''Centuria'' (, plural ''centuriae'') is a Latin term (from the stem ''centum'' meaning one hundred) denoting military units originally consisting of 100 men. The size of the century changed over time, and from the first century BC through most of the
imperial era the standard size of a centuria was 80 men.
A ''centuria'' is also a Roman unit of land area corresponding to 100 ''
heredia''.
Roman use
Political
In the political context the ''centuria'' was the constituent voting unit in the assembly of the centuries (Latin ''
comitia centuriata
The Centuriate Assembly (Latin: ''comitia centuriata'') of the Roman Republic was one of the three voting assemblies in the Roman constitution. It was named the Centuriate Assembly as it originally divided Roman citizens into groups of one hundred ...
''), an old form of popular assembly in the
Roman Republic
The Roman Republic ( la, Res publica Romana ) was a form of government of Rome and the era of the classical Roman civilization when it was run through public representation of the Roman people. Beginning with the overthrow of the Roman Kin ...
, the members of which cast one collective vote.
Its origin seems to be the homonymous military unit. The comitia centuriata elected important magistrates like
consuls
A consul is an official representative of the government of one state in the territory of another, normally acting to assist and protect the citizens of the consul's own country, as well as to facilitate trade and friendship between the people ...
and
praetors
Praetor ( , ), also pretor, was the title granted by the government of Ancient Rome to a man acting in one of two official capacities: (i) the commander of an army, and (ii) as an elected '' magistratus'' (magistrate), assigned to discharge vario ...
.
Military
History
The ''centuria'' dates all the way back to the earliest armies of the
Roman Kingdom
The Roman Kingdom (also referred to as the Roman monarchy, or the regal period of ancient Rome) was the earliest period of Roman history when the city and its territory were ruled by kings. According to oral accounts, the Roman Kingdom began wi ...
being described in
Plutarch
Plutarch (; grc-gre, Πλούταρχος, ''Ploútarchos''; ; – after AD 119) was a Greek Middle Platonist philosopher, historian, biographer, essayist, and priest at the Temple of Apollo in Delphi. He is known primarily for his ''P ...
's account of the life
Romulus
Romulus () was the legendary foundation of Rome, founder and King of Rome, first king of Ancient Rome, Rome. Various traditions attribute the establishment of many of Rome's oldest legal, political, religious, and social institutions to Romulus ...
, however it is only mentioned in passing as a subdivision of Romulus' force. It is speculated that in this period a century may have referred to a
Phalanx
The phalanx ( grc, φάλαγξ; plural phalanxes or phalanges, , ) was a rectangular mass military formation, usually composed entirely of heavy infantry armed with spears, pikes, sarissas, or similar pole weapons. The term is particularly ...
block and was perhaps the main tactical unit on the battlefield.
After the adoption of the
Manipular Roman army
The Roman army of the mid-Republic, also called the manipular Roman army or the Polybian army, refers to the armed forces deployed by the mid-Roman Republic, from the end of the Samnite Wars (290 BC) to the end of the Social War (88 BC). The fir ...
in 340 BC the ''centuria'' took a backseat to the
Maniple (military unit)
Maniple ( la, manipulus, lit= a handful f soldiers}) was a tactical unit of the Roman Republican armies, adopted during the Samnite Wars (343–290 BC). It was also the name of the military insignia carried by such units.
Maniple members, call ...
as the main military unit used by the Roman army. In
Livy
Titus Livius (; 59 BC – AD 17), known in English as Livy ( ), was a Ancient Rome, Roman historian. He wrote a monumental history of Rome and the Roman people, titled , covering the period from the earliest legends of Rome before the traditiona ...
's ''The History of Rome'' and
Polybius
Polybius (; grc-gre, Πολύβιος, ; ) was a Greek historian of the Hellenistic period. He is noted for his work , which covered the period of 264–146 BC and the Punic Wars in detail.
Polybius is important for his analysis of the mixed ...
' ''Histories, centuria'' do not appear by name but both writers do mention subdivisions of the maniple of around 60 men that were commanded by
Centurion
A centurion (; la, centurio , . la, centuriones, label=none; grc-gre, κεντυρίων, kentyríōn, or ) was a position in the Roman army during classical antiquity, nominally the commander of a century (), a military unit of around 80 ...
s. The only point of disagreement between the two was the number of these units in a maniple; Livy says 3 while Polybius says 2. Livy is writing of a time 150 years before Polybius so the number of men in this unit may have changed over that period.
The ''centuria'' was the pivotal tactical unit of a
Roman legion
The Roman legion ( la, legiō, ) was the largest military unit of the Roman army, composed of 5,200 infantry and 300 equites (cavalry) in the period of the Roman Republic (509 BC–27 BC) and of 5,600 infantry and 200 auxilia in the period of ...
after the
Marian reforms
The Marian reforms were reforms of the ancient Roman army implemented in 107 BC by the statesman Gaius Marius, for whom they were later named. The reforms originated as a reaction to the military and logistical stagnation of the Roman Republic i ...
of 107 BC.
