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We know that the contubernium was the group of 8 soldiers who slept under the same tent. I have generaly assumed that the contubernales were all from the same centuria, but I never came across a source that states that clearly, so maybe the men of the same contubernium could have been both from the centuria prior and the centuria posterior of the same cohort.
Of course this is just an assumption, but I wonder if some ancient source could give me some more informations about the actual composition of a contubernium.
Francesco Guidi
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01-07-2019, 03:22 PM
(This post was last modified: 01-07-2019, 04:57 PM by Nathan Ross.)
(01-07-2019, 02:36 PM)Cesco Wrote: I have generaly assumed that the contubernales were all from the same centuria, but I never came across a source that states that clearly
The 8-man 'tent group' is found in (Pseudo)-Hyginus's De Munitionibus Castrorum:
Papilio unus occupat pedes X... tegit homines VIII. Plena centuria habet milites LXXX: erunt papiliones X
which means something like: "One tent occupies 10 feet... and holds 8 men. A full century has 80 men, therefore ten tents"
This certainly implies that the 8-man group is part of the 80-man century!
Note that Hyginus does not call the tent group a contubernium here.
(01-07-2019, 02:36 PM)Cesco Wrote: I wonder if some ancient source could give me some more informations about the actual composition of a contubernium.
Hyginus probably dates from some time in the 2nd Century AD. Vegetius says that the centuries were divided into contubernia of 10 men each, and each contubernium shared a tent under the charge of a soldier called the decanus, or caput contubernii; he also mentions that these 10-man contubernia were called maniples. He goes on to say that the full century comprised 110 men (10x10, plus 10 decani) under a centurion. (Vegetius, Epitoma, II, 13-14)
Some historians have assumed that Vegetius, writing in the late 4th or even early 5th century, was mistaken in his numbers. But his estimates have some support - the biography of Pescennius Niger in the Historia Augusta (itself probably late 4th century) mentions that ten commanipulones had shared a stolen chicken and had been punished for it - implying that ten (or eleven, including the thief?) comprised a tent party. The 6th-century Strategikon also refers to a contubernium as a dekarchy or group of ten.
An inscription from Perge, dated to c.AD500, gives figures for a military unit that can be reconstructed to suggest centuries of 110 men, divided into subunits of 11 - although this is very hypothetical, it might give some support to Vegetius's claims.
Nathan Ross
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A few years ago, I offered a breakdown of Vegetius' numbers for the legion:
https://www.romanarmytalk.com/rat/showth...#pid311753
A few posts later in the same thread, I did the same for Hyginus:
https://www.romanarmytalk.com/rat/showth...#pid311836
In both cases, I took the decanus to be additional to the 100 or 80 men in the contubernium and the figures worked out quite nicely.
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CGL Vol. 5
Placidvs 5.54
Centurias dicimus partes exercitus in centenos milites diuisos unde et qui his presunt centuriones dicuntur ergo succenturiati sunt non qui in prima sed qui in secunda centuria sunt quasi sub prima centuria tamen structi etiam ipsi in speculis positi in bello sunt ut si primi defecerint isti quos subesse diximus laborantibus primis subueniant unde et ad insidiandum ponitur succenturiatos quasi armis dolosis instructos.
https://archive.org/details/corpusglossa...ft/page/54
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(01-08-2019, 06:41 PM)Julian de Vries Wrote: CGL Vol. 5
Placidvs 5.54
Centurias dicimus partes exercitus in centenos milites diuisos unde et qui his presunt centuriones dicuntur ergo succenturiati sunt non qui in prima sed qui in secunda centuria sunt quasi sub prima centuria tamen structi etiam ipsi in speculis positi in bello sunt ut si primi defecerint isti quos subesse diximus laborantibus primis subueniant unde et ad insidiandum ponitur succenturiatos quasi armis dolosis instructos.
https://archive.org/details/corpusglossa...ft/page/54
Happily translated by Google into this perfect English for poor barbarians such as myself:
"Companies we say that the parts of an army in the hundreds, the soldiers, bands, wherefore he that is his charge of the captains of hundreds are said to be, therefore, the suprarenal, not to them that are in the first, but one who in the second century as it were, under the first century, however, built also themselves in the mirrors, if set in the war with a nature that if the first should fail men whom you are to be subject to we have said, from which the subsidiary, as it were, and to watch his opportunity is placed with the working firsts with arms full of guile, they relieve their formation."
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Centurias centuries
dicimus relate
partes part
exercitus a disciplined body of men
in into
centenos hundred
milites soldiers
diuisos divide
unde whence
et and
qui who
his here
Presunt (praesunt) be set over, have charge of
centuriones centurions
dicuntur affirm
ergo consequence
succenturiati to receive as a recruit into a centuria
sunt are
non not
qui In what manner, whereby, some body, any thing
in in
prima first
sed on the contrary
qui In what manner, whereby, some body, any thing
in in
secunda second
centuria century
sunt are
quasi Just as if, though
sub under, behind
prima first
centuria century
tamen nevertheless
structi arrange
etiam still, even now
ipsi self
in in
speculis Watchtower, a look-out
positi place, set
in in
bello war
sunt are
ut Where, that, so that
si If,when
primi first
defecerint withdraw
isti this, that, he, she
quos anybody
subesse To be under, be behind
diximus Assert, state, say, speak
laborantibus To labor, endeavor, exert, strive
primis first
subueniant To assist, reinforce, relieve
unde Whence, from which place
et and
at but
insidiandum to lie in ambush, lie in wait for
ponitur placed
succenturiatos recruits
quasi Just as if, as though, sort of
armis Arms, instruments
dolosis cunning
instructos Build, instructed
Translation:
It is related: centuries are a part of the army and divided into a hundred soldiers. Centurions are in charge of them.
Consequently it is related: recruits are not in the first (centuria) but on the contrary in the second centuria. Behind the first century they arrange themselves in a look-out position in war. So that when the first (centuria) withdraw, those that are behind them, can assert to endeavor to assist the first (centuria). Whence from the place where the recruits were placed to lie in wait for (the second centuria), in this sort of way the recruits are cunningly instructed (trained) in their military instruments.
Commentary:
This text seems to be full of allusions and even even a professional Latin translator will probably struggle, especially if he has no understanding of the Roman Army.
“Prima; secunda centuria”: the text speaks about two types of century, the first and second, these can, in my opinion, be equated with the prior and posterior centuries in the legion.
“Succenturiati”: This text says that the recruits (as I have translated, Succenturiati can also be translated as: “to put in the place of another, receive as a substitute”) are never placed in the front of the battle-line. This is very interesting comparing this to the Miles Marianus who as tiro was more forward then the veterans.
“in speculis positi in bello”: One can say placed in an observational standpoint in the battle, or this is an allusion to a special army formation called the “turres” or tower.
See: Gell. NA 10.9.1: Quibus modis quoque habitu acies Romana instrui solita sit; quaeque earum
instructionum sint vocabula. I. Vocabula sunt militaria, quibus instructa certo modo acies appellari solet: frons, subsidia, cuneus, orbis, globus, forfices, serra, alae, turres
“subveniant” if it is translated as assist or reinforce, it seems to be understood as to back up as in a hoplite phalanx, or perhaps throwing pila and other missiles over in support. If subveniant is translated as relieve, then the text speaks about the doctrine of line replacement.
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