Legionary Officers and NCOs - Late Roman Army (284 - 565 AD)

[Robert Vermaat]

Nathan wrote:
We don't know anything much for certain! Robert's source states 80 men, P-Hyginus said 80 men back in the 2nd (?) century. Beyond that there's not much.

Hypothetically, if in the Severan period a century was 100 men, and then during the reforms of Diocletian a century ended up being 80 men being commanded by a centurion, it would more sense to call the commander of 80 men an ordinarius than a centurion.

I only know that centenarius remained in use up to the 7th c. I think, and Rance even proposed that the later kentarch was a conflation of the Greek and Latin words for the same rank. Which would, thinking like you proposed, still give you 100 men.