Myth: Roman Centurions commanded 100 men
01/01/07 00:00 Filed in: History
Did Roman Centurions really command
100 (one hundred) men?
Myth
In the Roman Army a Centurion would lead a force of 100 (one hundred) men. His name derives from the Latin for 100 (one hundred).
Reality
In the Roman Army a Centurion would be control of a centuria which would constitute anything from between 60 to 160 men. This would all depend of the force strength of the unit and whether or not the unit was part of the first Cohort.
In a nutshell, a Centurion could be in charge of 100 (one hundred) men, but was equally as likely to be control of any number above 60.
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