The legionary was a regular soldier signed up for 25 years of service in the legions. After a grueling training programme which provided a recruit with a wealth of military and practical skills he took his place in the line of battle with the rest of his legionary comrades. Life was hard with daily drilling and weapons training as well as regular route marches and tactical exercises. Discipline was enforced with a draconian ferocity, a typical example of which was the policy of stoning to death for those who fell asleep on guard duty. In time a legionary might secure specialist training and move up to ‘excused duties’ status. If a legionary showed particular promise he would be made an optio, or a standard bearer.
The Optio
Assigned to act as second-in-command to a centurion an optio was usually a promising candidate for promotion who would be learning the wide range of administration and leadership skills from his centurion in preparation for the time when a vacancy fell free in the centurionate. Aside from command duties the optio would be responsible for keeping detailed records of the men in his century.
The Standard Bearer
The century, cohort and legion standards were venerated by the men who served under them. Those who were entrusted with the honour of carrying the standards had to be steadfast in battle and be prepared to die rather than let the standard fall into enemy hands and thereby disgrace his unit. The office of standard bearer was a temporary one, typically held for one year, and was considered to be a great honour. Apart from safeguarding the standard the Standard bearer was responsible for the pay records of the men in his unit.
The Centurion
Quite rightly the centurions were regarded as forming the backbone of the legion. Tough veterans with a wide range of military experiences the men of the centurionate could be counted upon not to yield one step in battle. They led by example and had a high casualty rate for doing so. The centurions reinforced their authority with harshness, often using their knotted vine canes to emphasise the point. Due to this centurions tended to be the first in line for severe treatment when there was trouble brewing in the ranks. The centurionate was a highly professional body with great respect for tradition and the value of loyalty to their standards, their units and their superiors. A centurion might well be transferred from legion to legion throughout his career as well as serving on lengthy detached duties. Where centurions commanded small provincial garrisons they were looked to by native communities to adjudicate in local disputes. A particularly promising centurion might win promotion to command an auxiliary unit. But the highest aspiration a centurion could have was to become the chief centurion of his legion. The chief centurion commanded the first century of the first cohort, and thus the cohort itself, and was frequently consulted by the legate commanding the legion. After a year’s service the chief centurion might look forward to further service as camp prefect, or retirement.
The Tribune
Each legion had six tribunes, drawn from the higher social classes of Rome. The tribunes were young men in their early twenties for whom military service marked the first stage of a political career. Being a militaristic nation the Romans held that service in the army provided the necessary preparation for social leadership later in life. The tribunes were assigned to the administrative staff of a legion and were given occasional command of soldiers for limited detached duties. The period of service was short, one or two years was most typical, after which the tribunes would return home and seek junior political posts.
The senior tribune of a legion was destined for a different future. Typically drawn from the highest social class the senior tribune would return to Rome after a short tour of duty to begin a fast-track promotion through the political offices. They might well return to the legions in their early to mid thirties with command of a legion.
The Camp Prefect
The camp prefect was the senior regular soldier of the legion. A grizzled veteran, he had reached the pinnacle of his career having already served as chief centurion. The Camp Prefect acted as second-in-command of the legion and would take control of the unit in the legate’s absence.
The Legate
The commander of the legion had served previously as a tribune and would serve a number of years as legate before returning to Rome to seek the highest political offices available. Assuming he had proved to be a successful legate first. Since the post was largely political in origin the legate relied heavily on the centurions and other regular officers for advice and guidance.
The Legion's Weapons
The basic arms of the legions in the mid-first century were largely the same as those used in Caesar’s day. The legionary was equipped with ranged weapons as well as those used for close quarters. In a classic engagement the legionaries would hurl their javelins at the approaching enemy. The javelin had a heavy iron head at the end of an untempered spike of iron which was fastened to the wooden shaft with a thin wooden peg. On impact the peg would break and the iron spike might well bend, effectively fixing it in the shield of an enemy and rendering that shield useless. Either way the javelin could not be thrown back at its owner.
Once the enemy was engaged at close quarters the legionary would be able to use his short sword – the gladius. Specifically designed as a stabbing weapon the short sword was a brutally effective weapon when used in a tight packed melee thrusting our from the close linked wall of shields that protected the Roman infantry. These shields were rectangles that curved back at the edges and mounted a solid iron or bronze that could be used as a weapon in its own right. Beyond the short sword the legionary was equipped with a broad leafed dagger for emergencies.
Body protection was provided by a helmet with cheek guards and a neck guard reinforced by cross braces to guard against chopping blows to the head. Up until the mid-first century the legionary’s torso was protected by a chain mail shirt worn over a wool or leather jerkin. Thereafter the more familiar segmented armour began to appear; a corselet of metal bands fastened to a harness that provided a lighter, stronger and cheaper form of equipment.
