The Roman army never, like ours, had tiering
grades of officers; it always, theoretically, consisted of soldiers,
centurions and the commander: other officers were additional and special.
Each centurion chose from among his men an _optio_, to assist him and to
take his place if killed. These _optiones_ corresponded most nearly to our
corporals, but their duties and authority were always very vague. The
centurions corresponded to our sergeants, in that they were picked men
from the ranks, but they had all the duties and powers of our lieutenants
and, some of them, of much higher officers. Three centuries made up a
maniple, more or less like one of our battalions, each commanded by its
senior centurion. Two maniples made up a cohort, also commanded by its
senior centurion, and the ten centurions commanding cohorts were the
actual officers of the legion, its head centurion an officer of great
importance.
True, a _tribunus militum_ (tribune of the soldiers) was attached to each
cohort; but he did more advising than commanding, though, in theory, he
represented the general. The tribunes answered to our captains. Under the
Empire each legion was commanded by a _legatus_, who also represented the
general in his absence.
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