Editing Roman legion (section)

==Legionary ranks==
{{See also|Ranks in the Roman army|Military rank#Roman}}
Aside from the rank and file [[legionary]] (who received the base wage of 10 ''[[As (Roman coin)|assēs]]'' a day or 225 ''[[Denarius|denarii]]'' a year), the following list describes the system of officers which developed within the legions from the late republic (100s BC) until the military reforms of [[Diocletian#Economic and military reforms|Diocletian]] ({{circa|290}}). 

===Senior officers===
* '''''[[Legatus Augusti pro praetore]]'' (imperial legate)''': the commander of two or more legions. The imperial legate also served as the [[Roman governor|governor]] of the province in which the legions he commanded were stationed. Of [[Roman Senate|senatorial rank]], the imperial legate was appointed by the emperor and usually held command for 3 or 5 years. 
* '''''[[Legatus|Legatus legionis]]'' (legionary legate)''': the overall commander of the legion. The post was usually filled by a [[Roman Senate|senator]], appointed by the emperor, who held command for 3 or 4 years, although he could serve for a much longer period. In a [[Roman province]] with only one legion, the legatus was also the provincial [[Roman governor|governor]]. In such circumstances, the legatus was dual-hatted as both legionary legate and imperial legate. The legionary legate also served as commander of the [[Auxilia|auxiliary units]] attached to the legion, though they were not formally a part of the legion's command structure. 
* '''''[[Tribunus laticlavius]]'' (broad-band tribune)''': named for the broad-striped tunic worn by men of senatorial rank, this tribune was appointed by the emperor or the senate. Though generally young, he was more experienced than the tribuni angusticlavii. He served as second-in-command of the legion, behind the legate. Because of his age and inexperience, he was not the actual second-in-command in battle. But if the legate died, he would take command of the legion.
* '''''[[Praefectus castrorum]]'' (camp prefect)''': the camp prefect was third in command of the legion. Generally, he was a long-serving veteran from a lower social status than the ''tribunii'' whom he outranked, and who previously had served as ''primus pilus'' and finished his 25 years with the legions. He was used as a senior officer in charge of training a legion, though he could also command a cohort of [[auxilia]]ries.
* '''''[[Tribunus angusticlavius|Tribuni angusticlavii]]'' (narrow-band tribunes)''': each legion had five lower-ranking tribunes, who were normally from the equestrian class and had at least some years of prior military experience. They often served the role of administrative officers.<ref>Bowman, Garnsey, Rathbone (eds) ''The Cambridge Ancient History, Volume 11'' pp. 326–327</ref> This tribunate was often a first, but optional, step in a young man's political career (see ''[[cursus honorum]]'').<ref>Birley, Anthony R. ''Septimius Severus: The African Emperor.'' (New Haven, Yale University Press, 1989) p. 40</ref>

===Centurions===
[[File:Centurion 2 Boulogne Luc Viatour.jpg|thumb|upright|A historical reenactor in Roman centurion costume]]
The rank of [[centurion]] was an officer grade that held much responsibility. The most senior centurion in a legion was known as the ''[[primus pilus]]'' ({{lit}} "first [[Maniple (military unit)|maniple]]"{{sfn|Radin|1915|p=301}}), who directly commanded the first century of the first [[Cohort (military unit)|cohort]] and commanded the whole first cohort when in battle. Within the second to tenth cohorts, the commander of each cohort's first century was known as a ''pilus prior'' and was in command of his entire cohort when in battle. The seniority of the pilus prior centurions was followed by the five other century commanders of the first cohort, who were known as a ''primi ordines''.

There is a story of one centurion, Petronius Fortunatus, making rank in four years, then spending the next forty-two years in twelve different legions never once serving in the ''primi ordines''.<ref>{{Cite book|last=John|first=Warry|title=Warfare in the Classical World|publisher=University of Oklahoma Press|year=1995|isbn=0806127945|location=Norman|pages=173|language=English}}</ref> 

The six centuries of a normal cohort, were, in order of precedence:
* The rear triarii (rear third line)
* The forward triarii (forward third line)
* The rear principes (rear principal line)
* The forward principes (forward principal line)
* The rear hastati (rear spears)
* The forward hastati (forward spears)

The centuries took their titles from the old use of the legion drawn up in three lines of battle using three classes of soldier (each century would then hold a cross-section of this theoretical line, although these century titles were now essentially nominal). Each of the three lines is then sub-divided within the century into a more forward and a more rear century.
 
