bas-relief from Trajan's Column, Rome. 2nd century AD. AD • ISTOCKPHOTO Contrary to what his name seems to indicate, the centurion did not command 100 men, but a staff of between 60 and 100 soldiers – more often 60 than 100, moreover. This number is enough to make him not a non-commissioned officer, as it is sometimes written, but a junior officer. And it is widely accepted that he played an essential role in the Roman army. Indeed, these officers were in direct contact with the men, and they had to direct them in life, in camp as well as on the battlefield. When the legion went into battle, each accompanied his centuria, and the centurion had to both watch over them and set an example. One of them, a model of courage and sacrifice, has acquired fame among historians. His name was Marcus Caelius and he died in 9 AD. AD in the disaster of the Battle of Teutoburg, in Germania. He is known by a cenotaph, on which were engraved an inscription and a bas-relief which represents him in bust. The spectator is struck by the decorations on his cuirass:at least four metal discs, slightly larger than our modern medals, a necklace and two bracelets curiously hanging near the neck. There is no doubt that these are proofs of his courage. Beware of the vine stock! To exercise his command, the centurion had an authority symbolized by the vitis , the "vine stock", a stick made of another wood in regions where this plant did not grow. It was with him that he could strike the soldiers whose obedience did not seem to him sufficient. This object was so significant that it came to be referred to as the centurion in inscriptions, where it is often stylized as a 7 with a loop. Tacitus, in his Annals , reports that the soldiers of the armies of Pannonia (present-day Hungary) and Germany went on strike in 14 AD. They drew up a catalog of demands worthy of our trade unions of the XXI th century:salary increase, lowering of the retirement age and improvement of working conditions. In their tracks, they killed the centurion Lucilius, whom facetious colleagues had dubbed "One more!" because, after breaking his vine on one back, he demanded another, then another (Annales , I, 23, 3). And a stick of this type is still rather hard! This authority finds an echo in the Gospels, in which a centurion addresses Christ:“For I, who am only a subordinate, have under me soldiers, and I say to one, “Go! and he goes, and to another:"Come!" and he comes. (Matthew, 8, 9). For several centurions who were too harsh, it is possible to count a few who turned out to be more humane. And the authors rightly quote, in this case, the officer of the Gospels who has just been mentioned, but for another sentence. He is indeed modest and good when he asks Christ to help him for his young slave (puer ) sick. "As he [Jesus] had entered Capernaum, a centurion approached him, imploring him:'Lord,' he said, 'my slave lies in my dwelling, stricken with paralysis and suffering atrociously.' (Matthew, 8, 5-6) The good walk of everyday life First in battle, the centurions had to fulfill other tasks. They were primarily responsible for the practice of the drill by their men. The latter should never be bored; they had a service to perform (guard shifts, cleaning, etc.) and if, by chance, they risked being idle, their superiors sent them to the training ground, where they played sports. In addition, they engaged in weapons training every five days and drills in formed units three times a month. Apart from these very military activities, the centurions ensured the smooth running of daily life. In the morning, the men took part in a gathering, marked by a cascade of salutes, from the soldiers to the centurions, from these to the tribunes, and from the latter to the legate who commanded the legion. Then the tasks of the day were distributed:guard at the gates of the camp and in front of the principia (the heart of the fortress), maintenance of buildings where the need arose, cleanliness of premises, logistics, etc. In the latter case, senior officers went outside to look for the food and materials essential to the smooth running of the army; a centurion received them and distributed the various products between the deposits, the warehouses and the cellars. Then you had to distribute them to the men and collect the payments, because nothing was free. In general, the centurions each had a kind of staff, called officium , which brought together a few officers, these analogous to our modern non-commissioned officers, and who relieved their superior of minor activities. The army, a reflection of the social order These exceptional men could not come from anywhere, nor go anywhere. Historians have analyzed the numerous inscriptions that make them known. Perhaps, moreover – we will see – they did not completely probe the texts. It is generally accepted that many of them came from the ranks of non-commissioned officers, called main . Thus, the centurion could have first been a horseman, or bearer of the eagle (ensign) of the legion, or frumentaire (responsible for finding frumentum , or wheat), cornicular or option. The cornicular was recognized by the little horns which adorned its cap and gave it its name; he was attached to an officer. The option undoubtedly served as a kind of adjutant:he was the second in command to the centurion and awaited the latter's departure or death to take up his post. These promotions have greatly interested historians, who wisely explain that the centurion