Glossary
A
Auxilia and velites (Auxiliary): Allied contingents, often providing light infantry and specialist fighting services, like archers, slingers or javelin men.
C
Caligae: (Latin; singular caliga) are heavy-soled hobnailed military boots known for being issued to Roman legionary soldiers and auxiliaries.
Centurion : basic commander of the century. Prestige varied based on the cohort they supervised
Centuria (Century): 80 men commanded by a centurion
Cohort: 6 centuries or a total of 480 fighting men. Added to these were officers. The first cohort was double strength in terms of manpower, and generally held the best fighting men.
Contubernium: "tent unit" of 8 men
E
Equites: Each legion was supported by 300 cavalry (equites)
F
First Cohort: The first cohort was made up of five double-strength centuries totalling 800 men, the centurion of its 1st century automatically being the most senior in the legion. This century was known as the primus pilii (first file), and its centurion was known as the primus pilus (first file) or primipilus.
G
Gladius: (Latin: glădĭus) was one Latin word for sword and is used to represent the primary sword of Ancient Roman foot soldiers
J
Jupiter, Roman God: Jupiter was the chief deity of Roman state religion throughout the Republican and Imperial eras. Jupiter is usually thought to have originated as a sky god. His identifying implement is the thunderbolt, and his primary sacred animal is the eagle, which held precedence over other birds in the taking of auspices and became one of the most common symbols of the Roman army (Aquila).
L
Legion (Legio): made up of 10 cohorts. The legion numbered about 5,400 men, including officers, engineers and usually a small unit of cavalry (equites; 120 men and horses)
Lorica Segmentata: The lorica segmentata (segmented cuirass) is a type of personal armour used by soldiers of the Roman Empire, consisting of metal strips ("girth hoops" fashioned into circular bands), fastened to internal leather straps. The plates of lorica segmentata armour were soft iron inside and (some at least) were mild steel on the outside, making the plates hardened against damage without becoming brittle.
M
Manica: From early Imperial times to after the fall of the Western Empire, some troops wore segmented armor on one or both arms.
Mars, Roman God: Mars was the Roman god of war and second only to Jupiter in the Roman pantheon.
P
Pugio: The pugio was a used by soldiers as a sidearm. It seems likely that the pugio was intended as an auxiliary weapon. The dagger was a common weapon of assassination and suicide; for example, the conspirators who stabbed Julius Caesar used pugiones.
S
Senate, Roman: The Roman Senate was a political institution in ancient Rome. Wikipedia - Roman Senate Grab a Coffee if your dedicated to read about it.
Scutum: Scutum (/ˈskuːtəm/; plural scuta) is the Latin word for shield, although it has in modern times come to be specifically associated with the rectangular, semi-cylindrical body shield carried by Roman legionaries.
T
Testudo: In Ancient Roman warfare, the testudo or tortoise formation was a formation used commonly by the Roman Legions during battles, particularly sieges. Testudo is the Latin word for "tortoise".
In the testudo formation, the men would align their shields to form a packed formation covered with shields on the front and top. The first row of men, possibly excluding the men on the flanks, would hold their shields from about the height of their shins to their eyes, so as to cover the formation's front. The shields would be held in such a way that they presented a shield wall to all sides. The men in the back ranks would place their shields over their heads to protect the formation from above, balancing the shields on their helmets, overlapping them. If necessary, the legionaries on the sides and rear of the formation could stand sideways or backwards with shields held as the front rows, so as to protect the formation's sides and rear, this made the formation slow and they covered very little ground.