* '''''[[Primus pilus]]''''': the ''primus pilus'' was the commanding centurion of the first century, first cohort and the senior-most centurion of the entire legion. (Unlike other cohorts, the first cohort had only one javelin century, instead of a "front spear" and a "back spear" century.) The ''primus pilus'' had a chance of later becoming a ''praefectus castrorum''. When the ''primus pilus'' retired, he would most likely gain entry into the equestrian class. He was paid 60 times the base wage. ''Primus pilus'' were also paid more than an average centurion and like a narrowband tribune.
* '''''Pilus prior''''': the "front file" centurions were the commanders of the 10 1st centuries within the legion, making them senior centurions of their respective cohorts. While the legion was in battle formation, the ''pilus prior'' was given command of their entire cohort. The ''primus pilus'' was also a ''pilus prior'', and the most senior of all the centurions within the legion. These positions were usually held by experienced veteran soldiers who had been moved up within the ranks. This rank is subordinate to the ''primus pilus''.
* '''''Primi ordines''''': the "ranks of the first [cohort]" were the five centurions of the first cohort, and included the ''primus pilus''. They, excluding the ''primus pilus'', were paid 30 times the base wage. This rank is senior to all other centurions, save the ''primus pilus'' and ''pilus prior''.
* '''Other centurions''': each legion had 59 or 60 centurions, one to command each century of the ten cohorts. They were the backbone of the professional army and were the career soldiers who ran the day-to-day life of the soldiers and issued commands in the field. They were generally moved up from the ranks, but in some cases could be direct appointments from the emperor or other higher-ranking officials. The cohorts were ranked from the first to the tenth and the century within each cohort ranked from 1 to 6, with only five centuries in the first cohort (for a total of 59 centurions and the ''primus pilus''). The century that each centurion commanded was a direct reflection of his rank: command of the 1st century of the first cohort was the highest, and the 6th century of the 10th cohort was the lowest. Paid ten times the basic wage.

=== Legionaries ===
The Roman army maintained a complex position and grading system for its soldiers that reflected the many and varied duties of the Roman army. There were three pay grades within the rank of legionary: standard, one and a half, and twice the basic pay rate. 

=== Standard duty positions ===
* ''[[Optio]]'': one for each centurion (59–60), they were appointed by the centurion from within the ranks to act as his second in command and were graded pay twice the basic wage.
* ''[[Tesserarius]]'' (guard commander): one for each century. They acted as seconds to the ''optios'' and were graded pay one and a half times the basic wage. Keeper of the watchword, administrative assistant to HQ Staff, third in command of a century. These men fought as normal soldiers when the century they were attached to was not in the vanguard.
* ''[[Decurion (Roman cavalry officer)|Decurion]]'': commanded a cavalry unit (''[[turma]]'') of 10 to 30 ''eques legionis''.<ref name="CCW20">Caesar's Civil War, Adrian Goldsworthy, [https://books.google.com/books?id=zKTABZiThz4C&pg=PA20 p. 20]</ref>
* ''[[Decanus]]'': commanded a ''[[Contubernium (Roman army unit)|contubernium]]'' or ten men tent party, eight soldiers and two non-combatants.  A group of four soldiers would be referred to as a ''quaternion''.

===Special duty positions===
* ''[[Aquilifer]]'': a single position within the legion. The ''aquilifer'' was the legion's [[Heraldic flag#Heraldic standard|standard]] – or [[Aquila (Roman)|''aquila'']] (eagle) – bearer and was an enormously important and prestigious position. Losing the ''aquila'' was considered the greatest dishonor a legion could endure. This post therefore had to be filled with steady veteran soldiers, with an excellent understanding of the tactics of the legion. He was graded pay twice the basic wage.
* ''[[Signifer]]'': each century had a ''signifer'' (thus, there were 59 in a legion) and within each [[cohort (military unit)|cohort]] the 1st century's ''signifer'' would be the senior. He was standard-bearer for the ''centurial signum'', a spear shaft decorated with medallions and topped with an open hand to signify loyalty, which was a rallying point for the soldiers. In addition to carrying the ''signum'', the ''signifer'' also assumed responsibility for the financial administration of the unit and functioned as the legionaries' banker. He was graded pay twice the basic wage.
* ''[[Cornicen]]'' ("horn blower"): worked hand in hand with the ''signifer'' drawing the attention of the men to the centurial ''signum'' and issuing the audible commands of the officers. He was graded pay twice the basic wage.
* ''[[Imaginifer]]'': a special position from the time of [[Augustus]] onwards. Carried the standard bearing the image of the Emperor as a constant reminder of the troops' loyalty to him. He was graded pay twice the basic wage.
* ''[[Immunes]]'': ''immunes'' were legionary soldiers who possessed specialised skills, qualifying them for better pay and excusing them from labour and guard work. Engineers, artillerymen, musicians, clerks, [[quartermaster]]s, drill and weapons instructors, carpenters, hunters, medical staff and [[military police]] were all immune soldiers. These men were still fully trained legionaries, however, and were called upon to serve in the battle lines when needed.
* ''[[Evocatus]]'': a veteran of the Roman army who had earned his [[Roman military diploma|military diploma]] for military service, but had chosen to re-enlist. They received double pay and were excluded from regular duties, such as manual labour.