was effective because he came from the ranks. Yet other of these officers were no less good than those who came from this group, starting with those who were called ex equite romano . This expression has given rise to misunderstandings. It designated men, not who would have renounced their rank of Roman knights, but "who came from the equestrian order", and who remained members of it. This group was formed by young people who were attracted by the military profession and who, having been unable to obtain senior officer posts (prefects or tribunes), had agreed to enter it at a lower level. A third group must, in our opinion, be identified. All citizens of the Empire had to present themselves for the dilectus , the review board for military service. Sons of senators and knights entered the army as senior officers, and ordinary Roman citizens as legionnaires. Between these two levels were the notables of Italy and the provinces, to whom historians have never given a place in the recruitment schemes. It must be admitted that, precisely, they directly became centurions. A few cases of these junior officers who died very young support this hypothesis. The hope of ending up primipile A centurion could fill several positions in a row. Indeed, the centuries were hierarchical. A legion was made up of 10 cohorts, and each cohort of six centuries, divided into three ranks in the line of battle. In cohorts II to X, the pilus prior was distinguished and the pilus posterior in front, the princeps prior and the princeps posterior in the middle, and the hastatus prior and the hastatus posterior in back. Cohort I numbered only five centuries, but they were double in number, and the first of all the centurions, called the primipile (primus pilus ), occupied a prominent place in the organization chart of the unit. He had heavy responsibilities and he was admitted to the staff councils, where his opinion, expressed last, was nevertheless the most listened to. Obviously, an officer did not go through the 59 posts. It is generally accepted that he jumped places to eventually end up in cohort I:for example hastatus posterior in cohort IX, hastatus prior in cohort VII, princeps posterior in cohort V, princeps prior in Cohort III, and finally he entered Cohort I with the hope of ending up as a primipile. A simple centurion could pass from legion to legion. This is how Publius Aelius Romanus, a native of Mysia, in Western Anatolia, served as a centurion in the I re Italic legion (in Moesia, on the right bank of the Danube), then in the XX th Valeria (on the island of Brittany), then in the VII th Claudia (which brought him back to Moesia), and finally to the III th Augustus (in Africa-Numidia). Being named primipile could open the doors to a great career in the high spheres of the legion or among the officers of the garrisons of Rome, like the corps of praetorians (the imperial guard). A primipile saw varied and sometimes vast perspectives opening up before him. He could become a wing decurion (junior cavalry officer), a better paid position. But there was more and better. Indeed, he could become prefect of the camp, third officer of the legion. Or, even better, he entered the garrison of Rome as an officer:tribune of the vigils (firefighters), tribune of the urbaniciani (municipal gendarmerie) and tribune of the praetorians (imperial guard). From there, he returned to a legion as a primipile bis, then he entered a career as a procurator (high official). The municipal notable had become a knight, a member of that nobility of the second order, placed behind the senators. This kind of promotion was rare, it is true. Story of a model career An inscription, found north-east of the Aurès, at a place called Henchir el-Hammam, was engraved at the request of an anonymous person (the stone bearing the name has disappeared), who expressed in free verse what had been his hopes, which were all realized : "I have vowed to hold the corpses of Dacians:I have held some.I have vowed to settle on a seat of peace:I have sat there.I have vowed to follow illustrious triumphs:it is done.I have vowed to receive the full salary of the primipile:I have had it.I have formed the wish to see the Naked Nymphs:I have seen them. » It is possible to reconstruct the life of this amazing character. Having learned that the Dacians, people of present-day Romania, had destroyed Roman armies, he felt a strong hatred against them. Having participated in a war against them under Trajan, between 101 and 106, he was able to satisfy his bloodthirsty instincts. Then he participated in the triumph of the emperor, a ceremony which marked the end of this war. And he became primipile, first centurion of the III th Augustus legion, in Lambèse, in Africa-Numidia. The last wish gave rise to debate. Some historians have claimed that he was content to contemplate statues or mosaics of Nymphs; we think he really enjoyed an apparition, in a dream or otherwise. After all, why wouldn't the Nymphs appear to mortals? Especially to primipiles? Anyway, the centurions lived like all human beings. They respected their parents. They founded illegitimate families, they loved their wives and their children. They enjoyed wine and good food, animals and landed estates. The wages of labor So far, we have only considered the case of the legion centurion. But the same title is found in all kinds of units, because the Roman army was an institution made up of many corps. A hierarchy was imposed according to