Roman Army

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Legion

The basic unit of the legion was a section, a group of eight men who shared a tent whilst on manoeuvres or a hut whilst garrisoned. 

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Ten sections made a century. Yes, that makes 80 legionaries in a century, not 100.

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Six centuries made a cohort, a total of 480 men.

 

The elite first cohort was made up of double-strength centuries, so 960 men.

 

Ten cohorts made a legion, a total of 5,280 soldiers.

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To become a legionary, you had to be a citizen. Non-citizens (peregrini - or foreigners) joined auxiliary cohorts. An auxiliary would attain citizenship after twenty-five years' service.

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