Casilinum is a sister city to Capua here in Second Life and as in our story, Capua is the new capital city of the Roman Empire, where the Senate meets, Mark Antony lives and Ceasar rules, our Military reports up to theirs.

Under Roleplay Education, “Roman Life HELP!” there is a detailed accounting of how the Roman Military worked, all the titles, and how they ranked starting from lowest working its way up to highest.  Here however, is ONLY that which pertains to our players here in Casilinum, who hole the rank in order of highest to lowest.

Legatus Legionis

Held by: Daniel J. Taylor (Lance Flux)

A senatorial officer who generally had seen prior service as tribunus and was placed in charge of the legion. Some special cases included equestrians elevated to senatorial status with previous commands in the auxilia.

Praefectus Castrorum

Held By: Marcus Lupus Arillius (Chewey1971 Resident)

This camp commandant usually had held the post of senior centurion and was in charge of a host of tasks. Of equestrian status, he was third in the chain of command, except in Egypt and later also in special circumstances when this officer acted as praefectus legionis, sometimes with the additional designation agens in vice legati, acting in place of a legate.

Centurio or Centurion (a Subaltern Officer)

Held By: Dante Romulius (Vage Burger) –RETIRED VETERAN

Centurio (‘commander of hundred’, officer in command of a centuria) also ordinarius or title derived from original place in the battle order. There was some variation in seniority and remuneration between these officers. Those with prior in their titles (hastatus prior, princeps prior and pilus prior) led the manipuli with officers with posterior in their titles (hastatus posterior, princeps posterior and pilus posterior) acting as deputies. Pili could also be named triarius, though this was very rare under the empire (one certain case, one possible). It is thought that the pilus prior was in command of a legion’s cohort. Pay for all these officers was at least fifteen times that of a ranker. The socalled primi ordines, the centurions of the first cohort, had much higher status and pay (estimated at at least thirty times basic pay) than the other officers. The primus pilus was the most senior centurion and received 60 times basic pay plus entry into the equestrian order after completion of his stint.

In addition to the 59 or 60 ordinarii (those actually commanding an ordo or centuria of the legion) there was an unknown number of supernumerarii attached to each legion. These officers had special functions in the legionary cavalry, military intelligence, medical service, elite legionary infantry and various other postings in the governor’s staff or imperial horse guards.

The centurions were either equestrians or curiales directly commissioned from civilian life or had started out as buck privates and earned their position by serving in NCO postings in the legion or the imperial praetorian guard. Directly commissioned equestrian officers may have had different pay as they received salaria instead of the usual stipendia. Note that there were, as far as can be established with our present sources, no decuriones for the imperial era legionary horse in contrast with the republican legion. Apparently these cavalrymen were now commanded either by centurions or NCO’s.