The
Organisation of a Roman Legion
The Twenty-Second
Legion comprised some five and a half thousand men. The basic unit
was the century of eighty men commanded by a centurion with an
optio acting as second in command. The century was divided into
eight-man sections which shared a room together in barracks and a
tent when on campaign. Six centuries made up a cohort, and ten
cohorts made up a legion, with the first cohort being double-size.
Each legion was accompanied by a cavalry unit of one hundred and
twenty men, divided into four squadrons, who served as scouts and
messengers. In descending order the main ranks were as
follows:
The legate was a man from an equestrian rather than a
senatorial background, as was the case with legions outside Egypt.
The legate would command the legion for several years and hope to
make something of a name for himself in order to enhance his
subsequent political career.
The camp prefect was a veteran who would previously
have been the chief centurion of the legion and was at the summit
of a professional soldier’s career.
Six tribunes served as staff officers. These would be
men in their early twenties serving in the army for the first time
to gain administrative experience before taking up junior posts in
civil administration. The senior tribune was different. He was
destined for high political office and eventual command of a
legion.
Sixty centurions provided the disciplinary and training
backbone of the legion. They were hand-picked for their command
qualities. The most senior centurion commanded the First Century of
the First Cohort.
The four decurions of the legion commanded the cavalry
squadrons and hoped for promotion to the command of auxiliary
cavalry units.
Each centurion was
assisted by an optio who would act as
an orderly, with minor command duties. Optios would be waiting for
a vacancy in the centurionate.
Below the optios were
the legionaries, men who had signed on
for twenty-five years. In theory, a man had to be a Roman citizen
to qualify for enlistment, but recruits were increasingly drawn
from local populations and given Roman citizenship on joining the
legions.
Lower in status than
the legionaries were the men of the auxiliary
cohorts. These were recruited from the provinces and
provided the Roman Empire with its cavalry, light infantry and
other specialist skills. Roman citizenship was awarded on
completion of twenty-five years of service.