two criteria:the honor attached to a type of unit and the salary that corresponded to this honor. We do not know, for lack of documents, what all the centurions in post in the Roman army received. What is probable, without being sure however, is that the sales were fixed at 3,750 denarii per year for a legionary centurion in the I st century AD. They did not increase until the time of Domitian (r. 81-96), rising to 5,000 denarii. These figures are significant, and the scale of salaries was much wider in antiquity than today, since a basic legionnaire received 900 denarii in the I st century and 1200 to the II th century. An auxiliary centurion was paid less, a Roman garrison centurion more. To give an idea of what these amounts represented, remember that a field in Judea could be bought for 30 denarii. Also read The eagles of the seas:Rome deploys its navy Also, above the legionary centurions were the centurions of the Rome garrison. In order of dignity were the guards, the urbaniciani and the praetorians, who have just been defined. Below the legions, the auxiliary units were flanked by decurions in the cavalry wings and by centurions in the infantry cohorts. Two particular cases can be noted. The legionary cavalry, consisting of 120 men, was flanked by centurions, not decurions. The navy also had its specificity in this area. Just as any officer of the French navy is called "commander" when he is in charge of a boat, from barcasse to aircraft carrier, so in the Roman navy, the "boss" of a ship bore the title of centurion, whether he had under his command a small liburne or a large quinquereme. It is tempting to give the centurions credit for giving the Roman army its formidable efficiency, and some writers have yielded to this temptation. It seems, however, that we must resist in this case, because a single factor cannot explain everything:several other reasons have intervened, in particular the quality of the senior officers, the recruitment of excellence, the exercise, the armament , tactics and strategy. Find out more Centuriones ad Rhenum. The legionary centurions of the Roman armies of the Rhine, O. Richier, De Boccard, 2004.The Eagle and the Vine. The legionary centurions in the Severan Empire, P. Faure, Ausonius, 2013.The Roman Army under the High Empire, Y. Le Bohec, Picard, 2018. Timeline 107 BC. AD During his first consulship, Marius divided the Roman legion into 10 cohorts, each of 360 men led by 6 centurions.44 BC. AD Death of Caesar. His campaign accounts paint a glowing portrait of the centurions, whose courage and discipline he praises.27 BC. AD Emperor Augustus founds the Praetorian Guard. Under the Empire, serving in this corps will facilitate access to the rank of centurion.I er -V e centuries after. AD Primipiles, the highest-ranking centurions, are promoted to lead the legions of the Roman army.100 Death of the historian Flavius Josephus. His accounts of Pompey's and Vespasian's campaigns in Judea speak of the role of the centurions.122 Hadrian had the wall that bears his name built on the island of Britain, on which legionnaires led by centurions would work.V e century The legions then consisted of only 1,000 men. The centurio or centenarius ordered 100. Fight to the death The centurions held their position until the end, hence their heavy losses in battle. In his campaign accounts, Caesar cites many examples illustrating the courage of these officers. He thus describes the critical situation of the XII legion during the battle of the Sambre, fought in 57 BC. J.-C. against the Belgians:the six centurions and the standard-bearer of cohort IV had lost their lives, while the centurions of the other cohorts were almost all wounded or dead. At Dyrrachium, in 48 BC. J.-C., perished in one day against the Pompeians 32 centurions of the IX legion, that is to say half of the manpower of this unit. She also led against the Pompeians, the battle of Pharsalus, in 48 BC. J.-C., caused the death of 31 centurions, against only 200 soldiers. This contrast gives an idea of the fighting spirit of these soldiers. Between discipline and cruelty During their military service, all legionnaires received at one time or another a shot of vitis , the vine wand that symbolized the rank of the centurion and was used to punish his subordinates. The use of this unregulated sanction was left to the discretion of the officer. Centurions who made cruel use of this prerogative were particularly hated by their troops. In the army, the punishments were terrible. The deserters had their hands cut off and their legs broken. The undisciplined soldier spent a day in front of the courtroom, in a tunic, or a night outside the camp, or he paid a fine. Units could be subject to decimation:one man out of ten was executed. Or the unit was disbanded. The presence of Roman authority The centurions were not only the armed wing of Rome:they also represented Roman authority in regions where no administrative structure had been established. Local people sometimes turned to them for justice. In 193 AD. J.-C., a certain Syros addressed a letter of grievances to the centurion Ammonius Paternus, explaining to him that the collectors of a tax in kind had unjustly demanded the payment of an artaba (25 liters) of wheat, for which they had abused his mother. The centurions therefore also fulfilled the role of administrators and as such had to have learned to read and write, in addition to fulfilling the requirements to become military leaders.
