Legions · Guide
Glossary
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Ala | An auxiliary cavalry formation; usage varies across periods. |
| Aquila / aquilifer | A legionary eagle standard / its bearer. |
| Canabae | A civilian settlement associated with a military establishment. |
| Castra | Military quarters or a fortified camp; the scale and permanence depend on context. |
| Centuria / centurio | A military subdivision / its commanding centurion; the name does not guarantee exactly one hundred men. |
| Cohors | A cohort; a tactical and administrative body whose establishment varied. |
| Cohors equitata | An auxiliary cohort containing infantry and a mounted component. |
| Comitatenses | Late field-army formations within a changing command structure. |
| Contubernium | The small group associated with shared tenting or barrack accommodation. |
| Dux / comes | Command titles with different uses across time, including formal late Roman jurisdictions. |
| Evocatus | A recalled veteran serving under a particular arrangement. |
| Immunis | A soldier excused from some ordinary duties because of specialist service. |
| Legatus legionis | The legionary legate in the relevant early imperial command system. |
| Limitanei / ripenses | Terms associated with late frontier or river service, not universal judgments about military quality. |
| Palatini | A category of late formations associated with higher-status field establishments; details require date and context. |
| Praefectus castrorum | Camp prefect. |
| Praefectus legionis | Legionary prefect; the office changed across provinces and centuries. |
| Primus pilus | The senior centurion in the relevant legionary hierarchy. |
| Signum / signifer | A standard / its bearer. |
| Testudo | A protective shield arrangement with tactical advantages and limitations. |
| Vexillatio | A detached body, sometimes drawn from several parent formations, whose history could develop separately. |
The other guides to legions
GuideThe Roman military worldThe legion of the middle Republic was not identical with the institution of the second-century empire. Republican…GuideWeapons and changing equipmentMail armor—commonly called lorica hamata—offered flexible protection and had a long Roman life. Scale armor also…GuideBattlefield tactics and siegecraftRoman armies could deploy in several lines, retain reserves, leave intervals, extend a front, or modify their…GuideAuxiliaries and specialist troopsThe legion was one institution within a larger army. Provincial military power also depended on auxiliary infantry…GuideStandards, symbols, and namesThe aquila embodied the legion’s corporate honor. Its capture could become a catastrophe remembered long after the…GuideGarrisons, logistics, and military societyAn established fortress organized space for command, barracks, stores, workshops, medical care, officers’…GuideRegional deployment atlasThese registers connect legionary biographies with the places where troops lived, supplied armies, crossed frontiers…GuideCampaign chronology and institutional turning pointsThe table is a chronological framework, not an order of battle. A legion’s presence in a campaign theater does not…GuideGlossaryGuideHistorical references and illustration creditsThe institutional narratives draw on Caesar’s Gallic War and Civil War; Tacitus’ Annals, Histories, and Agricola…