Roman Centuria

Мыслевцев А.С.

A centuria (Latin centuria, from centum, "one hundred") was a subdivision of a Roman legion commanded by a centurion. Despite the name, a normal century of the late Republic and Principate commonly had an establishment of about 80 legionaries; its actual strength depended on losses and replacements.

The military century should not be confused with a century as a voting unit in the centuriate assembly. The terms share an origin but describe different institutions.

The Century within the Legion

Unit	Typical composition	Approximate establishment
Contubernium	Legionaries sharing a tent group	about 8 legionaries
Century	Several contubernia	usually about 80
Cohort	Usually 6 centuries	about 480; the first cohort could be larger
Legion	10 cohorts, headquarters and specialists	roughly 5,000, with variation

The table presents a conventional establishment for the late Republic and Principate, not a fixed headcount for every unit. Ancient narratives, inscriptions and papyri record formations at very different levels of strength.

Strength and Composition

The name "century" preserved the idea of one hundred, but the unit's size changed. For the late Republican and early imperial legion, historians commonly use an establishment of about 80 legionaries: several contubernia formed a century, and six centuries formed a normal cohort. The first cohort later developed a special organisation and could contain enlarged centuries.

A century included more than rank-and-file heavy infantry. Junior officers, a standard-bearer, musicians and specialists belonged to its organisation, while non-combatant servants could accompany the unit. The number of people attached to a century therefore did not always equal the number of legionaries in the battle line.

Command

A centurion commanded the century. His seniority depended on the century and cohort he led; the most prestigious centurion in a legion was the primus pilus of the first cohort. The optio served as deputy, the tesserarius handled the watchword and guard duties, and the signifer carried the century's standard.

The centurion enforced discipline, trained soldiers, assigned duties and led the unit on campaign and in battle. A century was at once an administrative group, a community of daily service and part of a larger tactical formation.

Century, Manipule and Cohort

In the manipular legion, two centuries formed a manipule. The seniority of their centurions was expressed by the traditional labels prior and posterior. When the cohort became the principal tactical subdivision, centuries did not disappear; they remained the cohort's component units.

A century could receive a separate task, but normally operated within a cohort and legion. Comparing it with a modern company is therefore only approximate: command, supply and battlefield employment followed a different system.

Centuries in the Voting Assembly

In Roman politics, centuries were also the voting units of the centuriate assembly. Tradition connected their creation with the reforms of Servius Tullius. Citizens were assigned by property class, and each century cast a collective vote rather than every citizen voting separately.

Political centuries did not contain equal numbers of voters. The order of voting favoured wealthier groups because their centuries voted earlier and could establish a majority before the lower classes were called. The traditional total of 193 describes voting units, not 193 military formations of one hundred men each.

FAQ

How many men were in a Roman century? For the late Republic and Principate, an establishment of about 80 legionaries is commonly used. Actual strength could be lower, while centuries of the first cohort could be larger.

Why does centuria mean "one hundred" if it had about 80 soldiers? The name was older than the imperial organisation best known to us and survived changes in establishment.

How many centuries were in a cohort? In the standard Principate model, a normal cohort contained six centuries; the first cohort had a special structure.