Leadership and organization
A century was commanded by a ''
centurion
A centurion (; la, centurio , . la, centuriones, label=none; grc-gre, κεντυρίων, kentyríōn, or ) was a position in the Roman army during classical antiquity, nominally the commander of a century (), a military unit of around 80 ...
'', who was assisted by an ''
optio'' and ''
tesserarius
A ''tesserarius'' ( lat, tesserārius, from ''tessera'', a small tile or block of wood on which watchwords were written) was a watch commander in the Roman army. They organized and had command over the nightly guard assigned to keep watch over the ...
''. It had a banner or signum which was carried by a ''
signifer
A ''signifer'' () was a standard bearer of the Roman legions. He carried a ''signum'' ( standard) for a cohort or century. Each century had a ''signifer'' so there were 59 in a legion. Within each cohort, the first century's ''signifer'' would ...
''. Also, each century provided a ''buccinator'', who played a
buccina
A buccina ( lat, buccina) or bucina ( lat, būcina, link=no), anglicized buccin or bucine, is a brass instrument that was used in the ancient Roman army, similar to the cornu. An ''aeneator'' who blew a buccina was called a "buccinator" or "bu ...
, a kind of horn used to transmit acoustic orders.
On the battlefield, the centurion stood at the far right of the first row of men next to the signifer, while the optio stood at the rear, to avoid, if necessary, the disbanding of the troops and ensure the relay between typical closed order lines used by the Roman army.
The post-Marian Reform ''centuria'' originally consisted of a hundred soldiers; later 80 distributed among 10 ''contubernia'', with support staff making up the remainder of the 100 men. Each ''
contubernium
A ''contubernium'' was a quasi-marital relationship in ancient Rome between a free citizen and a slave or between two slaves. A slave involved in such relationship was called ''contubernalis''.
The term describes a wide range of situations, from ...
'' (the minimal unit in the Roman legion) consisted of eight soldiers who lived in the same tent while on campaign or the same bunk room in barracks.
In the imperial period, but likely not the republican period, the first cohort was twice the size of the other cohorts. Each of its five ''centuriae'' was a double centuria of 160 men (rather than 80). The first cohort thus consisted of 800 men. Centurions of these first-cohort double ''centuriae'' were called ''
primi ordinis
The Pumi (also Primi) people ( Tibetan: བོད་མི་, Wylie: bod mi, , own name: ) are an ethnic group. They form one of the 56 ethnic groups officially recognized by China.
Ethnically related to the Tibetans of the Mili Tibetan Auton ...
'' ("first rank"), except for the leader of the first ''centuria'' of the first cohort, who was referred to as ''
primus pilus
The ''primus pilus'' or ''primipilus'' was the senior centurion of the first cohort in a Roman legion, a formation of five double-strength centuries of 160 men, was called the ''primus pilus''; he was a career soldier and advisor to the le ...
'' (first file).
Other uses
The term ''centuria'' was later used during the
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebelión, lin ...
to describe the informal bands of local militiamen and international volunteers that sprang up in
Catalonia
Catalonia (; ca, Catalunya ; Aranese Occitan: ''Catalonha'' ; es, Cataluña ) is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a ''nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy.
Most of the territory (except the Val d'Aran) lies on the north ...
and
Aragon
Aragon ( , ; Spanish and an, Aragón ; ca, Aragó ) is an autonomous community in Spain, coextensive with the medieval Kingdom of Aragon. In northeastern Spain, the Aragonese autonomous community comprises three provinces (from north to sou ...
in October–November 1936 and also today in Ukraine.
[{{Cite web, title=Western countries training far-right extremists in Ukraine - report, url=https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/western-countries-training-far-right-extremists-in-ukraine-report-682411/, access-date=2022-04-15]
Sources
See also
*
Hundertschaft
''Hundertschaft'' (centuria, group of a hundred) is a German term to denote a military or police group of around one hundred members. Historically the Germanic tribes created fighting groups of 100 men. This term is not used in the modern German m ...
*
Roman empire
The Roman Empire ( la, Imperium Romanum ; grc-gre, Βασιλεία τῶν Ῥωμαίων, Basileía tôn Rhōmaíōn) was the post-Republican period of ancient Rome. As a polity, it included large territorial holdings around the Mediterr ...
*
Roman military history
The military history of ancient Rome is inseparable from its political system, based from an early date upon competition within the ruling elite. Two consuls were elected each year to head the government of the state, and in the early to mid- ...
*
Tactics of the Roman century in combat
Roman infantry tactics refers to the theoretical and historical deployment, formation, and manoeuvres of the Roman infantry from the start of the Roman Republic to the fall of the Western Roman Empire. The focus below is primarily on Roman tact ...
*
Sotnia
Sotnia ( Ukrainian and ) was a military unit and administrative division in many Slavic countries.
Sotnia, deriving back to 1948, has been used in a variety of contexts in both Ukraine and Russia to this day. It is a helpful word to create s ...
Infantry units and formations of ancient Rome
Roman legions