Editing Centurion (section)

{{Short description|Army officer in Imperial Rome}}
{{about|the Roman army officer|other uses|Centurion (disambiguation)}}
[[File:Centurion 2 Boulogne Luc Viatour.jpg|thumb|A [[historical reenactor]] in Roman centurion costume. Note that the [[vambraces]] used in this reconstruction are an [[anachronism]].]]

In the [[Roman army]] during [[classical antiquity]], a '''centurion''' ({{IPAc-en|s|ɛ|n|ˈ|tj|ʊər|i|ə|n}}; {{langx|la|centurio}} {{IPA|la|kɛn̪ˈt̪ʊrioː|}}, {{Abbreviation|pl|plural}}. {{langx|la|centuriones|label=none}}; {{langx|grc|κεντυρίων|kentyríōn}}, or {{Langx|grc|ἑκατόνταρχος|hekatóntarkhos|links=no}}), was a commander, nominally of a [[centuria|century]] ({{Langx|la|centuria}}), a [[Military organization|military unit]] originally consisting of 100 [[Legionary|legionaries]]. The size of the century changed over time; from the 1st century BC through most of the [[Roman Empire|imperial era]] it was reduced to 80 men.

A centurion was promoted for being an exemplary soldier and was then expected to become a strict commander of his subordinates, to lead his troops by example, and coordinate his century's actions. They were also responsible for handling logistics and supplies, as well as any discipline that was required. In a [[Roman legion]], centuries were grouped into [[Cohort (military unit)|cohorts]] and commanded by a senior centurion. The prestigious first cohort (a formation of five double-strength centuries of 160 men each)<ref>Webster, Graham (1998). ''The Roman Imperial Army of the First and Second Centuries A.D.'' University of Oklahoma Press. {{ISBN|978-080-613-000-2}}.</ref> was led by the ''[[primus pilus]],'' who commanded the ''primi ordines'' who were the centurions of the first cohort.

A centurion's symbol of office was the [[vine staff]], with which they disciplined even [[Roman citizenship|Roman citizens]], who were otherwise legally protected from corporal punishment by the [[Valerian and Porcian laws|Porcian laws]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Lentz |first=John C. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=N4TDF3Yh4fcC |title=Luke's portrait of Paul |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=1993 |isbn=0-521-43316-9 |location=Cambridge, UK}}</ref> Centurions also served in the [[Roman navy]]. They were professional officers, analogous to modern [[non-commissioned officer]]s in terms of pay-grade, prestige, and responsibilities. In [[late antiquity]] and the [[Middle Ages]], the [[Byzantine army]]'s centurions were known by the name '''kentarch''' (Kentarches).<ref name="ODB">{{cite book | editor-first = Alexander| editor-last = Kazhdan | editor-link=Alexander Kazhdan | title = [[Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium]] | publisher = Oxford University Press | year = 1991 | isbn = 978-0-19-504652-6 | pages = 1120–1121}}</ref>