Editing Military rank (section)

== Ancient ==

=== Greek ===
From 501 BC, the [[Athenians]] annually elected ten individuals to the rank of ''[[strategos]]'',<ref>{{Citation |last=Rhodes |first=Peter J. (Durham) |title=Strategos |date=2006-10-01 |url=https://referenceworks.brillonline.com/entries/brill-s-new-pauly/strategos-e1123850 |work=Brill's New Pauly |publisher=Brill |language=en |access-date=2022-04-01 |last2=Ameling |first2=Walter (Jena) |last3=Tinnefeld |first3=Franz (Munich) |archive-date=2022-04-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220401224133/https://referenceworks.brillonline.com/entries/brill-s-new-pauly/strategos-e1123850 |url-status=live }}</ref> one for each of the ten "tribes" that had been created with the founding of the [[democracy]]. ''Strategos'' means "army leader"<ref>{{Cite web |title=Definition of STRATEGUS |url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/strategus |access-date=2022-05-29 |website=www.merriam-webster.com |language=en |archive-date=2022-05-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220529222614/https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/strategus |url-status=live }}</ref> and is usually translated as "[[general]]". Originally these generals worked together with the old ''[[polemarch]]os'' ("warlord") but over time the latter figure was absorbed into the generalship: each of the ten generals would rotate as ''polemarch'' for one day, and during this day his vote would serve as tie-breaker if necessary.

As an elected official a Strategos is by definition not a military rank. Strategos is a Political Rank in a Hierarchical Position above the military, politically similar in nature to a modern-day Sheriff or Police Commissioner. This is completely different from a modern day Commissioned Military General who never stands for election at any point in their careers. Historically it is unclear whether there was any badge of office granted to a Strategos though given current customs one should suspect that there was such a badge of office. 

The confusion regarding the "Ranking" of Strategos surely stems from the modern custom of granting Police Commissioners and Sheriffs, both Political Ranks, a badge-of-office that happens to be in the shape of what is commonly understood to be a very high rank within the traditional military hierarchy. This "rank-shaped" badge-of-office a formal representation of Public Civilian (political) authority over military matters.  

The ten generals were equal to one another;  there was no hierarchy among them.  However, a basic form of democracy was in effect: for example, at the [[Battle of Marathon]] in 490 BC, the generals determined the battle plan by majority vote. Particular assignments might have been given to individual generals; inevitably there was a regular division of responsibilities.

The rank that was subordinate to a top general was a ''taxiarchos'' or ''[[taxiarhos]]'', something akin to the modern [[brigadier]]. In [[Sparta]], however, the title was "''polemarchos''". Below this was the ''[[syntagmatarchis]]'', which can be translated as "leader of a [[regiment]]" (''syntagma'') and was therefore like a modern [[colonel]]. Below him was the ''[[tagmatarches]]'', a commanding officer of a ''tagma'' (near to the modern [[battalion]]). The rank was roughly equivalent to the ''[[legatus]]'' of a [[Roman legion]]. Next was the ''[[lokhagos]]'', an officer who led an infantry unit called a ''lokhos'' that consisted of roughly a hundred men, much the same as in a modern [[company (military unit)|company]] led by a [[Captain (OF-2)|captain]].

A Greek cavalry (''hippikon'') regiment was called a ''hipparchia'' and was commanded by an ''[[epihipparch]]''. The unit was split into two and led by two ''hipparchos'' or [[Hipparchos (cavalry officer)|hipparch]], but Spartan cavalry was led by a ''hipparmostes''. A ''hippotoxotès'' was a mounted archer. A Greek cavalry company was led by a ''tetrarchès'' or ''tetrarch''.

The rank and file of the military in most of the Greek city states was composed of ordinary citizens. Heavily armed foot soldiers were called ''hoplitès'' or ''[[hoplite]]s'' and a ''hoplomachos'' was a drill or weapons instructor.

Once [[Athens]] became a [[Navy|naval]] power, the top generals of the land armies had authority over the naval fleets as well. Under them, each [[warship]] was commanded by a ''trièrarchos'' or ''[[trierarch]]'', a word which originally meant "[[trireme]] officer" but persisted when other types of vessels came into use. Moreover, as in modern navies, the different tasks associated with running a ship were delegated to different subordinates. Specifically, the ''kybernètès'' was the helmsman, the ''keleustēs'' managed the rowing speed, and the ''trièraulès'' was the flute player who maintained the strike rate for the oarsmen. Following further specialization, the naval ''strategos'' was replaced by a [[navarch|''nauarchos'']], a sea officer equating to an [[admiral]].

