Auxilia - Units of cavalry, ranged, and infantry fighters who assisted legions and filled specialized roles. Roman citizenship was not required. Citizenship could be earned by completing a 25-year term of service in the auxilia.
Centuria - A unit of 80 legionnaires plus servants led by a centurio
Centurio - The basic equivalent of a modern captain. He commanded his 80 men in combat and coordinated with the other centurio and higher officers.
Cohort - A unit of six centuria, 480 men at full strength
Contubernium - A tent unit of eight men who slept in the same small tent. The basic platoon unit that fought and worked together.
Decanus - The leader of a contubernium. A corporal.
Falx - One of the prime weapons of the Dacians. It had a long, curved blade with the inside edge sharpened that ended in a pointy tip. The handle was typically slightly longer than the blade. Combined, they were about three feet long. When wielded with two hands, it could easily slice through limbs, punch through armor, or tear apart a shield.
Gladius - The short sword used by the legions. It had a sharp, stabbing point that formed the main attack but was balanced and could slash just as well. Romans were trained to stab vital areas or slash at exposed flesh.
Legio - A legion, composed of ten cohorts. A legion usually had several auxilia units assigned to them.
Miles - The term for a Legionnaire
Optio - Chosen by the centurio to assist his leadership and to take over if the centurio wasn’t available to lead the unit for whatever reason. The modern equivalent of a lieutenant.
Pilum - The specialized throwing javelin of the Roman legions. The shanks, made of softer iron than the tip, were joined to the shaft with a wooden pin. After the battle, pila (plural of pilum) would be collected, their shanks straightened and pins replaced. Each legionnaire carried two into battle—a light one that flew longer for the first throw and a heavier one for the shorter, second throw.
Scutum - The classic Roman shield. It was held by a bar in the center that ran parallel to the top and bottom. It could be used defensively and offensively.
Tesserarius - The legionnaire in charge of assigning guard duty for his centuria. The equivalent of a sergeant.
Tiro - A recruit (tirones is the plural)
Vexillation - A vexillation was a group split off from its legion and given a special task or mission. Vexillatio in Latin.
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