With the rise of [[Macedon]]ia under [[Philip II of Macedon]] and [[Alexander the Great]], the Greek military became professional, tactics became more sophisticated and additional levels of ranking developed. Foot soldiers were organized into heavy infantry [[phalanx formation|phalanxes]] called ''[[phalangites]]''. These were among the first troops ever to be drilled, and they fought packed in a close rectangular formation, typically eight men deep, with a leader at the head of each column (or file) and a secondary leader in the middle so that the back rows could move off to the sides if more frontage was needed.

A ''tetrarchia'' was a unit of four files and a ''tetrarchès'' or ''tetrarch'' was a commander of four files; a ''dilochia'' was a double file and a ''dilochitès'' was a double-file leader; a ''lochos'' was a single file and a ''lochagos'' was a file leader; a ''dimoiria'' was a half file and a ''dimoirites'' was a half-file leader. Another name for the half file was a ''hèmilochion'' with a ''hèmilochitès'' being a half-file leader.

Different types of units, however, were divided differently and therefore their leaders had different titles. For example, under a numbering system by tens, a ''dekas'' or ''dekania'' was a unit of ten led by a ''dekarchos'', a ''hekatontarchia'' was a unit of one hundred led by a ''hekatontarchos'' and a ''khiliostys'' or ''khiliarchia'' was a unit of a thousand led by a ''khiliarchos''.

The cavalry, for which Alexander became most famous (in a military sense), grew more varied. There were heavy cavalry and wing cavalry (''ilè'') units, the latter commanded by an ''ilarchos''.

=== Roman ===
{{see also|Ranks in the Roman army|Roman legion#Legionary ranks}}
The use of formalized ranks came into widespread use with the [[Roman legion]]s after the reforms by [[Gaius Marius|Marius]]. Comparisons to modern ranks, however, can only be loose because the Roman army's command structure was very different from the organizational structure of its modern counterparts, which arose from the early modern, Thirty Years' War mercenary companies, rather than from the writings of fourth-century Roman writer [[Vegetius]] and [[Julius Caesar|Caesar]]'s commentaries on his conquest of [[Gaul]] and the civil war.

Military command properly so-called was a political office in Rome. A commander needed to be equipped with [[imperium]], a politico-religious concept. The [[King of Rome|king]] who possessed it (the ''[[rex sacrorum]]'') was strictly forbidden to have it to avoid a return to the monarchy. In the republic, commanding was confined to [[consul]]s or (seldom) to ''[[praetors]]'', or in cases of necessity a [[Roman dictator|dictator]]. ''[[Proconsuls]]'', after the establishment of the office, were used. In imperial times, each legion was commanded by the emperor, who was technically either consul or proconsul.

The commander could appoint a deputy, a so-called ''[[legatus|legate]]'' (''legatus''). The association of "''legatus''" with "legion" is [[folk etymology]], as the meaning of ''legatus'' is "proxy" or "envoy". Legates were typically drawn from the [[Roman Senate]] for three-year terms. The political nature of high military command was even reflected here, in that legions were always subordinate to the [[Roman governor|governor]], and only the second and further legions stationed in a province had their own ''legatus legionis''. The real commanders and the legates together were, in modern terms, the [[general officers]].{{citation needed|date=May 2014}}

Immediately beneath the commander (or his legate) were six [[military tribune]]s (''tribuni militum''), five of whom were young men of [[Equestrian (Roman)|equestrian]] rank and one of whom was a nobleman who was headed for the senate. The latter is called ''laticlavian'' tribune (''tribunus laticlavius'') and was second in command. If in modern [[Division (military)|divisions]] the deputy commander is a [[brigadier general]], the ''[[tribunus laticlavius|laticlavian tribune]]'' can perhaps be translated with this rank, though he commanded no formation of his own. The other tribunes are called ''tribuni angusticlavii'' and are equivalent to staff officers in both senses of the term: of ranks [[Major (rank)|major]], [[lieutenant colonel]], [[colonel]], and with administrative duties. They did not command a formation of their own. The term ''military tribune'' is even sometimes translated into English as "colonel"—most notably by the late classicist [[Robert Graves]] in his ''[[Claudius]]'' novels and his translation of [[Suetonius]]' ''Twelve Caesars''—to avoid confusion with the political "[[tribune]]s of the people"; in addition, they must not either be confused with the "military tribunes with consular authority", who in early republican times could replace the consuls.

The third highest officer of a legion, above the ''angusticlavian'' tribunes, was the ''[[Praefectus Castrorum|praefectus castrorum]]''. He, too, would have a colonel's rank in modern armies, yet he differed much from the tribunes in that his office was not part of the rather administrative ''cursus'', but normally filled by former centurions. (Modern armies have a [[Warrant officer|similar distinction]] on a lower scale—i.e., between commissioned and non-commissioned officers.)

The fighting men in the legion were formed into "ranks", rows of men who fought as a unit. Under Marius's new system, legions were divided into ten [[Cohort (military unit)|cohorts]] (''cohortes'') (roughly equivalent to [[battalion]]s and immediately subject to the legion), each consisting of three ''manipula'', each of them of two centuries (a rather small [[company (military unit)|company]] in modern terms), each consisting of between 60 and 160 men. Each century was led by a [[centurion]] (''centurio'', traditionally translated as [[Captain (OF-2)|captain]]), who was assisted by a number of junior officers, such as an ''optio''. Centuries were further broken into ten ''contubernia'' of eight soldiers each. The ''manipula'' were commanded by one of their two centurions, the cohorts by one of their three ''manipulum's'' centurions; the most senior cohort-commanding centurions was called ''primus pilus''. The ranks of centurions in the individual cohorts were, in descending order, ''pilus prior'', ''pilus posterior'', ''princeps prior'', ''princeps posterior'', ''hastatus prior'', and ''hastatus posterior''.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.roman-empire.net/army/career.html|title=Army Career|access-date=2010-09-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070602061210/http://www.roman-empire.net/army/career.html |archive-date=2007-06-02 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Individual soldiers were referred to as soldiers (''milites'') or legionaries (''legionarii'').

===Mongol===

See [[Mongol military tactics and organization]].

=== Turk ===
{{further|Mongol military tactics and organization}}
There were no ranks in the modern sense of a hierarchy of titles, although the army was organized into a hierarchical command. The organization of the army was based on the decimal system, employed by [[Modun Chanyu]]. The army was built upon a squad of ten (''aravt'') led by an appointed chief. Ten of these would then compose a company of a hundred (''zuut''), also led by an appointed chief. The next unit was a regiment of a thousand (''myangat'') led by an appointed ''noyan''. The largest organic unit was a ten thousand man unit (''[[Tumen (unit)|tumen]]'') also led by an appointed ''[[noyan]]''.<ref name="Tobchi'an">{{cite book |last=unknown |author2=translated by Urgunge Onon |author3=revised by Sue Bradbury |title=Chinggis Khan: The Golden History of the Mongols |type=hardback |year=1993 |publisher=The Folio Society |location=London |pages=116 |chapter=Chapter Nine: Chinggis Khan's military and civil administration |quote=Within the units of a thousand men he [Chinggis Khan] appointed commanders over groups of a hundred, and within those over groups of ten. The main units he made part of larger contingents of ten thousand, appointing commanders to rule over them. }}</ref>

=== Persian ===
The army of ancient [[Persia]] consisted of manageable military groupings under the individual commands. Starting at the bottom, a unit of 10 was called a ''dathabam'' and was led by a ''dathapatis''. A unit of 100 men was a ''satabam'' led by a ''satapatis''. A unit of 1,000 was a ''hazarabam'' and was commanded by a ''hazarapatis''. A unit of 10,000 was a ''baivarabam'' and was commanded by a ''baivarapatis''. The Greeks called such masses of troops a ''myrias'' or ''myriad''. Among mounted troops, an ''asabam'' was a [[cavalry]] unit led by an ''asapatis''.

Historians have discovered the existence of the following ranks in [[Parthia]]n and [[Sassanid army|Sassanian]] armies:

* Commander-in-chief: ''[[Spahbod|Eran spahbod]]'' (to be replaced with four ''[[spahbod]]s'', one for each frontier of the empire during the reign of [[Khosrau I]])
* Commander of the [[cavalry]]: ''Aspwargan salar'' (Parthian) or ''aswaran salar'' (Sassanian)
* Commander of the archers: ''Tirbodh''
* Commander of the [[infantry]]: ''paygan salar''
* [[Castellan]]: ''[[Argbadh]]'' or ''[[Argbadh|argbod]]''
* Commander of a frontier march: ''Marzpawn'' (Parthian) or ''[[marzban]]'' (Sassanian)
* [[Marzban]] of [[Central Asia]]n marches was called ''kanarang''